Our Plants (List)

This attractive ceanothus selection was identified by John Dourley of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (now California Botanic Garden) in Claremont. It grows as a large mounding shrub up to ten feet or so, with smooth, lance-shaped leaves. The leaves have a matte, almost waxy upper surface. The flower clusters…

This hybrid ceanothus originated in the Danville nursery of Louis Edmunds in 1958. It is easy to understand why it is still available after so many years. ‘Blue Cushion’ grows in a dark green, spreading mound to about three feet with a width of about five feet. This compact size…

‘Blue Jeans’ ceanothus is a popular hybrid with Ceanothus purpureus as one parent. As with Ceanothus purpureus, ‘Blue Jeans’ ceanothus has leathery, dark green leaves with serration on the margins reminiscent of holly. The growth form is upright and open. The flowers are small but dense, and range in color…

This striking ceanothus is one of many chance garden hybrids introduced by Las Pilitas Nursery in Santa Margarita, CA. In a nursery setting, seedlings of unknown parentage come up from time to time, and some of them prove to be quite garden worthy. ‘Celestial Blue’ is thought to involve Ceanothus…

‘Centennial’ ceanothus is thought to be a natural hybrid between Ceanothus foliosus and Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus. It was grown from seed collected in Sonoma County, CA, by Roger Raiche in 1985. It grows to about a foot in height, spreading to six feet or more. The leaves a small…

‘Concha’ is one of the oldest of the many available ceanothus hybrids. It was discovered in a garden in the 1940’s, a chance hybrid between C. impressus and C papillosus. The form is upright and rounded, with arching branches of narrow, oval leaves. ‘Concha’ is covered in early spring with…

This is a compact selection of the popular ‘Concha’ selection. Many customers have admired its small size and deep blue flowers in my front yard, so I thought I would make an effort to propagate a few. The mother plant was purchased from a local nursery as ‘Concha’ but it…

Blooms in February in Santa Clara County.

Buck brush is one of the most widespread plants of the California Floristic Province. It inhabits a variety of plant communities from Oregon into northwestern Baja. In Santa Clara County it was once common in the lower foothills and perhaps also on the valley floor. Today it is most often…