(Carmel Creeper)

Carmel ceanothus is a vigorous, drought tolerant, evergreen shrub native to California. In late spring to early summer, this reliable bloomer bears prolific pale to dark blue flower clusters against glossy green leaves with gray undersides.

There are several great cultivars available. 'Yankee Point' is a heavy-flowering, more compact selection with a very broad horizontal habit, and 'Santa Ana' has a broad, spreading habit and very dark blue flowers.

Though tolerant of lime, this plant thrives...

(Carmel Ceanothus, Carmel Creeper)

Carmel creeper is a fantastic low-growing evergreen shrub with glossy green elaves and light blue flowers. It is a vigorous grower native to California. Likes sheltered areas in full sun with fertile, well drained soil. In the colder parts of its range it can sustain winter damage. Use as a broad and large groundcover or slope stabilizer. 'Hurricane Point' spreads rapidly to 35 ft/10m in width. 'Yankee Point' spreads only one third that distance.

(Carmel Creeper, Silver Surprise Carmel Creeper)

Silver Surprise carmel creeper, or 'Brass', is a fantastic low-growing evergreen shrub with glossy gray-green leaves with cream edges and light blue flowers. In full sun and in summer, the leaf variegation is more pronounced although the cream blotches are irregularly found on all leaf edges. Conversely, in a shadier location, or during the winter, green becomes the dominant leaf color. In either situation, it is a vigorous grower native to California and blooms in late spring. This was selected...

(Carmel Ceanothus, Carmel Creeper, Diamond Heights Ceanothus)

Diamond Heights carmel creeper, or variegated carmel creeper, is a fantastic low-growing evergreen shrub with glossy yellow and green leaves and light blue flowers. In full sun and in summer, the yellow variegation is more pronounced. Conversely, in a shadier location, or during the winter, green becomes the dominant leaf color. In either situation, it is a vigorous grower native to California.

'Diamond Heights' is its best in a sheltered area in full sun with fertile, well drained soil. In the...

(Carmel Ceanothus, Carmel Creeper, Yankee Point Ceanothus)

Noted for its extra low-growing habit and high vigor, ‘Yankee Point’ is an older, yet highly popular, cultivar of the California native Carmel Mountain lilac. In fact, it is said to be the most widely planted native groundcover in California. Esteemed horticulturist and former director of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Maunsell Van Rensselaer, first introduced this selection in 1954 after he discovered it at Yankee Point Rock, an insular point off of the Coast of Monterey County.

The broad...

(Santa Barbara Ceanothus, Santa Barbara Mountain Lilac, Tickbush)

Santa Barbara mountain lilac is a fantastic spreading broadleaf evergreen shrub native only to California. It bears prolific dark blue flower clusters in mid to late spring. Leaves are very small, wrinkled and dark green.

Santa Barbara mountain lilac grows nicely in sheltered areas in full sun with fertile, well drained soil. Best practices would include reducing water to the plant in the summer months. Use as a groundcover or slope stabilizer. A few choice cultivars are the compact 'Vandenberg'...

(Blue Blossom, Blue Brush)

The cool blue color and vigorous upright form of this evergreen shrub made it a popular early landscape shrub for California gardens. Parent to many contemporary Ceanothus hybrid cultivars, blue blossom is pretty in its own right, though a little wilder and rangier than formal cultivated forms. It is native across the western American coastal mountain ranges from Santa Barbara, California up to Oregon. Wild coastal specimens are found in more open natural landscapes, but further inland they...

(Blue Blossom, El Dorado Blue Blossom)

The cool blue color and vigorous upright form of this evergreen shrub made it a popular early landscape shrub for California gardens. Parent to many contemporary Ceanothus hybrid cultivars, blue blossom is pretty in its own right, though a little wilder and rangier than formal cultivated forms. It is native across the western American coastal mountain ranges from Santa Barbara, California up to Oregon. Wild coastal specimens are found in more open natural landscapes, but further inland they...

(Blue Blossom)

The cool blue color and vigorous upright form of this evergreen shrub made it a popular early landscape shrub for California gardens. Parent to many contemporary Ceanothus hybrid cultivars, blue blossom is pretty in its own right, though a little wilder and rangier than formal cultivated forms. It is native across the western American coastal mountain ranges from Santa Barbara, California up to Oregon. Wild coastal specimens are found in more open natural landscapes, but further inland they...

(Ceanothus)

Dark glossy leaves are found on this small deciduous shrub. The open, loose branch tips are are topped with fluffy pink flower panicles for many weeks in summer. Parent plants of pink ceanothus are Ceanothus delilianus and Ceanothus ovatus.

This hybrid pink ceanothus likes a full sun exposure in a light, well draining soil. It will tolerate warm dry sites. It seems unaffected by and tolerant of summer waterings, which is not typical of most ceanothus. Since flowering occurs...