ceanothus americanus

[John85]

I wonder why a plant that is so widely distributed in North America is not grown more often in Europe.
With so many uses(tea,dye,soap...) why is it that it is not grown here?Is it as invasive as knotweed?
I 'd like to try it but cann't find seeds.Help please.

[Onion]

John,

sorry but you are one year to late. We have this plant in the nursery I work, for 5 years. NO INTEREST. It needs 4 years to sold them in the gardencenter (20 plants). Most people like and buy the blue- and pink-blooming species.
I will try to contact a friend. Sometimes he has cuttings in pots.

[bulborum]

Have a look here John

See: Ceanothus americanus

Roland

[Hoy]

Although some other Ceanothuses have been for sale here I have never seen C. americanus. Then I had bought one!

[Maren]

Same here, it's such an attractive shrub with it's many snowball like racemes.
Is the flowering period very short? maybe that's why it is not considered as garden worthy over here.

[Kristl Walek]

Sigh....I carried the seed of Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea) as well as C. ovatus  for over 15 years in my seed catalogue, while still located in Ontario. It also proved easy in the very hot and dry summers in my garden there. I wild collected the seed in Ontario not far from home in the Ottawa valley. Plants were not common in the wild, but once a suitable site was found, they were prolific.  I doubt they would be particularly happy here in moist/wet Nova Scotia with the much-decreased levels of heat and sun in the summers.

Since it is not native to Nova Scotia, I had to drop it from my listings 3 years ago.

[Stephenb]

It survived our cool climate a few years in the early 90s, but later attempts haven't survived (inferior provenance?)

[Afloden]

I use to sell plants on occasion, but there was no interest here in the states even. I planted out 3 and composted the rest. I see it frequently on dry roadside banks in rocky soil and it is a beautiful plant. It is in no way weedy. I have collected seed before also, but never sold any so I don't bother anymore.

 The other eastern species, herbaceus (ovatus), is an even more attractive plant that I collected seed of once while in central Kansas. Might make it out there this summer to see the prairie again.

 Let me know next year and I can get seed.

 Aaron
 Knoxville, Tennessee

[Kristl Walek]

Ceanothus americanus and C. ovatus, that I photographed in the wild in Ontario.
I agree with Aaron that C. ovatus is the more attractive plant (foliage and flowers).

[Robert G]

Kristl,

Now you are making me wonder why a local arboretum does not have the genus in its collection, but more importantly why don't I have it in my collection at home.

Are the locations easy for a resident of the Ottawa valley to get to? I might be able to snag some for work, home, etc...next season.

Robert

[Kristl Walek]

Now you are making me wonder why a local arboretum does not have the genus in its collection, but more importantly why don't I have it in my collection at home.

Robert.....this is why the Dominion Arboretum needs to continue to have someone of your caliber on staff (to lead in the direction of not only having the usual collection of exotics, but to FINALLY BEGIN TO SEE that all plant collections should begin with natives). This has always been one of my particular beefs with  (Canadian?) public plant collections---that the natives are often so clearly missing.

I'll write you personally after I get some clearer coordinates in Ontario from Graham. Knowing him, he would love to take you there himself this summer.