Other Names:  Island Ceanothus, California Mountain Lilac

Description:

A graceful, upright large shrub featuring dark green glossy foliage with felt textured undersides; beautiful sky blue flower clusters add color in the spring; perfect for shrub borders or as a hedge or screen; very drought tolerant once established

Ornamental Features

Cliff Schmidt Feltleaf Ceanothus is bathed in stunning clusters of fragrant sky blue star-shaped flowers with navy blue eyes at the ends of the branches from late winter to mid spring. It has attractive dark green foliage with gray undersides which emerges chartreuse in spring. The glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Cliff Schmidt Feltleaf Ceanothus is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Cliff Schmidt Feltleaf Ceanothus is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Cliff Schmidt Feltleaf Ceanothus will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.