Ceonothus

For the the last two years I've been mulling over what I'm going to replace my old and partially dead potentilla hedge with against my front garden wall. Anyway, thoughts of different plants have come and gone, with Ceonothus coming back time and again, so going with my first thought I bought Ceonothus 'Italian Skies' today. Suitable for my sandy soil.

I bought just the one to use as the mother plant and will take cuttings from it to grow on. £6 for one, and I aim to produce at least fifteen others from it making a new cheap hedge.

 

Way to go Sheal. I've only ever seen one sizable, well shaped ceonothus hedge... but it was absolutely stunning.

 

A hedge of it will look wonderful

They are one of my favourite shrubs, i have 2 here one of them being the new variegated variety (C. zanzibar, in my front garden) which is proving to be a very strong grower indeed - hardy too, we had minus 12 here last year (unheard of!) and it came through unscathed :D
I have one that i've pruned into a tall column in the back, too, that's 'Conch'

 

We have a 3-4ft ceanothus hedge in our back garden that was planted by the previous owners; it's stunning, although not looking its normal self after last winter. We thought we'd lost it, but it started re-shooting in April and has now pretty much filled out again with just the odd reminder of the damage caused by the cold winter. We didn't have any flowers though because of it, but hopefully it'll get through this winter and will flower again next year because the bees love it :thumb:

I've also noticed that we have quite a few self set seedlings popping up all over the place too, might have to pot a few up and grow them on

 

I had Ceanothus zanzibar in my old garden and can vouch for its vigour, it quite easily put on 18-36" growth in a year once it was established !!!

 

Good advice from Shiney, as ceanothus does tend to be short lived. Grubbing out large, dead specimens isn't the nicest of tasks, either. Lovely shrubs, though. I'm sure a hedge will look wonderful.

 

What a nice name "Italian skies", surelly the colour will be great.

 

Thanks everyone for your encouraging comments.

Shiney.......Our little island sits cosily surrounded by lots of water, therefore it won't be a problem. Last winter we had about a weeks worth of snow and not at the same time. Yes, frost could be a problem, but that also is never really prolonged and has warmer periods in between.

The last real snow we had was back in 1994 when we were snowed in for a couple of weeks and that was more of a 'freak' event. I might be eating my words this coming winter though if we get what's forecast.

The hedge I'm planting will be low growing and maintained to about four feet in height. That's the plan anyway.

 

How amazing that the Isle of Man is so near to Cumbria and yet is so much milder! For the past two winters we (at least where we live 700 feet up) have had lengthy spells of snow and/or severely low temperatures. Our lovely five-year-old ceanothus was one of the victims and I haven't had the heart to replace it. Your hedge will look heavenly!

 

Thanks Lorna,

We have hills and just one mountain here, Snaefell, which run up the middle of the island. The road that runs across these will be shut from time to time during the winter, snow sometimes but mainly ice.

Most of the rest of the island is closer to sea level and my own home being just 200 yards away. The winds can be brutal during the winter months and quite a bit of rain during the course of the year, but the climate as a whole is fairly temperate.

 

My favourite place, too, Shiney! :thumb: Lucky, eh!

 

We live on the edge of the Caldbeck Fells looking over the Solway plain and the Solway into Scotland. About 5 miles south of the little market town of Wigton, 700 feet up. Fabulous. Balm to the soul, except in the horizontal rain!