Ceanothus - Plants - gardenersworld.com

Bunny ...

25/01/2013 at 20:54

I love ceanothus BUT having brought one from my own very first house to another then onto here ...and lost it winter 2009 . I then tried a ground low growing variety which I then lost winter 2010. I gave up but still miss them ... Any ideas ? Would a pot grown one hidden away in an unseated greenhouse work or am I destined to do without .

Busy-Lizzie

25/01/2013 at 21:33

I always lose them eventually, except one. It's a deciduous one called "Gloire de Versailles". It looked dead last year after we'd had snow and -17° so OH cut it down in the spring and lo and behold it grew again all bushily from the bottom!

Bunny ...

25/01/2013 at 22:36

Ahhh. Deciduous I shall make a note of the name , maybe there is a glimpse of hope , we haven't had such severe cold since but today a lot of snow. Thank you.

Flower bird

25/01/2013 at 22:43

I look after a nursing home garden with raised beds ( about two and a half feet off the ground) , the bed with the shrubs in is well sheltered , more or less in a court yard. In the middle of all the shrubs and at the front of the display is ceanothus. It does well every year and I just give it a trim when it gets overgrown. Not had any probs with it, don't know whether that is because of its surroundings and the raised bed it is in bunny. It has shrubs behind it and at each side. The raised bed itself is about 10metres long . Sorry about all the detail but trying to explain the location of the shrub and maybe why it does well.

Bunny ...

25/01/2013 at 22:52

My original one was in a raised bed in a terrace back yard, maybe why did so well, re located to sheltered garden not far away, then to exposed colder area and clay soil. Hmmm . Thank you I'm getting something to work on here.

Busy-Lizzie

25/01/2013 at 23:02

Forgot to say - mine is in front of a south facing wall.

Bunny ...

25/01/2013 at 23:05

Mine were south facing and south west but south wind hitting them from open field . X

discodave

26/01/2013 at 07:42

My next door neighbour has one in her back garden thats been there for over 10 uears, last year it was cut back by almost half because it was huge. A further 10 were planted on the front garden border between her and me, they are growing like mad they need cutting back and shapint this spring. Not sure if its a difference in climate or soil, we live in Surrey.

Bunny ...

26/01/2013 at 14:02

I think it must be location, I shall try again this yr with a large pot in a more sheltered spot and greenhouse it.

gary nichol-velt

13/02/2013 at 22:48

Hi Bunny,

I live on North Northumberland coast.Have an evergreen Ceanothus about 11 years old,10 feet high & 20 feet wide.It catches the strong North East winds here,but apart from lightly pruning after flowering in June and chucking some general fertiliser around the base in Spring it gives me a fantastic display every year.It sits adjacent to a hawthorn hedge so does have a little protection.Our soil is solid blue clay.

As discodave mentioned,thery grow like wildfire and do need some shaping to keep them under control.Will take some photos when in bloom.

Good luck.gary.

Bunny ...

13/02/2013 at 22:51

Thanks Gary that's good to hear .

Jess is in the Garden

14/02/2013 at 20:54

I thought they were really tough plants? Shows how much I know...

nutcutlet

14/02/2013 at 20:57

Mine completely browned off last winter. I cut it right back to stumps and it's oK so far this winter but it's lost the lovely shape it was, just a blob now

Bunny ...

14/02/2013 at 21:10

Mine last through 2 house moves til,winter 2010

was an original,housewarming present , have since had variegated leaf type in pot and a spreading one in ground , the didn't survive either.

Newcastle

14/02/2013 at 21:57

It might be a good plan to strike some cuttings on a regular basis in case of loss. I find the old 7" pot and compost covered by a plastic bag works quite well and they will grow on quite happily on the window ledge. Most hardy shrubs will survive even harsh Winter weather under a couple of layers of horticultural fleece or in a frost free greenhouse (or both). I am trying this with an Edgworthia (delivered about a month ago) but whether this will work remains to be seen in the Spring. It's from the Himalayas so can stand the cold but not the damp and cold like most shrubs as this forms ice on the leaves. Hope you have better luch this year!

Bunny ...

14/02/2013 at 22:06

This was before I knew what cuttings were Newcastle being a novice but shall certainly try and be prepared in future ...even if the plant has to move in the house

Verdun

15/02/2013 at 00:11

Ceanothus usually do not live too long. They eventually take great offence to continued pruning. They grow so fast and get woody even the smaller growing varieties. In Cornwall they can be seen everywhere as large shrubs or trees but then suddenly decide to die. Cuttings are easy. The variety Gloire de Versailles to me is wishy washy and not worth growing. Best to grow it knowing it will not live too long and to take cuttings from it in the first year you have it. But, the evergreen ones are lovely shrubs..Concha and Pudget Blue are the best for me. Caryopteris and ceratostigma are more sustainable and reliable blue shrubs I think

Bunny ...

15/02/2013 at 00:14

Where do you buy your plants Verdun ?

Verdun

15/02/2013 at 08:42

Hello Bunny. Over the years I used to know all the local nurseries and got some gems that way. On line there are some good suppliers...I buy in 9 cm pots to grow on now and these can be excellent value. Don't like parkers, T & M, etc for plants so ignore these. I've also received excellent shrubs from Stephen Smiths garden centres, thinking of ceanothus, the most recent being a caryopteris Sterling Silver. Silvery foliage and the brightest blue flowers. Paddock Plants, Wootten Plants, and Dove Cottage Nursery are all very good.

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