Ceanothus thyrsiflorus var. thyrsiflorus 'Snow Flurry' (Snow Flurry Ceanothus) - A rapid-growing shrub or small tree that can quickly become 10 feet tall and 12 feet wide and under favorable conditions can get considerably bigger with stems sometimes rooting to form large thickets. Its large, glossy leaves provide a dark green backdrop to the pure white, 2 to 3 inch-long flower clusters that appear in spring.
Although ideally suited to coastal sites, ‘Snow Flurry’ does well in hot inland areas when grown in part shade. With occasional pruning, this cultivar can be maintained as a small tree or tall screen. It is drought tolerant, particularly along the coast, but also tolerates modest summer watering and heavy soils. Reliably hardy to 15° F and can survive, with some leaf and stem damage, to 10° F. This wonderful selection is the most commonly planted of the white flowering ceanothus.
'Snow Flurry' was collected in 1975 along the Big Sur coast by Joe Solomone, who introduced it in 1977. We first started offering it in 1982.
The genus name comes from the Greek word keanthos which was used to describe a type of thistle and meaning a "thorny plant" or "spiny plant" and first used by Linnaeus in 1753 to describe New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus. The specific epithet means flowers in a thyrse, which is a compact cylindrical or ovate panicle with an indeterminate main axis and cymose sub-axes.
This information about Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Snow Flurry' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
|