As we mentioned in the **previous post** , the Botanical Garden of Barcelona features different Mediterranean climate landscapes where various species show ecological and evolutionary adaptations very similar to those found in the Mediterranean basin. In this post we present Ceanothus griseus, a plant native to California that is very attractive for its flowering and ground-covering behavior.
The Mediterranean area of California occupies a narrow coastal strip from Cape Blanco in the United States to Punta Baja in Mexico, where fires have a natural recurrence and soil fertility and diversity is comparable to the Mediterranean basin.
Its natural habitat is found in forests and shrublands on dry slopes with acidophilic soils and in association with other drought-adapted plants.
[_Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis_ "Yankee Point"](http://www.salagraupera.com/es/cataleg/general/item/ceanothus-griseus-var-horizontalis-yankee-point-2) is a ground-covering, woody and evergreen shrub from the Rhamnaceae family. It is known as "Carmel creeper" in reference to a wine region called Carmel Valley, where it is widespread, and to its ground-covering behavior.
It is a spreading plant that can cover surfaces up to 200cm and reaches about 50cm in height. The leaves are evergreen, with serrated margins, dark green in color and a paler underside.
The flowers are blue-violet in color, arranged in a racemose inflorescence about 10cm long. The "Yankee Point" variety has the longest flowering season, which runs from March to late June.
It is a plant that grows well both in full sun and in partial shade. It is very drought-resistant, but does not tolerate waterlogging or temperatures below -10ºC.
Regarding its cultivation, if the soil is calcareous it may show symptoms of chlorosis, which will need to be corrected. Whereas, if the soil is clayey and temperatures are high, it is preferable to water it moderately and in the early morning to avoid waterlogging and the possible appearance of fungal diseases such as Phytophthora.
Only when plants are young is it advisable to promote branching by pinching the youngest branches during spring and summer. After flowering, excessively long branches can be shortened by pruning them to half their original length. In mature plants, intensive pruning should be avoided because the plant will not respond well to renewal pruning.
In landscaping, Ceanothus is an ideal plant for creating borders, semi-shrub masses and also as ground cover on slopes and rock gardens.
At Sala Graupera, in addition to this species, we can also find other cultivars and species of Ceanothus such as:
[_Ceanothus griseus_ "Diamond Heights"](http://www.salagraupera.com/es/cataleg/general/item/ceanothus-griseus-diamond-heights-2)
[_Ceanothus thysiflorus var. repens_](http://www.salagraupera.com/es/cataleg/general/item/ceanothus-thyrsiflorus-var-repens-2)
Images: own / imgkid.com / own / flickr.com Susan Leahy