Simcoe County Master Gardeners
Grow Natives!
PLANT PROFILE
COMMON NAME: New Jersey Tea
BINOMIAL: Ceanothus americanus
| Family | Rhamnaceae |
| Cdn Native Range | Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Manitoba. |
| Natural habitat | open woods, woodland edges, limestone, meadows |
| Type | deciduous shrub; slow growing; non-aggressive despite being in buckthorn family |
| Features | showy 2-inch clusters of umbel white flowers on the branch -tip; young leaves appear gray- green; red roots |
| Growth habit | low-growing, rounded crown |
| Mature height | 3-4 ft. (1 to 1.2 m) |
| Mature spread | 2-4 ft. (0.5 to 1 m) |
| Life span | 30 years |
| Cdn Hardiness Zone | 4 – 7 |
| Growing conditions | full sun/part shade |
| Soil conditions | mesic sand (balanced moisture), loam, limey, but will tolerate a range of soils |
| Watering needs | low to medium |
| Fertilizer needs | none, actually prefers low nutrient conditions |
| Tolerance | drought |
| Maintenance rank | low; extremely adaptable even to inhospitable conditions; quick to recover after a fire due to deep roots |
| Maintenance needs | early spring pruning to shape or rejuvenate; it can be cut right to the ground as it blooms on new wood |
| Bloom | late May to August |
| Fruit | 3 mm stone-like seeds in a celled drupe within a brown capsule; seeds are ejected at maturity |
| Pollinator support | nectar source for bees, butterflies and moths; larval host to spring azure, summer azure, mottled dusky wing moths; turkeys, quails, and squirrels consume the seeds |
| Environmental support | nitrogen-fixing roots; attracts many beneficial insects; erosion control |
| Garden Use | ornamental; groundcover; rocky hillsides; hedging; planned landscapes; leaves make a tasty tea and contain no caffeine |
| Risks & Cautions | root rot from overwatering; powdery mildew in high humidity; deer/rabbit browsing damage to young plants; weak growth in too much shade |
References: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre; Ontario Native Plants Website; Eloisebutler.org; Jake Boyd: New Jersey Tea; Johnson’s Nursery
