Ceanothus
Ray Hartman

Big, bold, beautiful, and blessedly accommodating for a California lilac, Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ is one of the finest selections for garden use. This evergreen California native hybrid develops handsome dark foliage and great clouds of medium sky-blue flowers in early spring, when bees and other pollinators descend upon it with audible enthusiasm.

Fast growth carries it to roughly 12–20 feet tall and 10–20 feet wide, depending on climate and training. Grow it as a broad screen, a commanding habitat shrub, or prune it up into a handsome small tree. Its glossy leaves provide year-round structure, while the spring flower clusters look marvelous above manzanitas, native grasses, buckwheats, and other dry-garden companions.

Give ‘Ray Hartman’ full sun and well-drained soil. Once established it is highly drought tolerant and generally needs little summer irrigation; excessive water and soil disturbance can shorten the life of ceanothus. It is more adaptable to clay and occasional garden water than many members of the genus and tolerates temperatures around 10–15°F. Protect young growth where deer pressure is heavy. Quick, substantial, and spectacular in bloom, it earns its reputation as a superb landscape California lilac. Explore our Ceanothus collection.

We guarantee that the plants we sell are healthy and viable at the time they leave our care.

If a plant arrives in substandard condition, please take clear photographs and contact us within 48 hours of delivery. To ensure eligibility under this guarantee, we strongly encourage you to open and unpack your shipment immediately upon delivery and inspect the plants thoroughly.

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$14.99 flat rate for up to 6 plants is for standard FedEx/UPS Ground shipping to eligible states only. $19.99 for up to 12 plants. Plants being shipped to the following states are sent via Express Mail to help ensure they arrive quickly and healthy. 

(AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV)
(list of states subject to change seasonally due to extreme heat or cold conditions)

We cannot ship Annie's Annuals plants to P.O. boxes or outside the continental U.S.

Individual plants are shipped in 4" pots and we ship in boxes of 4, 6, 8, or 12 plants per box.

For more details, read our full Ordering and Shipping Policies

Get your plants off to a strong start with our care guide.

Download the Plant Care Guide (PDF)