Ceanothus foliosus Italian Skies

Ceanothus x foliosus 'Italian Skies' is one of the easiest varieties of ceanothus to grow due to its minimal requirements. This evergreen shrub with modest growth easily fits into a small garden or a large pot on a terrace. Elegant, it forms a regular dome covered with small, dark green and glossy foliage that remains decorative all year round. Its spring flowering in small clusters of bright blue emits a powerful honey scent that attracts bees. Indifferent to the nature of the soil, as long as it is properly drained, it is unaffected by summer droughts and can withstand short frosts of around -12° C (10.4° F) once established.

'Italian Skies' is a hybrid horticultural variety obtained at the Washington Arboretum in 1956. One of its two parents is Ceanothus foliosus, a botanical species endemic to California. Ceanothus belong to the Rhamnaceae family and are cousins of buckthorn (Frangula purging).

'Italian Skies' is a bushy shrub, wider than it is tall, supported by flexible branches that slightly arch towards the ground. It is a dense and regular shrub that can reach 1 m (3.3 ft) in height, and 2 m (6.6 ft) in width. Its pink flower buds appear in April-May, depending on the climate, at the tips of the previous year's branches, grouped in dense small panicles. They open into flowers of a particularly bright blue, on small clusters measuring 3 cm to 4 cm (1.2 in to 1.6 in) in length and 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in width. This remarkably fragrant flowering is very rich in nectar. It is followed by the formation of seeds which, once mature, are explosively released. The evergreen foliage is composed of small, elongated, undulate, and finely dentate leaves, with a glossy dark green colour, measuring 1 cm to 2 cm (0.4 in to 0.8 in) in length. Its average lifespan is 15 to 20 years, and it prefers a maritime climate.

In recent years, horticulturists have 'invented' beautiful varieties of ceanothus that are easier to acclimatise and have more modest dimensions, suitable for our gardens and terraces. Tolerating clayey or slightly calcareous soils if they are loose, 'Italian Skies' is a beautiful subject to plant in isolation, against a terrace, not far from the front door or leaning against a low wall. It can also be mixed with a mass of easy-to-grow shrubs in mild climates, which will precede or take over its magnificent flowering: Buddleia officinalis (pale pink, starting in February), Fremontodendron californicum (in April-May-June), shrubby rock roses (Cistus pulverulentus, in May), or even coronillas and China rose 'Mutabilis'. It blooms simultaneously with Banksian yellow rose: the combination of the butter-yellow pompoms of the rose and the deep blue flowers of the ceanothus is incomparably vibrant. It can be placed in a mass planting, as a free hedge, in an oceanic or Mediterranean garden, or even by the seaside. This variety will also enhance your balconies and terraces, with a few precautions.