Collection: Ceanothus Plants

Ceanothus is a flowering shrub that originated in North America. It’s also known as California Lilac and can be recognised by its gloriously bright blue flowers and the crowds of bees it attracts.

Ceanothus is a hardy shrub (most varieties are rated H4 or H5) and will grow well in the UK climate without winter protection.

Ceanothus is a good choice for most soil types, including sand, loam or even poor, gravelly soils. It doesn’t like clay however, so if this is your soil type, mix in plenty of fine gravel and compost before planting, to improve the drainage.

Ceanothus can tolerate light shade, but you’ll get the best flowers by planting it in a sunny position, where it will get at least six hours of sunlight daily. A south or west facing spot is ideal.

Newly planted ceanothus will need regular watering, but once they’re established, these plants are drought tolerant and will only need watering during hot or dry weather.

You can plant a potted ceanothus plant at any time of year provided that the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. The best times are in spring or autumn, so that the plant has time to establish a good root system before it has to face any extreme temperatures.

Although ceanothus is fully hardy, very young or newly planted plants should be protected overnight from frost. You can find ways to do this in our winter protection guide.

Ceanothus doesn’t like heavy pruning, so if you do want to trim it, keep this to a minimum, only removing dead, diseased or damaged branches and lightly shaping the plant.

Dwarf ceanothus varieties can be grown in pots - choose one at least 45cm deep and wide, with drainage holes in the bottom. Shrubs in pots will need more regular watering than those in the ground and may benefit from a yearly or twice yearly feed.

Ceanothus typically blooms in late spring to early summer. Some varieties may also have a second, smaller flowering in the autumn.

Different ceanothus varieties vary in size, but generally you can expect a plant between 1-3m tall and wide. It’s always best to check the variety you choose to make sure it will fit the space you’ve planned for it.

Ceanothus makes a lovely hedge or screen, either as a single species hedge or as part of a mixed planting with other flowering shrubs.