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Post by kedigato on Mar 7, 2009 8:16:30 GMT
Jeanne - they actually call them American Lilac over here!
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Post by DAG on May 11, 2009 17:49:13 GMT
Crunch time! My second Ceanothus Californian Lilac shrub that I am trying to train into a tree like the older one the other side of the garden is nearly in full bloom now, and might stay in bloom for up to about a month. However most years either a hard downpour of rain or some very strong winds transfer all the blossom to the ground, sometimes after only a few days! It is very windy now so fingers crossed!
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Post by linda on May 11, 2009 21:09:43 GMT
ohhhh dag that is lovely didnt realize they grew to that size, nice colour
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Post by DAG on May 11, 2009 21:28:28 GMT
Thank you linda, here is some info. on them, they reckon 10 feet X 10 feet, well in my clay soil which is supposed to be unsuitable they would probably be a lot more if I didn't hard prune it back every year and another trim in the autumn. They are supposed to be a shrub but I wanted a small tree, he he! ;D www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/shrubs/ceanothus-puget-blue/itemno.PL00001261/
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Post by linda on May 11, 2009 21:29:36 GMT
just looked at your other ceanothus thats some size tree truly gorgeous just love that colour blue flowers they produce and dag your garden is looking great, well done you i guessed they were a shrub i had one on my balcony it lasted ok the first year and it died off obviously no good on a balcony
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Post by DAG on May 11, 2009 21:42:59 GMT
Well there seems to be hundreds of types of Ceanothus and the blue varies a great deal from very light blue to mauve. Maybe there is a small one that could be grown on a balcony, but if you can't grow one then nobody can I am sure!
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Post by linda on May 12, 2009 7:23:43 GMT
dag my friend bought one when we went to a garden centre so i asked the guy that specialises in all shrubs, plants and climbers he said not to put a ceanothus on a balcony as they wont survive in pots they have to be in the ground to do well
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Post by kedigato on May 12, 2009 12:29:35 GMT
OOOHHHH!!! another gorgeous show of them! They do so well in your garden, they must love the soil (I know, you'll say it is just clay) and all the TLC you give them. I hope mine has done better this year, as I cut it back radically last year, sort of copying your treatment.
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Post by DAG on May 26, 2009 9:57:34 GMT
Bad hair day for Ceanothus! Unfortunately the heavy rain together with the recent wind has cut short the flowering period again this year and now about 50 per cent of the blossom is on the ground! At least it remains an evergreen!
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Post by kedigato on May 26, 2009 10:05:34 GMT
Awwww, but you can see that it was covered in blooms again. Bet the other one was just as full, too. I bet all the neighbours enjoy the stunning sight of them peeking over the fence.
Being an evergreen tree is an added bonus, some greenery during the otherwise bare winter months.
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Post by DAG on May 26, 2009 13:29:31 GMT
Oh yes, no regrets, it is just that nature can sometimes be so cruel, we could have got another 2 or 3 weeks blossom yet! You are correct in saying that the other one is exactly the same.
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Post by DAG on May 28, 2009 7:20:02 GMT
Johnson's Blue Geraniums Almost nothing showing in the ground during winter but this year, this one has grown to over 6 feet across already!
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Post by kedigato on May 28, 2009 11:54:48 GMT
What a show, absolutely gorgeous With them and those little white flowers, and is it mint in the background? - you have a lovely solid ground cover there, DAG. No need to hoe in that bed! ;D
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Post by linda on May 28, 2009 16:34:12 GMT
ohhh dag they are lovely gorgeous colours
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Post by DAG on May 28, 2009 16:54:02 GMT
Snow White has instructed me not to use a hoe so I am specializing in growing weeds instead! ;D Another view from a different angle so that you can see that the Mint is in fact a Fuschia! ;D ;D I am hoping that by the time you get here the Johnson's Blue will be just about in full bloom. Could it be that Arney's favourite colour is blue? ;D
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