Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Louis Edmunds Carmel Ceanothus is a mounding shrub ground cover, reaching 3-6 ft. tall by 12-25 ft. wide. It has dark green glossy textured foliage, and produces violet-blue flowers in the springtime. The plant can grow in full sun in coastal sites, and in some sun to part shade in inland sites. In cultivation it is tolerant of clay, alkalinity, sand, wind and heat, and depending on local climate and soil can be tolerant of some irrigation.
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Louis Edmunds' is planted as a large scale groundcover where it has room to spread, and for slope stabilization and erosion control.

This cultivar was selected in 1942 by nurseryman Louis L. Edmunds, who later operated the Louis Edmunds Native Plant Nursery in Danville, from a seedling he propagated and selected at Tilden Botanic Garden (Regional Parks Botanic Garden) in the Berkeley Hills. Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus 'Louis Edmunds' was given an Award of Merit in 1956 by the California Horticultural Society.

Plant type

Shrub

Size

3 - 6 ft Tall
12 - 25 ft Wide

Form

Mounding

Growth rate

Fast

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Pleasant

Calscape icon
Color

Blue, Lavender

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Bank stabilization

Sun

Partial Shade

Water

Low

Summer irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Ease of care

Easy

Cold tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10 - 15° F

Soil drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil description

Tolerates a wide variety of soils.
Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Maintenance

Some cultivars may need annual pruning to maintain desired shape.

Sunset Zones

5*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Bats
Birds
Bees
Caterpillars
Butterflies