California Gardens - The Year Round Gardening Site

Ceanothus hearstiorum * Hearst's California Lilac

The dark green foliage and blue flowers make Ceanothus hearstiorum a fantastic match for Ceanothus Dark Star. This plant stays low to the ground, gradually matting up to 1' tall. The leaves are sticky so if clean hands are important wear gloves while trimming the plants. Like all Ceanothus this one has a limited lifespan. After 5-7 years it begins to slow down. I have found Ceanothus hearstiorum moderately susceptible to rotting with excessive summer water. And it doesn't need so much water to think it is excessive. I plant these on a 6' grid to get good coverage. I usually over plant Ceanothus hearstiorum expecting to lose a few plants. Once they are established Hearst's California Lilac is pretty dependable for a number of years. Ceanothus hearstiorum is a host plant for the Western Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Hedgerow Hairstreak, California Common Ringlet, and the Pale Tiger Swallowtail and is an early season nectar source for the Spring Azure and Monarch Butterfly.

Ceanothus hearstiorum, Hearst's California Lilac

Flowers and foliage of Ceanothus hearstiorum Hearst's California Lilac. High resolution photos are part of our garden image collection.

Other low growing Ceanothus varieties: Ceanothus Anchor Bay, Ceanothus Centennial, Ceanothus Joyce Coulter, Ceanothus maritimus Frosty Dawn, Ceanothus maritimus Point Sierra, Ceanothus maritimus Valley Violet, Ceanothus Yankee Point

Plants from the Ceanothus Genus featured on this site:
Ceanothus Anchor Bay * Point Reyes California Lilac
Ceanothus burtonensis Far Horizons * Far Horizons California Lilac
Ceanothus Centennial * Centennial California Lilac
Ceanothus Concha * Concha California Lilac
Ceanothus crassifolius * Hoary Ceanothus
Ceanothus Dark Star * Dark Star California Lilac
Ceanothus Frosty Dawn * Frosty Dawn California Lilac
Ceanothus Gentian Plume * Gentian Plume California Lilac
Ceanothus greggii * Desert Ceanothus
Ceanothus hearstiorum * Hearst's California Lilac
Ceanothus Joan Mirov * Joan Mirov California Lilac
Ceanothus Joyce Coulter * Joyce Coulter California Lilac
Ceanothus megacarpus * Big Pod California Lilac
Ceanothus Point Sierra * Point Sierra California Lilac
Ceanothus Ray Hartman * Ray Hartman California Lilac
Ceanothus rigidus Sierra Snow * Monterey Ceanothus
Ceanothus oliganthus sorediatus * Jim Brush, Hairy Ceanothus
Ceanothus Snowball * Snowball California Lilac
Ceanothus Snow Flurry * Snow Flurry California Lilac
Ceanothus spinosus * Greenbark Ceanothus, Redheart California Lilac
Ceanothus Tassajara Blue * Tassajara Blue California Lilac
Ceanothus Valley Violet * Valley Violet Maritime California Lilac
Ceanothus Wheeler Canyon * Wheeler Canyon California Lilac
Ceanothus Yankee Point * Yankee Point California Lilac