Although you believe what you know is the trooth, it aint necessarily so.
From a known, verifiable fact, a past tenant, unknowingly took it upon herself to bonsai a previously healthy Ceanothus. It certainly looked, er, interesting. Then it died. Drawing on said experience, a light trim after flowering is all it needs and all it should get.
It’s a fabulous specimen and a lovely shape, I agree it’s probably the weather and that it will recover 😊
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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. ...
This is the kind of forum where the practical experience in a huge range of different conditions is what's most valuable. Anyone with a computer or phone can easily look up the textbook answer these days, but it's not always obvious how it applies to their particular situation. And my best guess is that most people asking questions or looking for advice aren't setting out to write an academic paper with full citations for all the experience that people share, they just want to learn. In any case many people have their location showing on their post, and most will say what soil type, climate etc they have if it's relevant to the question being answered. And it's self-moderating in a way, in that if one person gives a reply and others don't agree or have different experience to share, then they'll say so.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Your ceanothus has a very Japanesey shape. I can see a few stray whiskers that spoil it a bit and would grow to spoil it a lot. Trimmng those off would do it no harm, and you won't miss the flowers. (It might be argued the ceanothusus have too many flowers anyway.)
If you do grow another, think of the shape you want. And do little touching-up pruning each year.
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."
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When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
From a known, verifiable fact, a past tenant, unknowingly took it upon herself to bonsai a previously healthy Ceanothus. It certainly looked, er, interesting. Then it died. Drawing on said experience, a light trim after flowering is all it needs and all it should get.
It’s a fabulous specimen and a lovely shape, I agree it’s probably the weather and that it will recover 😊
If you do grow another, think of the shape you want. And do little touching-up pruning each year.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I guess that a lot of enquiries are by people who are not good at sifting through books, and find that the internet gives plenty of false information.
How they choose betwen us, is up to them.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."