Ceanothus arboreus Concha

Ceanothus Concha is a magnificent variety of evergreen ceanothus, a Californian lilac that is quite hardy and not very demanding of soil type, offering abundant and fragrant flowering in a particularly dark blue. This large bush with a very rounded habit blooms in spring, with decorative red-violet buds that open into numerous clusters of deep blue flowers, almost overshadowing its beautiful shiny dark green foliage. Tolerant of sun and drought, it ages better in poor and light soils and prefers regions with mild winters.

The Concha ceanothus is a horticultural hybrid, probably resulting from the cross-breeding between C. impressus and C. papillosus, two botanical species native to California. Ceanothus belong to the Rhamnaceae family, they are cousins of our buckthorn (Frangula alnus), growing in scrub vegetation, which can rely on rainwater once established.

The 'Concha' variety has a bushy and flexible habit; it is a beautiful bush that can reach 2.50m (8ft 2in) to 3m (9ft 10in) in all directions. Its pretty, reddish flower buds appear in March-April, at the ends of the branches, mixing in April-May with dense panicles of fully bloomed intense blue flowers, giving an overall impression of purple-violet. This fragrant flowering attracts many pollinating insects. It is followed by the formation of seeds which are explosively released. The evergreen foliage is composed of small alternate, elongated and finely toothed leaves, shiny dark green and 1 to 3cm (0.4 to 1.2in) long. This variety tolerates pruning. Its average lifespan is 15 to 20 years, and it prefers a maritime climate.

Because the demand for blue blooms continues, horticulturists have 'invented' new varieties of ceanothus in recent years, that are easier to acclimatize and of more modest size, adapted to our gardens and terraces. With good hardiness down to -10°C/-12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained soil and tolerating slightly chalky soils if they are light, the Concha ceanothus is a magnificent subject to plant in isolation, or in a mass of easy-to-grow shrubs which will precede or take over from its magnificent flowering: the Buddleia officinalis (pale pink, from February), the Fremontodendron californicum (in April-May-June), the shrubby cistus (Cistus laurifolius, in May), or even junipers and strawberry trees. It can be placed in a mass, as an informal hedge, or by the sea. This variety will also enhance your balconies and terraces.