Manzanitas
For the Rogue Valley
A low maintenance and wide-ranging shrub, from ground cover to tree size
These evergreen shrubs are the perfect structural addition to any xeric, or drought tolerant, garden. Ranging in habit from mat forming groundcovers, to mounding shrubs and upright to arboreal specimens, there is a Manzanita perfect for just about any space.
Manzanitas are also prodigious when it comes to sustaining wildlife – providing habitat in the form of shelter, a late winter/early spring nectar source for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as summer drupes that feed birds and other critters. Plus, they are truly low maintenance, requiring little to thrive.
Native throughout the West and, in some cases, spanning farther across the country, Manzanitas are adapted to our tough and often extreme conditions. A quick study of an individual species’ indigenous climate and soils will give clues as to its preferred environment and what types of challenges it can endure. Below is some cultural information and pruning tips to aid in successful growing of these fabulous plants.
Cultural info:
- Sharp drainage is key to prevent root rot
- Clay is more tolerable on slopes (to increase drainage)
- Good air circulation (avoiding crowding/competition) limits leaf spot diseases
- A more course mulch reduces mud splash in lower leaves (which can attribute to fungal leaf spot)
- Avoid soil amendments and fertilizer – rich soils can lead to rapid growth leaving plants vulnerable to deer browsing, wind rock and fungal root pathogens
- Little to no summer (supplemental) irrigation makes for happier and hardier to cold Manzanitas. Interesting fact: CA native species used to prolonged dry seasons often grow larger in OR with our wetter winters
- Growth rate and ultimate size are highly variable and dependent on many factors, including (but not limited to) exposure, soil, irrigation, deer pressure, climate events and source of plant material
- Drip systems are best for the establishment period, since water can be cut off/adjusted over time and for the prevention of foliar fungal issues
- Most species are verticillium wilt resistant and also do well with water high in Boron (since they hardly need water!)
Pruning tips:
- Manzanitas bloom on OLD wood, meaning last year’s growth (after flowering)
- Pruning later in the season (late summer through early winter) sacrifices the following year’s blooms
- Tip prune to increase density of young plants (and next year’s floral show) directly after flowering and new growth has commenced, but before next year’s flower buds have emerged
- Older stems that are leafless or that have begun to shed their bark do not have dormant buds and will NOT re-sprout if pruned
- Thinning and shaping (after flowering) helps to reveal the sculptural form of branching and increase air circulation
- Shaping is most effective in the first handful of years, preventing major cuts later on that cause pruning scars marring the beautiful wood
- Warm, dry weather is best for pruning activity (cold/damp weather fosters disease)
- If a burl is present (a fire adaptation that presents as a swollen, rounded dome of wood at the base of the trunk), it contains dormant buds and the whole shrub can be cut back to the burl for radical regeneration
Want more help?
If you’d like more help with plant, shrub and/or tree selection or assistance with your landscape design, get details on our Design & Consult page about what types of services we provide.
My husband and I attended your 10 am tree transplanting seminar today. It was our first time at your nursery. We enjoyed the class and learned a lot (OK, that was not particularly hard to do considering our very basic knowledge coming in). We were impressed by your selection, the presentation of the stock, and the caliber of you and your staff. All in all, we had a great time, in addition to purchasing some trees. Just want you to know we will be back for more classes and will spread the word about Shooting Star.
P.S. The brownies were killer.
Manzanita plants list
| Botanical Name |
Common Name | Size | Exposure | Foliage/Bark | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctostaphylos x ‘Austin Griffiths’ | Austin Griffiths Manzanita |
10-12′ H x 6-8′ W | Full sun | Light apple green w/flaky maroon-cinnamon bark | An arboreal type, CA native hybrid of A. manzanita ‘Dr. Hurd’ x A. densiflora ‘Sentinel’, quite garden tolerant and very vigorous, superior wildlife selection – masses of pale pink flowers early spring w/premium nectar and burnt orange later drupes on |
| Arctostaphylos bakeri ‘Louis Edmonds’ |
Baker’s Manzanita | 5-6′ H x 4′ W | Full to part sun | Blue-green w/dark purplish-mahogany bark | Rich mauve flowers, more tolerant of average garden conditions including clay |
| Arctostaphylos canascens |
Hoary Manzanita | 1-6′ H x W | Part sun | Grey-green, hairy both sides w/pointed shape | Highly variable species from NW coast, not as tolerant of heat or serpentine soils, white-pale pink blooms late winter |
