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Julia Phelps Mountain Lilac
Ceanothus 'Julia Phelps'
  
About Julia Phelps Mountain Lilac (Ceanothus 'Julia Phelps') 35 Nurseries Carry This Plant Julia Phelps mountain lilac (Ceanothus ?Julia Phelps') is a Ceanothus cultivar known for its attractive indigo blue flowers and crinkly dark green foliage. It is a hybrid of wartleaf Ceanothus (Ceanothus papillosus) and Santa Barbara Ceanothus (Ceanothus impressus). It is similar in appearance to another popular hybrid called ?Dark Star.'

This evergreen shrub has a dense, mounded growth habit and can grow up to 8 ft tall and 12 ft wide. In spring, the deep blue flowers bloom in small clusters that complement the small dark leaves. An important wildlife plant, it attracts pollinators and provides seeds and shelter for birds.

Julia Phelps mountain lilac is a good plant for the waterwise garden. It has low moisture requirements, needing little to no supplemental irrigation. In fact, too much water can damage this drought adapted shrub. Plant in fast draining sandy soil. It tolerates full sun at the coast but does better in partial shade inland. Prune after flowering, and again in fall if desired. Avoid winter pruning to maximize flower formation.
Bornstein, C., Fross, D., O’Brien, B. (2005). California Native Plants for the Garden. Cachuma Press, ‌Schmidt, M.G, Greenberg, K.L. (2012). Growing California Native Plants (2nd ed.). University of California Press, Waterwise Garden Planner for Southern California. Small leaf mountain lilac: Ceanothus ‘Julia Phelps.’
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
6 - 8 ft tall
8 - 12 ft wide

Form
Form
Rounded

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part shade

Moisture
Moisture
Low, Moderate

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
15

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soils

Common uses
Common uses
Bee Garden

Site Characteristics
Alternative Names
Common Names: Julia Phelps Ceanothus


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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