Yankee Point wild lilac

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. griseus ‘Yankee Point’

Description

Yankee Point Ceanothus is one of the most garden adapted selections from our native wild lilac plant group. It shows good performance throughout the Inland Empire in locations that are protected from hot afternoon summer sun. It grows best in well drained conditions and with periodic deep watering during the summer.

This popular native shrub is a good option for slopes, parkways and large garden spaces where it can grow to 3 ft. high and 10-12 ft. across. It has a sprawling branching structure that reach outward and upward in habit. It has handsome oval dark green leaves and produces numerous powder-blue flowers in 1-2 in. long clusters in spring. In contrast to its natural growth habit, this cultivar can be clipped and pruned to maintain a more uniform and regular shape.

Plant Type: Native, Shrub, Ground cover
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Mounding, Arching
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Dark green
Flower Color: Blue
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil
Exposure Adaptations: Morning sun, Heat, Fog, Coastal salt air, All day sun, Partial sun, Wind
Function: Attracts butterflies, Wildlife value, Slopes, Flowering accent plant, California native, Background plant
Height: 2 ft. – 3 ft.
Width: 10 ft. – 12 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

Prune by heading back as much of the new-ish growth as desired in April or May, after flowering. Further prune in the same way, if desired, in November. New growth over the cool season will have time to develop flower buds for spring. Ceanothus are browsed by Deer. Think like you are a deer having a snack with your pruners. By mid-winter it is too late to prune or you will be removing the growth that would form the flower buds that will bloom in Spring (1). Older branches often do not react well to pruning, so it is better not to prune any branches greater than the diameter of a pencil (7). References