Plant · P-054

Inland Ceanothus

Ceanothus herbaceus

Inland Ceanothus is a small nitrogen-fixing shrub that covers itself in rounded white and blue flower clusters each spring, drawing native bees and the predatory insects that do pest control for free. Its young leaves and flowers steep into a mild, sweet tea, and crushed with water the saponin-rich flowers make a gentle soap. It wants dry, well-drained, often limey ground and struggles once summers get consistently hot, so it does best on the coolest, best-drained spot available rather than a sun-baked slope.