THE farther one travels from Los Angeles, the better the chances of seeing California’s most ravishing native shrub, variously named backbrush, or snowbush, or pine mat, or whitethorn, or mountain ...

A good blue is a rare commodity in the garden, which is why California lilacs are so prized. With the best, such as Ceanothus 'Concha', the intense blue flower colour is heightened by a backdrop of ...

IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a plant that bears masses of spring flowers, stays green year round, takes little to no summer water and thrives on benign neglect, it’s hard to beat California’s wild lilacs ...

Ceanothus is a fast grower – and there's one to suit every size of garden, says Marie Staunton Ceanothus There's a ceanothus to suit every size of garden, says Marie Staunton. I have no doubt you have ...

If Walt Whitman had lived in California, he might have written, "When ceanothus last in the dooryard bloom'd," for in California, it is the ceanothus that marks the "ever-returning spring." A native ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Gardens have been having a very testing spring. Garden watchers may have missed the difficulty of it. Apart ...

For me, the great question at the plant nursery these days is whether to buy the little plant or the big one. The small Hot Lips salvias I bought two years ago are fat and fluffy and covered with ...

California lilac, commonly known as Ceanothus concha, boasts bright pollinator-friendly flowersCourtesy of Ann Wright Apr 10, 2025 Apr 10, 2025Updated 4 hrs ago ...