Carmel Ceanothus, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus

About Carmel Ceanothus (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus) 45 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus is a variety of flowering shrub known by the common name Carmel ceanothus. It formerly called Ceanothus griseus and considered a separate species and some sources may still use this terminology. This Ceanothus is endemic to coastal California, where its distribution extends through coastal central California to the southern half of the the northern California coast. Unlike the always low growing Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus, var griseus is quite variable in form, ranging from low and spreading to rounded and upright. This shrub may exceed two meters in height when mostly erect, or it can grow wider than tall. The evergreen leaves are ribbed and have slightly serrated edges and fuzzy undersides. The flower clusters are borne on thick stalks a few centimeters long and are dense with small blue or purple flowers. The fruit is a sticky black capsule about 4 millimeters in length containing usually 3 seeds. This is a plant of the chaparral and coastal scrub plant communities. It is widely available in nurseries.

Carmel Ceanothus is easy to grow and fast growing in its natural range. It grows in a wide range of soils, and tolerates summer water up to 2x per week. There are several popular named cultivars including 'Carmel Creeper' and 'Yankee Point'. The term var. horizontalis is also sometimes used for the prostrate form.
Ceanothus (Blue & Gold), Ceanothus
$8.00 -
Description
Low-growing evergreen sprawling shrub with showy yellow-gold variegated leaves. Leaf variegation is highly variable with some leaves gold, some partly gold. Blooms from February to May with medium blue flowers in cylindrical sprays 1in-2in long. Striking groundcover that prefers afternoon shade in inland areas.
Plant type: Shrub
Light: Full sun along the coast, part shade inland
Water: Occasional once established
Height: 2ft-4ft
Width: 6ft-8ft
Foliage: Evergreen, three-veined, elliptical, 1in-1 1/2in long
Flowers: Medium blue cylindrical sprays

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var griseus 'Louis Edmonds', Ceanothus
Description
This is an excellent ground cover. It grows quickly into a large shrub up to 12 feet wide and three to four feet tall. Glossy dark green leaves with attractive violet-blue flower clusters in the spring. Full sun in coastal areas, but prefers some afternoon shade inland. Drought tolerant once established, but benefits from a little summer water inland.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

3 - 15 ft tall
4 - 15 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Rounded, Spreading, Upright

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

Blue

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Insects, especially bees and butterflies. Plants in the Ceanothus genus are host plants to the Spring Azure, Echo Blue, Pacuvius Duskywing, California Tortoiseshell, Pale Swallowtail, and Hedgerow Hairstreak butterflies.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 81 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinusStrymon melinus

Pale Tiger Swallowtail Papilio eurymedonPapilio eurymedon

Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquiniLimenitis lorquini

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californicaNymphalis californica

The Brown Elfin Callophrys augustinusCallophrys augustinus

Pacuvius Duskywing Erynnis pacuviusErynnis pacuvius

Hedgerow Hairstreak Satyrium saepiumSatyrium saepium

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade

Moisture

Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 45

Ease of Care

Very Easy, Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 15° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerant of sandy or clay soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Woollyleaf Ceanothus (Ceanothus tomentosus), Hoaryleaf Ceanothus (Ceanothus crassifolius), Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Coffeeberry (Frangula species), Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), Flannelbush (Fremontodendron species), Bush Poppy (Dendromecon rigida, and Honeysuckle (Lonicera species)

Maintenance

This plant is said to be a favorite of deer.. Some cultivars may need annual pruning to maintain desired shape.

Propagation?

Because of the tendency of Ceanothus to hybridize, propagation is usually from cuttings. For propagating by seed: Boil in water 1min., cool immediately to room temperature, and sow.

Sunset Zones?

5, 7, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Hills and bluffs, usually within a few miles of the coast, along with Monterey Pine and other trees of the central coast, or with northern coastal scrub.

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 15.5" - 57.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.20" - 0.86", Coldest Month: 43.8" - 50.6", Hottest Month: 55.7" - 73.2", Humidity: 0.01" - 18.31", Elevation: 3" - 1746"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Ceanothus griseus,Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Carmel Ceanothus

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus

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Carmel CeanothusCeanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus

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Carmel Ceanothus

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus