7/4/2023 0 Comments Blue cloud gardensThe pleasingly white-variegated foliage can also be used to advantage with the bright colors of California fuchsia ( Epilobium spp. Combine it with bush anemone ( Carpenteria californica), Ceanothus thyrsiflorus ‘Snow Flurry’, and white coral bells ( Heuchera spp. As noted above, this plant is in the process of being patented, which means that unlicensed propagation is prohibited.Ĭeanothus ‘Silver Surprise’ would be outstanding cascading from a large container or over a low wall. Further refinement and selection led to the release of ‘Silver Surprise’ in Europe two years ago. The original selection was made in 1995 by Peter Brand of A Brand and Sons nursery in England, from a variegated branch of the widely known and grown Ceanothus griseus var. This durable plant features a compact growth habit 3 to 4 feet high and about 6 feet wide. Unlike our other variegated Ceanothus selections, the flowers on ‘Silver Surprise’ are a beautiful complement to the foliage. ‘Silver Surprise’ is an exciting new ceanothus cultivar with striking creamy-white margined variegated leaves and masses of medium blue flowers in spring. horizontalis ‘Silver Surprise’ (patent pending) Photograph by Dave Fross Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis ‘Silver Surprise’ (patent pending). Consider growing this durable shrub behind Arctostaphylos ‘Howard McMinn’ or in a sea of Twin Peaks coyote brush ( Baccharis pilularis ‘Twin Peaks #2’), deer grass ( Muhlenbergia rigens), or Saint Catherine’s lace ( Eriogonum giganteum). The extreme summer heat found in California’s inland valleys is not a problem for ‘Blue Cloud’. Established plants will tolerate some summer watering. (If anyone knows of any living specimens of these four plants, please inform the author.)Ĭeanothus ‘Blue Cloud’ is adaptable to most soils, and even performs well on rich clay-loam. Another four ceanothus cultivars from this era are now thought to be extinct: ‘Theodore Payne’ from 1917, ‘La Primavera’ from 1935, ‘James Roof’ from 1937, and ‘La Purisima’ from 1938. There are only four other surviving Ceanothus cultivars from this era: ‘Ray Hartman’ (the oldest) dates back to 1929, while ‘Treasure Island’, ‘Louis Edmunds’, and ‘Mount Vision’ were selected and introduced in the years between 19. spinosus, though this has not yet been confirmed. Edmunds thought that the parentage of this plant was likely Ceanothus impressus ¥ C. ‘Blue Cloud’ was selected in 1940 by Louis Edmunds from a group of plants that propagator Clarence Quick had grown for the famed Ceanothus expert Howard McMinn. ![]() Though rarely available today, Ceanothus ‘Blue Cloud’ is one of the oldest surviving selections of California’s wild lilacs. The stems and branches remain yellow-green for years before they eventually turn gray-brown. The oval-shaped, shiny green leaves have short petioles, may reach slightly over an inch in length, and are less than half as wide. As a result of its fast growth, sometimes the foliage is a bit sparse near the base of the plant. ![]() ![]() Plants are typically fast growers and will reach full size in three to five years. Though it was originally selected in the San Francisco Bay area, it has always been an excellent performer in Southern California.Ĭeanothus ‘Blue Cloud’ will form a large multi-stemmed shrub from eight to twelve feet tall with a somewhat wider spread. Even in warm spring temperatures, this plant will remain showy for about a month. Each flower turns a pale gray-blue as it fades. ![]() The plants are covered with hundreds of one- to two-inch-long, branched clusters of pale sky blue blossoms. Its name, ‘Blue Cloud’ says it all-one of the most profusely blooming ceanothus cultivars ever selected. Author’s photograph Ceanothus ‘Blue Cloud’ horizontalis ‘Silver Surprise’, the first Ceanothus cultivar with showy, creamy-white variegated leaves. The old plant is Ceanothus ‘Blue Cloud’, a rarely available but spectacular and durable flowering shrub for the garden and landscape. Two distinctly different plants -something old and something new, and both blue.
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