Ceanothus impressus Puget Blue

The Puget Blue Ceanothus is a fairly old variety of ceanothus, always appreciated for its cold resistance, easy cultivation in any well-drained soil, and brief but intense, blue flowering at the very beginning of spring. This evergreen bush of medium stature comes alive with red buds and then numerous bright blue flowers. Tolerant of sun and summer drought, this evergreen ceanothus is essential in Mediterranean gardens or coastal areas.

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The Puget Blue Ceanothus is a horticultural hybrid derived from the Ceanothus impressus, a botanical species native to California. Ceanothus belong to the Rhamnaceae family, they are cousins of our buckthorn (Rhamnus catharticus) which thrive in scrub vegetation, relying on rainwater once well-rooted. A constantly damp soil and daily or too frequent watering once the plant is established, generally signals its death.

This 'Puget Blue' variety was obtained in the United States and introduced in France in 1975 by the nurseryman Minier. The shrub has a bushy, slightly upright, dense habit, sometimes a bit unkempt when left to itself. It will reach a height of about 2m (6ft 7in) in 4 to 5 years, with a width of 1.50m (4ft 11in) to 1.75m. Its pretty rose-red floral buds appear abundantly in March, at the end of the branches, mingling with dense panicles of fully bloomed bright blue flowers carried by white-yellowish petioles. This slightly fragrant flowering attracts many pollinating insects. It is followed by the formation of seeds which are explosively released. The evergreen foliage is composed of small, elongated, finely toothed alternate leaves, of a glossy medium green and measuring 1 to 1.5cm (0.4 to 0.6in) in length. This variety tolerates light pruning. Its average lifespan is 15 years. Clay-limestone soils are very well tolerated in Mediterranean regions which are dry in summer.

Because of the love for blue blooms, horticulturists have 'invented' beautiful ceanothus varieties in recent years, which are easier to acclimate and have more modest dimensions, suitable for our gardens and terraces. With good hardiness down to -10°C/-12°C (10.4°F) in well-drained or dry soil. The Puget Blue Ceanothus is a beautiful and tolerant subject to plant in isolation or in a mass of easy-to-care-for shrubs: the common buddleia (pale pink, from February), the California flannel bush (in April-May-June), the coronillas (in April), shrubby rockroses (Cistus laurifolius, in May), as well as junipers and strawberry trees. It can be planted in a mass, as an informal hedge, in a dry garden or in coastal areas.