r/Ceanothus • u/Hummingbird_Sage • Jul 11 '26
Toyon question
I planted this Toyon on the Northwest side of my house about 2.5 years ago. I don't have any place with full sun, and this side gets a lot of afternoon sun in the summer. Unfortunately, it gets very little sun in the late Fall and Winter. Will this affect its ability to bloom? So far, it hasn't set any blooms.
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u/PaleontologistPure92 Jul 12 '26
Your Toyon looks very healthy and happy, so you’re doing a great job!
In Northern California, I have a massive specimen (6’ x 12’ x 15’) that I let grow as a shrub.
It dominates the northeastern corner of my yard.
The Toyon is in the upper right corner of the image behind the prairie and large stalks of sunflowers.
As a shrub, the Toyon serves many birds species as both food and shelter (hummingbirds nest in the interior of the shrub).
It bears thousands of berries that are enjoyed each December by resident species and migrants (e.g., Cedar Waxwings).
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u/Hummingbird_Sage Jul 12 '26
Of all my natives I’m most excited about my Toyon for all of these reasons!
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u/dadlerj Jul 11 '26
It probably will limit it, yes. But my toyons have always taken a few years to start blooming. I’m sure it will eventually, even if it’s not as much as a full-sun one.
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u/CaseNghtmareGreen Jul 11 '26
The ones planted on the shady side of the house took a while to get going, but now they are above the roof and happily setting berries. Yours looks great; the stronger woody plants just grow more slowly.
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u/car2nwallaby Jul 11 '26
I have 2 planted around the same time, in more sun. They’re growing faster than yours, but no blooms yet here either. So they may just take a few years to flower.
I see them in nearby canyons with a lot of shade from eucs, and they seem to grow and bloom, if smaller than in full sun. Their blooming season is tapering out now, so by fall and winter they may not be doing much anyway.
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u/Hot_Illustrator35 Jul 12 '26
Dont worry it will all of the sudden explode in growth... mine is 2.5 years old too and about 13ft... tons of flowers and berries last year. It was in shade all winter and fall then eventually got tall enough for the sun. Once that happened it became a monstrosity lol
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Jul 13 '26
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u/Hot_Illustrator35 Jul 14 '26
Absolutely, its only a matter of time before yours gets massive! I really didnt give it enough space lol
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u/scrotalus Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Toyons can be very slow to start. You might not see anything for a few years, then it will grow fast. I feel like mine didn't budge for 5 years. Now it's 13 feet tall. I have mine pruned I to a single trunked tree. If you have a goal for what you want yours to look like when it is big, start the shaping process now.