Ceanothus

    Ceanothus is a genus of about 50 species that is native to North America. They are commonly called Californian Lilacs. The majority of plants are evergreen but a small number are deciduous and these tend to be better adapted to cold. Although the most popular colour is blue they also come with white or pink flowers. The flowers appear in late spring to early summer. Most shrubs grow to between 1 and 5 meters in height. </p>     
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                    How to grow Ceanothus                   
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                                <p>
                    Choose a sunny sheltered position. Most Ceanothus are hardy in the UK but they don't like windy positions. Plant in a free draining soil. Ceanothus grow quite quickly but do not live for very long, a 20 year old plant would be considered good going, 10 to 15 years being the norm. The evergreen varieties do not respond well to hard pruning. The deciduous types tend to respond slightly better. On the whole it is best to just let Ceanothus go and treat as a temporary plant in that when it gets too big just remove and replace. Most problems with Ceanothus come from being left in poorly drained soil, hard pruning or wind chill.<br>Ceanothus needs little in the way of fertilising. It is possible to dead head after flowering but make sure not to cut back into old wood. Ceanothus are useful in urban and seaside planting schemes as they are salt and pollution resistant                    
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                    Botanical name                  
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                    Ceanothus is a genus of over 50 species in the family of Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family)                  
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                    Type of plant                   
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                    Ceanothus are mostly evergreen shrubs                   
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                    Size when fully grown                   
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                    Varies, up to 3m in height                  
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                    When they flower                    
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                    Spring to early summer                  
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                    Where to plant                  
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                    Plant in a sheltered position in full sun                   
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                    Soil type                   
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                    Neutral soil. PH 7                  
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                    Temperature tolerance                   
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                    Hardy in UK                 
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                    After care                  
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                    Keep watered during dry periods. prune to size after flowering. They do not like being cut back too hard                    
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                    When to plant                   
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                    March/April                 
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                    Pests and diseases                  
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                    Ceanothus are quite disease free but they do suffer from scale insect attacks and honey fungus