Ceanothus americanus
Location: Front meadow, south meadow (big bluestem)
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This low-growing, incredibly durable shrub is covered with clusters of bright white flowers in July and early August.The luxuriant, glossy leaves maintain their appearance all season long. Each plant grows two to three feet tall, with a diameter of up to three feet. Install plants two to three feet apart to create a low growing native hedge.The colonists used the leaves during the Revolutionary War as a substitute for regular tea following the Boston Tea Party, hence the name. Hummingbirds, being the predators that they are, will visit this plant regularly to eat the tiny insects that pollinate the flowers. Slow-growing, New Jersey Tea’s life span is measured in decades. Grows in almost any well-drained soil, in full sun or light shade Link Genus: Ceanothus (ceanothus) Family: Rhamnaceae (buckthorn) Order: Rhamnales (rhamnales) Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Phylum/Division: Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants) Kingdom: Plantae (Plants) |