Ceanothus 'Italian Skies', commonly known as Californian Lilac, is a striking evergreen shrub renowned for its vibrant deep blue flower clusters that smother the plant in April and May. Awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit, this variety provides exceptional garden performance and year-round structure with its glossy, dark green foliage.Ideal for sunny borders, this medium-sized shrub reaches around 150cm in height and spreads to 250cm, making it a wonderful choice for creating a colourful spring display or a pollinator-friendly backdrop. The blooms are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial insects, adding a lively buzz to your garden in late spring.Ceanothus thrives in fertile, well-drained soil in full sun, with shelter from cold, drying winds. It can be grown as a freestanding shrub or trained against a warm wall or fence for added impact. To maintain shape and flowering performance, prune in spring after flowering by cutting back the previous year’s growth to within 2 or 3 buds of the old wood.Images shown are for guidance only and show the expected results of plants upon maturity. Different growing conditions might vary results. Image may be included for illustration of supply but can vary due to seasonality changes (e.g. deciduous plants lose leaves in colder months). Decorative pots are not supplied.