"Sensitive to water molds in poorly drained soils, it is best grown in coastal gardens with well-drained soils...Hardy to 15F (-9C)..."

--Fross/Wilken, Ceanothus (2006, Timber Press, Portland)

Thanks, bboy.

Do you think that it would help to add some sand to the planting hole/area to loosen what is essentially a clay loam (like much of PDX), or is it likely that the plant's roots eventually run into the clay loam and tank again?

I've got a few Dark Stars; soil here wet; doing great. Winter's deep freeze / ice / snow left them brown and dead looking but they came roaring back this spring and are now full with bright blue flowers, loaded with bees of all types.

The Ceanothus impressiva Victorias in this yard are going gangbusters, growing huge very fast. I've bungee corded each plant together and now have to stake them. 3 years 5 months in the ground and over 8' tall. These things are going to be TREES.

After they finish flowering going to prune them. Next year will need a bucket truck to reach them.

Don't add sand as it takes tons to change the texture - and changing the texture of a small area can result in adverse effects on how water enters and exits the modified area. That is the problem with leaving field soil or potting medium completely undisturbed when planting into differently textured soils, and with liberally amending planting hole backfill.

You want the same soil texture throughout the entire potential rooting area.

"Ceanothus impressiva" in this instance would be a mistake for Ceanothus impressus. In addition, the cultivar sold as 'Victoria' is not a form of that species - and is probably correctly called 'Skylark' as well.

My Dark Star looked fine this spring, bloomed well, then turned crispy after that last bit of sunny weather. I was looking at the selections of Ceanothus on the Cistus mail order list and they kept mentioning no summer water, which this one was getting. Since I also lost a Cistus ladanifer at the base of that plant, another no summer water plant, I'm wondering if that factor made them especially susceptible to winter kill?

The 'winter kill' you're seeing now is probably root rot, and not connected with last winter's cold and snow.

When a plant is listed as 'no summer water' that means it's susceptible to root rots. Looking fine so long as the weather is cool, and then collapsing with the first warm days, is one symptom of root rot (as well as of winter kill). In both cases the plant's water transport system has been destroyed.

I do not know why one particular ceanothus would be more susceptible to root rot than another variety in the same place. Could be just a run of bad luck.

They vary in susceptibility. That was Fross/Wilkens' point: 'Dark Star' is more susceptible than some others.

Dark Star is wimpy in bloom compared to Victoria which is hardier. Root rot wasn't the culprit. 8 degrees was the killer.

Has anyone had any experience in bonzaing a ceanothus?