Ceanothus Blue Sapphire

Ceanothus 'Blue Sapphire' is exceptionally beautiful with its fine, toothed foliage in a dark deep purple-green colour and its long flowering in small clusters of intense sapphire blue. Its bushy habit and creeping character make it a perfect plant for low hedges, borders and containers, as well as ground cover on a slope or to spread along a wall. It withstands poor soils, drought, and sea spray so this ceanothus thrives in coastal and urban gardens, provided it is given a warm and sunny position, without excess limestone and excess water. Reserved for regions with a mild climate or well-sheltered locations, trained against a south-facing wall.

Ceanothus belongs to the Rhamnaceae family, it is a cousin of our buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and grows in dry, well-drained environments such as scrub vegetation, relying on rainfall once well-rooted. Constantly damp soil or too frequent watering, once the plant is established, will generally result in its demise. Native to North America and Mexico, its relative Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. repens, also known as creeping ceanothus, forms a 3m (10ft) wide and 1m (3.28ft) tall bush which is hardy down to -10°C (14°F), with a bushy and spreading habit, and angular branches. It bears alternate, evergreen, glossy green, leaves with highly pronounced veins.

The creeping 'Blue Sapphire' ceanothus is a fast-growing bush reaching 1m (3ft) in height and 1.50m (5ft) in width when mature. It is a relatively short-lived bush, living no more than ten years. Its extremely rare coloured, intensely sapphire blue flowers appear from April to July in the form of 5 to 8cm (2 to 3.1in) panicles, in the axils and at the tips of the branches followed by the formation of seeds which are explosively released. This variety tolerates very light pruning of faded flowers and obstructive branches.

Because of an ongoing love for blue blooms, breeders have 'invented' beautiful ceanothus varieties in recent years, which are easier to acclimatize and have more modest dimensions, suitable for our gardens and terraces. The 'Blue Sapphire' Ceanothus is a beautiful subject to plant in a mass of easy-to-grow shrubs: the Buddleia officinalis (pale pink, from February), the Fremontodendron californicum (in April-May-June), the coronillas (in April), shrubby rockroses (Cistus laurifolius, in May), as well as junipers and strawberry trees. The golden foliage of the Choisya ternata 'Goldfinger' and the yellow blooms of St. John's Wort will contrast beautifully with its intense blue flowers. In a wild-style garden, consider associating it with the looser habits of Spanish brooms, silvery elaeagnus, rosemary, and pampas grasses, as well as the spiky silhouettes of yuccas.