Native Plant Fun Facts: The Beautiful, Mighty Ceanothus!

A GFE Ceanothus in bloom above the Native Backyard area, 3/20/20

GFE is excited to begin a new Native Plant Fun Facts feature every Monday. Our first featured plant is the beautiful, hardy Ceanothus (aka Soapbloom or California Lilac, although it’s not a true Lilac). Its waxy, small leaves help it endure Northern California’s dry summers. And for those of you taking walks right now, Ceanothus is blooming all over! These images were recently collected at GFE and in Diamond Heights in SF. Their gorgeous clusters of tiny, fragrant flowers -- white to deep purple in color -- are fabulous pollinator support for European honeybees, fuzzy native bumblebees, and more!

A bumblebee (possibly a Bombus insularis) in a blooming GFE Ceanothus.

Ceanothus plants don’t need rich soil or fertilizer or much water, so they’re easy to grow once established. The flowers of some varieties also contain saponins, which means that if your rub them in your hands with water (and we’re all needing to wash our hands these days…), suds will form! Ceanothus comes in many varieties, ranging in size from trees about 10 feet tall to small groundcover, so as you roam the Bay Area (at proper social distance of course), look up and look down for your new plant friend. No matter how big or small your garden may be, there’s likely a Ceanothus for you!