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Can my ceanothus be saved?

kalyka83kalyka83 Posts: 1
in Problem solving
Hi everyone,
My ceanothus is over 20 years old and has flowered every year. However it has recently started to look very sad with it’s leaves turning yellow and dropping. What’s wrong with it? Can it be saved?
Any advice greatly appreciated! 
Many Thanks. 

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Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    It looks healthy enough overall, and has new shoots so I suspect it's just decided to drop some of the older leaves. All evergreens do that, it's just that it's usually a gradual all-year-round process so we don't really notice it.  Another possibility is that it's just getting old and winding down a bit. Nothing lives forever, and Ceanothus are often fairly short-lived as shrubs go.
    Generally speaking it's a good idea to keep a circle of grass clear around the trunks of trees, both to reduce competition and to reduce the risk of accidentally damaging the bark when mowing/strimming, but that one seems to have done OK so far so if you prefer the look of grass right up to the trunk, I would clip carefully by hand around the trunk.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    That is quite some specimen,  I can see why you want to keep it.  I  agree though, depending on the cultivar, they can be relatively short lived, however it doesn't mean it's on it's way out yet.  A lot of plants have suffered this year with the erratic weather so it may just be that.  I would do as @JennyJ suggested. 
    AB Still learning

  • parrotfeather*parrotfeather* Posts: 188
    I am sure it is this year's weird weather.  Try taking a few cuttings in case but it looks as though it will recover as there is still plenty of green leaf.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited August 2021
    It's a lovely shape.  Perhaps it would like a little reducing - bonzai treatment.

    Ceanothus are short-lived.  Why not plant a twin to replace it eventually?
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I certainly wouldn’t try any reshaping/reduction pruning … ceanothus usually object strongly, often by turning up their toes, to anything but the lightest clipping. 

    It should also be remembered that they bloom on wood formed the previous year, so pruning now will mean fewer or no blooms next year. 

    I suspect that the leaf-loss you are seeing is normal renewal … all trees, even evergreens, shed leaves … ceanothus usually lose a few throughout the summer … the strange weather this year may have caused it to happen all at once. 

    I would be inclined to clear a circle of grass around the base for the reasons above, and then you can mulch and give it a sprinkling of Fish, Blood & Bone slow release fertiliser in the spring. 

    However, as has been said, they’re not long-lived plants … if you’re like me you’ll enjoy considering your options for a replacement when the time comes. 

    Hope that helps 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    I repeat my experience that light trimming of a ceanothus can only be a good thing.  It keeps the plant to a nice shape and reduces the burden on the roots.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited August 2021
    I find it hard to equate ‘light trimming’ with ‘bonzai’ (sic). 

    Light trimming this late in the summer will mean fewer blooms next year. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I'm now on my laptop rather than my phone and have been able to have a better look at the brown withered areas ... I suspect they may be the result of the late frosts this year ... looks like frost-damaged blooms and similarly damaged young growth ... they'll eventually drop off and hopefully next year we'll be excused the late frosts  ;).   The yellowing leaves are as I said before ... part of normal leaf fall.   As @JennyJ has said, there are some lovely new green shoots on there, so I wouldn't worry unduly  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    The trouble with a Forum is everybody can contribute, and not every answe has equal validity.

    Some will be able to point to the book they read, or the name of the Guru at whose feet thay sat.  Others will have practical experience and could (with difficulty) refer to the time and place, and result.

    called to lunch.  ...
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    bédé said:
    The trouble with a Forum is everybody can contribute, and not every answe has equal validity.

    Some will be able to point to the book they read, or the name of the Guru at whose feet thay sat.  Others will have practical experience and could (with difficulty) refer to the time and place, and result.

    called to lunch.  ...



    Some may even have both ... and the enquirer can weigh up the preponderance of advice ... check out some stuff online or in a book themselves ... and make their own decision.   :)

     Enjoy your lunch.  


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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