We live in Victoria. In spring we planted a row of ceanothus "Victoria" (5 feet tall) across our back fence (good sun exposure) in a raised bed. They grew like crazy over the summer...at least another 12 to 18 inches in height. About 6 weeks ago we covered the planting bed in cedar bark mulch to keep down weeds, leaving uncovered a circle of about 8" radius around the trunks. In the last couple of weeks (since fall set in) some of the leaves are yellowing (particularly on new growth)...worse on some plants than others. Is this normal for ceanothus at this time of year or am I killing the plants with the mulch by not allowing enough air/drainage? Thank you!
While oldest, innermost leaves should be expected to die and drop off each year, as with other broadleaf evergreen shrubs, yellowing of leaves before their time does indicate a problem. If the shrubs are too moist or too dry they will shed leaves excessively. Another thing, that is seen frequently on ceanthous in this region, is a heavy infestation of leafhoppers. This causes the plants to develop a stippled (yellow speckled appearance) throughout.
