Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Ceanothus 'A.T. Johnson'

Californian lilac 'A.T. Johnson'

A fast-growing, vigorous evergreen shrub about 2.5m tall and wide, with oval, glossy green leaves, grey-downy beneath, to 3cm long. Rich blue flowers are produced in lateral and terminal panicles 5-6cm long, over a long period in late spring and again from late summer to autumn

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
2 suppliers

Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Drought resistance

Yes

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rhamnaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Ceanothus can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs or small trees, with simple leaves and small blue, pink or white flowers in profuse axillary or terminal clusters. They are fast-growing but may be short-lived
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun with shelter from strong, cold winds. Lime tolerant but may become chlorotic on shallow chalk soils. See ceanothus cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by semi-ripe cuttings in mid to late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Mediterranean climate plants
Wildlife gardens
Climber and wall shrubs
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 8 after flowering or pruning group 13 if wall trained

Pests

May be susceptible to scale insects

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.