Well, the odyssey is over. Taken back in October last year, these cuttings, which looked so promising for so long, have all now died. Not sure why, but stems have gradually been going over through the last month or two. They were perhaps hastened on their way by the relatively hot weather we’ve had recently. Or perhaps it was the relatively cold weather we had in the early spring that did for them. Or a combination of the two! Who knows.
To add insult to injury, the parental ceanothus tree is not looking too great. They are not especially long lived shrubs, this one is perhaps 10 or 12 years old, so I wonder if it is slowly giving up the ghost. It looks ok from the front, particularly at this time of year, although the flowers are basically done now.
From the side, however, it looks distinctly patchy. In anything else I would be tempted to prune it back hard and see what happens, but I gather ceanothus would greatly resent such harsh treatment.
It has my resident thug jasmine growing up through the middle which probabky isn’t helping. I may just take the lot out later in the year. bringing a bit more light into that border. An opportunity for some new plants!
My original thought back last year when futilely attempting to propagate this shrub was to train the offspring as a wall shrub down the side of the house. I’ll just have to look out for one for sale somewhere. This shrub has beaten me, I hereby admit defeat. C’est la guerre.
I’ll be back soon with more propagation perambulations.
I propagate ceanothus for a nursery and I find that some varieties take better than others. I have had great success with Julia Phelps which is a lovely blue/purple colour and flowers from May through to October. I failed miserable in my first year but then I discovered jiffy plugs and regular misting and good light helped. I take cuttings in March and then in September. The most successful are tip cuttings in March. Hope this helps!
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Thanks for the tips. I fear i dont have the time to baby them enough. I like the sound of Julia Phelps though.
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Fair enough!
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I think I am bitter and twisted about ceanothus! It has defeated me. I like it as a plant, mind.
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I am told by some of the more senior residents here in Alpine,San Diego,that ceanothus (Californis Lilac) propogate naturally after a brush fire burns off the majority of vegetation?
I do note that our Cuyamaca Park which burned several years ago is now a virtual ceanothus forest now. Bob
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Damnit! I could have just set fire to the garden. Next time…
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I know you need no more of my comments on propagating ceanothus, but what species in the the mature parent specimen? Even in decline, it looks impressive for a climate that is not as dry as it is accustomed to. We had a colony of Ceanothus cuneatus cut down just within the last few days. You would think that it would not be much of a loss, but I sort of liked it there.
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I’m not sure, label is long gone. I’ve cut it down today in fact. It was dying. It is heading to the great compost heap in the sky.
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It could have gone to ‘the other place’. Some ceanothus are evil.
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Oh, that ceanothus does look a bit terminal. The deciduous ones can be pruned back hard, but the evergreen ones tend not to reshoot from bare wood. But, it might be worth a try if the alternative is digging it out… Good luck!
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Nah it’s gone. I’ve cut off and shredded the canopy, just the trunk to deal with now. I might leave it in place as suspect it is holding up the trellis…!
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How disappointing. I sometimes think we gardeners are gluttons for punishment. 😕
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Bad luck, such a shame, but they are not the easiest to propagate, it was very brave of you to try!
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Foolish more like! Didn’t know it was hard. I wonder now if the dilapidated state of the shrub is something to do with it. Not good material.
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That is a cruel blow. Hope you find a good replacement. X
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We live and learn, and good for you for trying. I have inherited a jasmine. Totally out of control. I cut it right down to the ground last year and yes, it started sending out new shoots all over. Impossible for me to dig it out so I am just hoping I can keep it under control. [Wishful thinking…]
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Yep it’s a beast. And a bit rubbish as a plant too.
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Well I did get quite a lot of flowers in the first year, scented and a lovely clotted cream colour, despite my hacking off lots of tendrils. The darn thing was so wild though that it was collapsing onto other plants.
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I pruned my (neighbour’s) Ceanothus’ thick branches and the foliage grew back well.
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Did they? That’s interesting..maybe I should give it a drastic haircut and see what happens.
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Bad news … If I were you, I would try cuttings now or after flowering with your new toy (hydropod). Maybe it will succeed and you will continue the “Ceanothus Cuttings saga”?
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Don’t think so. I’m over it! I’ll just buy one. Life is too short!
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So, I will try with mine if I order one in the coming months !
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I’m no expert on ceonothus, but I do know they don’t like to be too wet. A nurseywoman I bought one from said to me, ‘Just wave a hose over it every now and then’. Maybe yours has had too much water during the recent deluges.
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I dunno. It hasn’t been that wet here.
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Ah jasmine. Years ago I popped a few in down our front path border. Boy was that a mistake. It’s taken over the length of the border and I’ll never get rid. It strangled everything. The more I cut and pull the more it spreads. A lesson learned.
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I planted one. One! It only has to look at the ground the wrong way and it puts down new roots. It has colonised the whole side of the garden. Into battle with it every year.
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Battle! Ha! It laughs in your face. Mine shoot up through every shrub to get the light on top and doesn’t even flower. Not one flower. Just a tangled mass of stems and leaves. If I get on my knees and cut all stems off at the ground I then have a tangled mess of dead brown stuff and it just re shoots from an inch away. I will never ever ever ever get rid of it so I just avert my gaze, as my granny would say. Good luck!
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Mine flowers a bit. In places. But for about 5 minutes. And No fragrance to speak of either. It is a worthless plant.
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