Carmel Ceanothus, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus

About Carmel Ceanothus (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus) 48 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 was formerly named Ceanothus griseus and was considered a separate species, with a popular variety formerly named Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis (Carmel Creeper Ceanothus) - some sources may still use this terminology. This Ceanothus is endemic to coastal California, where its distribution extends from the Central Coast region through the southern North Coast region. It is a plant of the chaparral, coastal scrub, and closed-cone-pine forest plant communities.

Unlike the always low growing Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus is quite variable in form, ranging from a low and spreading ground cover to rounded and upright shrub. 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.

Carmel Ceanothus and its cultivars are widely available in nurseries. It is easy to grow and fast growing in its natural range and beyond. It grows in a wide range of soils, and can tolerate summer water up to 2x per week in some climates and soils.
There are many popular named cultivars of Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus with diverse heights (0.5 ft. to 6+ ft.) and widths (3 ft. to 20+ ft.). Those with descriptions in separate Calscape articles include:
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Diamond Heights' (Diamond Heights Mountain Lilac) 1 ft high x 4-6 ft wide
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Kurt Zadnik' (Kurt Zadnik Carmel Ceanothus) 2-4 ft high x 6-15 ft wide
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Louis Edmunds' (Louis Edmunds Carmel Ceanothus) 3-6 ft high x 10-25 ft wide
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Point Sal' (Point Sal Carmel Creeper) 2-3 ft high x 4-5 ft wide
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Santa Ana' (Santa Ana Carmel Ceanothus) 4-8 ft high x 6-12 ft wide
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Yankee Point' (Yankee Point Carmel Ceanothus) 1-4 ft high x 8-12 ft wide
Other cultivars in the nursery trade include:
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'All Gold' (All Gold Carmel Ceanothus)
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Carmel Creeper' (Carmel Creeper Ceanothus) 2-3 ft high x 15-20 ft wide

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 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 48

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
Common Names: Carmel Creeper Ceanothus

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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