Ceanothus ×delilianus 'Henri Desfosse'          Rhamnaceae

Henri Desfosse Ceanothus                see-a-NO-thus

• Broadleaf deciduous, shrub, grows to 5 ft (1.5 m) tall and 6 ft (1.8 m) wide, young stems wine-red, leaves mid-green.  Flower clusters are deep almost violet blue, blooms from July to September.
• Sun, not fussy about soil, except avoid wet soils.  Flowers on new wood so prune in spring to encourage new growth and more flowers.  Remove spent flowerheads to prolong flowering.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 6      A "French Hybrid Ceanothus", originating in France before 1830.  The large evergreen forms of Ceanothus native to Mexico, California and southwest Oregon (e.g., C. thyrsiflorus) were introduced into Europe where they were admired for their spectacular bloom, but unfortunately were not hardy.  European breeders crossed the hardy, white-flowered deciduous types (e.g., C. americanus) with the more tender blue-flowered evergreen forms(e.g., C. coeruleus, a Mexican species) in the search for greater adaptability.  The result was C. ×delilianus, commonly called the French hybrids.  The best known of this group are 'Gloire de Versailles' (powder blue flowers) and 'Henri Desfosse' (deep blue flowers).
• Silverton,Oregon: The Oregon Garden.