Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Repens

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Repens

Commonly referred to as the Creeping Blue Blossom, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Repens is a low growing flowering evergreen shrub extensively used as a groundcover or landscaping plant. This fairly hardy shrub grows low on the ground and produces divine blue button-shaped flowers in the month of June. Apart from its usefulness as a dazzling groundcover plant, it is often used to create a blanket of flora on sloping ground. 

Creeping Blue Blossom is one of the most visually pleasing flowering shrubs you can grow in your garden. The dark green glossy leaves perfectly complement the soft blue oval of the masses of flowers that blossom in the month of June providing an abundance of nectar for bees and butterflies. The seeds that are produced a few months down the line can be a great source of nutrition for seed-eating birds. Furthermore, the rich green leaves form a comfortable natural habitat for caterpillars and other insects.

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens should reach a height of about 0.6 to 0.7 metres. In terms of width, it has a span of 1 to 3 metres. In patches of incredibly fertile and suitable soil, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens can spread to in excess of 5 metres. 

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens is best grown in fertile, slightly sandy, well drained and humus rich soils that are fully exposed to the heat and light of the sun. It does not have the fastest growth rate, but Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens usually spreads out a lot more than the average flowering shrub. 

Creeping Blue Blossom is the most frost resistant among all varities of ceonathus, therefore it requires minimal protection during the colder months of winter. Even though it can be grown with ease in most places in the United Kingdom, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens is actually native to the Californian coast of San Francisco, where it has its origins in the coastal sage scrub and diverse evergreen forest plant communities of California. German physician and botanist J.F. Eschscholtz was the first person to document this particular variety back in 1816. 

Pruning Tip: Once the blooms have faded, avoid chopping off limbs that are greater than a couple of centimetres in diameter. Also, a simple method of controlling the spread during the growing season is to pinch back the shoot tips.