On 1/5/05 23:18, in article , "Rodger
Whitlock" wrote:

On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 20:16:48 +0000, niteowl
wrote:

I have a very sickly ceanothus that has brown leaves (those that are
left) and is very straggly. It was pruned lightly last year and came
good but having read some of the other posts on this subject I think it
may be just too cold for it here (Aberdeenshire)

The really good ceanothus species are Californian and generally are
native to fairly mild Mediterranean climates: in the sense of lots of
winter rainfall and a long, sunny, dry summer.

Admittedly I'm basing this remark on a possibly faulty stereotype of
Scottish weather, but I can hardly imagine a climate less congenial to
ceanothus, what with clouds, chill, and rain.

Warmth and sun and drought: that's what they want, though they
probably do better with some moisture down deep.

They do very well in the bits of this country I've lived in though those are
admittedly southish and warmish. But all bits are wettish. ;-) My own
experience of Ceanothus is growing them in the Channel Islands and here in
the south west of England where they grow fast and well. I know their
'nickname' is Californian Lilac but they seem to me to have adapted pretty
well to NON long sunny, dry summers! We sell a lot of them - very popular
plants round here.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)