Forum home Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

What am I?

Hello,

I've attached a couple of pictures here of a shrub (tree?) that we acquired just a few days ago. It was donated kindly by someone who'd dug it out of their garden and asking if we want it.

Said shrub (tree) is now transplanted into our garden but it was much larger than we realised and we had to cut the poor thing back by quite a bit to get it into the van so we could get it home. It was also out of the ground completely for a good week before we collected it. So, only time will tell if it will recover or not.

But I need an ID please. I think it may be a Ceanothus (Californian Lilac) and luckily it still has one small blue flower on it which should help with the ID.

image

 

image

 All I'm seeing here is blank boxes so fingers crossed you all can see the images.

Thank you

Heather 

 

Posts

  • Hi Heather image



    I think its a ceanothus too, early flowers, you must have a nice sheltered spot image
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    Hi Heather, that's a Ceanothus.

     very early flowering



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • Thank you so much Bekkie and Nutcutlet.

    OK, now I need to learn what if anything I need to do to take of it, assuming it actually recovers from the shock of being dug up and having it's roots exposed for a week in frosty weather and being rather severely cut back. It isn't in the most sheltered spot right now, but its the best I have and I just couldn't stand to see what is (hopefully), still a perfectly healthy shrub. 

  • Agree - ceanothus - the colour of the flowers and when it blooms  will help identify which one, I find it an umpredictable shrub - I think it needs a bit of shelter from a fence or a wall.  In one cold winter half the shrub, by then very old and woody, seemed to die back but when I went out with a saw after a few months I could see new growth.  Cutting it back shouldn't have harmed it.

  • From what i can tell, they dont need a lot of care, but might not like soggy soil, theres one growing in a front garden in my street, i dont think the owner really does anything to it, its gorgeous when its in full bloom image
  • That helps a lot ladies, thank you. I'll just give it a little TLC for the time being and see how it goes. It would be lovely if it gives us a bloom this year, fingers crossed image

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    They are Californian in origin, so warm sheltered spot is best.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Thanks Punkdoc. It is planted in an area of the garden that gets sun (at least when Mr. Sunshine decides to show his face in the afternoon!), so that should be OK. Our back garden would not give it enough sun I think and also due to its size it isn't realistically possible to plant it out back. Shelter causes more of a problem. The back garden has the most! The front, not so much unless the wind blows from a certain direction and then the bordering trees will catch it, but unfortunately it's the best spot I have for it so I'm just going to have to hope that it flourishes. I just couldn't bear the thought of it being hoiked out of the ground where it was doing perfectly well (it as leaning however which is why its original owner uprooted it) and abandoned if I could try to give it a home. 

Sign In or Register to comment.