How to Grow and Care for Ceanothus (California Lilac) Ceanothus spp.
I remember the first time I noticed a Ceanothus aka California lilac shrub. I literally did a double take as I was walking my dogs on a gloomy late winter’s day in the park by my house.
My eye was drawn to this dark green shrub covered in otherworldly blue flowers that seemed to glow in the landscape.
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Only later did I discover that Ceanothus is fast-growing, fixes nitrogen in the soil, and requires hardly any maintenance. I was already a convert when I first saw its impressive display, but all the rest doesn’t hurt, either.
I immediately added a few California lilacs to my yard and at the same time I started noticing them all over the place in gardens and parks. As far as I’m concerned, there can’t be enough Ceanothus out there.
Whether you’re interested in planting a California lilac of your own, or you want to learn how to care for a specimen you already have, that’s what we’ll cover in this guide.
Here’s what’s coming up:
What Is Ceanothus?
Ceanothus are plants in the Ceanothus genus, that’s the easy part. Many species are commonly known as California lilac, but not all plants in this genus are referred to by this moniker.
They are not related to lilacs, though the flowers bear some resemblance.
Stores and growers will often call all plants in the Ceanothus genus Californian or California lilac because many species are native to California, including feltleaf (C. arboreus), Rincon Ridge (C. confusus), hoaryleaf (C. crassifolius), San Diego buckbrush (C. cyaneus), Fresno (C. fresnensis), Santa Barbara (C. impressus), maritime (C.
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