Creeping Blueblossom, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus

About Creeping Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus) 16 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Creeping Blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsoflorus) is a the low growing form and variety of the native shrub and tree Ceanothus thyrsiflorus. It native range is coastal central and northern California, extending from northern Santa Barbara County to near the Oregon border, growing 1- 5 miles from the shore. The other variety of this species, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus (Carmel Ceanothus) is much more variable in form and is native to habitats closer to the coast.
Creeping Blueblossom was previously classified as Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens.

Creeping Blueblossom has profuse attractive sky blue flowers and makes an excellent ground cover plant. It prefers full sun to part shade in cooler coastal environments, and part shade to full shade in hotter and drier inland environments. It tolerates occasional light summer water, but is quite drought tolerant. It grows well in many different soil types, from clay to sand, and can tolerate poorly draining and fast draining conditions.

Cultivars in the nursery trade include:
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus 'Taylor's Blue' (Taylors Blue Ceanothus). This is a shrub ground cover growing 2-3 feet tall by 10-15 feet wide. It was introduced in the 1950s as Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Louis Edmunds' by the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation, from a plant in nurseryman Ken Taylor's natives garden in Aromas, originally from the garden of nurseryman Louis L. Edmunds. It was previously named and is sometimes still sold as C. t. var. repens 'Taylor's Blue'.
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus 'Louis Edmunds' (Louis Edmunds Blue Blossom). This is a prostrate ground cover growing 6 inches tall by 6 to 8 feet wide, and is the lowest cultivated form of C. t. var. thyrsiflorus. It introduced by Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (California Botanic Garden) in 1958 as Ceanothus griseus 'Louis Edmunds' from a plant given them by Louis L. Edmunds, who operated the Louis Edmunds Native Plant Nursery in Danville.
This is not the same plant as the cultivar Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Louis Edmunds' (Louis Edmunds Carmel Ceanothus) nor the formerly named Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Louis Edmunds' (currently C. t. var. thyrsiflorus 'Taylors Blue').

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

2 - 3 ft tall
6 - 10 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Spreading

Growth Rate

Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Flower Color

Blue

Flowering Season

Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Bees and other pollinators
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 84 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

Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Never irrigate once established, Irrigate ~ 1x / mo once established, Irrigate ~ 2x / mo once established

Nurseries

Carried by 16

Ease of Care

Very Easy, Moderately Easy

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerates sand or clay

Common uses

Groundcovers, Bank Stabilization, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Natural Setting

Site Type

Wooded slopes near the coast

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 16.8" - 112.9", Summer Precipitation: 0.17" - 1.93", Coldest Month: 43.3" - 50.8", Hottest Month: 57.1" - 72.6", Humidity: 0.01" - 19.67", Elevation: 17" - 4811"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens
Common Names: Low Blue Blossom

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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

Creeping Blueblossom

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus

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Creeping BlueblossomCeanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus

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Creeping Blueblossom

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus