Ceanothus - Ray Hartman

Big, bold, beautiful, and blessedly accommodating for a California lilac, Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ is one of the finest selections for garden use. This evergreen California native hybrid develops handsome dark foliage and great clouds of medium sky-blue flowers in early spring, when bees and other pollinators descend upon it with audible enthusiasm.

Fast growth carries it to roughly 12–20 feet tall and 10–20 feet wide, depending on climate and training. Grow it as a broad screen, a commanding habitat shrub, or prune it up into a handsome small tree. Its glossy leaves provide year-round structure, while the spring flower clusters look marvelous above manzanitas, native grasses, buckwheats, and other dry-garden companions.

Give ‘Ray Hartman’ full sun and well-drained soil. Once established it is highly drought tolerant and generally needs little summer irrigation; excessive water and soil disturbance can shorten the life of ceanothus. It is more adaptable to clay and occasional garden water than many members of the genus and tolerates temperatures around 10–15°F. Protect young growth where deer pressure is heavy. Quick, substantial, and spectacular in bloom, it earns its reputation as a superb landscape California lilac. Explore our Ceanothus collection.