Mention Ceanothus and gardeners immediately think of shrubs with beautiful blue flowers in spring. But ‘Diamond Heights’ is quite different. For a start, it’s a wide spreading shrub, with a dense, ground hugging habit. Even more significant is the foliage, which is a combination of bright green and golden yellow, highly appealing year round. The pretty spring flowers in this case take second place to the leaves.
This is one of those versatile plants, performing just as well in dry soils and tough situations as it does in sheltered gardens with rich soils. Remember it needs a sunny situation. If you want a spectacular effect, plant it as a group. This makes a most effective maintenance saver because the foliage makes a cover that weeds seldom manage to penetrate. Use it on difficult sites such as banks as well as in garden borders and raised beds.
It’s also a stunner as a container plant, the foliage spreading wide on all sides - imagine it in a big, bright blue pot.
Another interesting way to grow Ceanothus ‘Diamond Heights’ is as a small climber. It looks amazing when trained on a tripod style support, the growths encouraged with a little tying in to the support to go upwards rather than outwards. This can make a great focal point for an area of garden featuring free flowering perennials.
What looks good with ‘Diamond Heights’? There are many plants which combine well with its bright colours. Try planting it with Euphorbias, especially the new, compact growing Euphorbia ‘Kea’ which grows just 40 centimetres high, is an attractive deep green mound of foliage year round, and in early spring has big heads of golden flowers opening from red buds. Or use it as a foreground to Ceanothus ‘Blue Sapphire’, noted for its compact growth habit, chocolate brown foliage and emerald blue flowers in spring. Add lavenders such as ‘Violet Intrigue’ to the group, and wispy, grey-blue, lavender-like Perovskia, and you have a pretty picture indeed.
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Schemes & Themes
using Liddle Wonder Plants