| Arctostaphylos columbiana |
Hairy Manzanita | 3-10′ H x W | Full to part sun | Silvery blue-green w/hairy underside and mahogany bark | Another highly variable NW coastal species, prefers acid to salt soils with excellent drainage and good air circulation, white to pale pink flowers early-mid spring + a good set of orange drupes |
| Arctostaphylos densiflora | Vine Hill Manzanita | Sonoma County CA endemic species with many cultivars | |||
| ‘Harmony’ | 2-7′ H x 5-6′ W | Full to part sun | Rich green x-large leaves w/cinnamon bark | OR nurseries describe as upright and taller than species while CA ones say it’s low spreading/mounded, tolerant of various soil types including clay, pale pink flowers early spring, drupes are favored by birds/critters | |
| ‘Howard McMinn’ | 5-6′ H x 6-8′ W | Full to part sun | Dark green w/deep red to mahogany bark | One of the most garden tolerant manzanitas – adaptable to a variety of soils + summer irrigation, cold hardy, mounding/broad habit, stems along ground will root in, profuse pale pink blooms very early in spring w/ red drupes | |
| ‘Sentinel’ | 6′ H x W | Full to part sun | Dark sagey- green w/downy hairs + cinnamon bark | Slower growing selection, pale pink flowers early in spring, more sensitive to poor drainage and water | |
| ‘White Lanterns’ | 3-4′ H x W | Full to part sun | Small dark green w/mahogany bark | Dense and dwarf in habit, excellent small specimen shrub, super floriferous with shell pink flowers followed by russet drupes | |
| Arctostaphylos x ‘Emerald Carpet’ |
Kinnickinnick | 12-18″ H x 6′ W | Full to part sun | Medium green w/coppery new growth | CA native hybrid of A. uva-ursi x A. nummularia, prefers richer soils (can become yellowed without), white flowers in early spring followed by red drupes |
| Arctostaphylos ‘Greensphere’ |
Greensphere Manzanita |
3′ H x W | Full sun | Rich green w/coppery new growth and cinnamon-red bark | A. edmundsii hybrid selection from Rancho Santa Ana, very dense habit w/rounded mound shape (perfect in a more formal setting), slow growing dwarf, very cold hardy, white-pale pink flowers in early spring, needs air circulation and drainage |
| Arctostaphylos hookeri | Hooker’s Manzanita | Native to CA between San Francisco and Central Coast | |||
| A. hookeri | 1-6′ H x 6′ W | Part to full sun | Dark green w/rich cinnamon-red bark | Variable species w/a number of subspecies/selections, typically low & spreading, prefers dry, acidic soil, tolerates some summer water, white to pale pink flowers early spring and greenish red drupes | |
| ‘Monterey Carpet’ | Monterey Carpet Manzanita |
1-2′ H x 4-8′ W | Part to full sun | Dark green w/deep red bark | Mat forming to mounding & will root where touching soil, prefers dry acidic soils with good drainage but can tolerate occasional irrigation, slower growing, white to pale pink flowers early spring can be sparse |
| Arctostaphylos x ‘John Dourley’ |
John Dourley Manzanita |
2-4′ H x 4-6′ W | Full to part sun | Bright green often sporting a red edge, coppery new growth w/cinnamon bark | CA hybrid of A. pajaroensis x A. bakeri, quite garden tolerant (even to clay), growth rate/size is variable and dependent on frequency of irrigation, shell pink blooms in early to mid winter and red drupes |
| Arctostaphylos x ‘Pacific Mist’ |
Pacific Mist Manzanita |
1-2.5′ H x 4-6′ W | Part to full sun | Sage blue-green foliage (more green w/reg. water) & pinkish stems on new growth aging to dark mahogany bark | Fast grower, open/sprawling when young but eventually dense/mat forming to mounding (tip pruning helps with density), loves sandy soil but tolerates clay, accepts weekly irrigation w/inland heat, sparse white flowers in early spring |
| Arctostaphylos pajaroensis |
Pajaro Manzanita |
Native from CA’s north Central Coast to South Bay Area | |||
| ‘Lester Rowntree’ | 6-10′ H x 8′ W | Full sun | Pewter blue-green with coppery new growth & dark mahogany bark | Thought to be a hybrid (possibly with A. obispoensis), upright and eventually spreading habit, light to bright pink flowers late winter-early spring followed by pinkish red drupes | |
| ‘Myrtle Wolf’ | 6′ H x W | Full Sun | Rich green (blue undertones) w/bronzy new growth and burgundy bark | Upright to slightly mounded habit with bright medium pink flowers late winter-early spring | |
| ‘Warren Roberts’ | 4-6′ H x 7-10′ W | Full sun | Blue (& sometimes hairy) w/coppery new growth and sinuous mahogany bark | Spreading/mounding habit with twisting branches and densely clothed stems, tolerates very minimal water, covered in Barbie pink flowers late winter-early spring, followed by orange drupes | |
| Arctostaphylos rudis |
Sand Mesa/Shag Bark Manzanita | 1.5 – 3′ H x 3-6′ W | Full to part sun | Broadly oval & hairy sage green w/purplish stems give way to peeling maroon bark | Rare Central CA coast species, prefers dry sandy soils, foliage is black spot resistant and tolerant of salt, white to pale pink flowers early spring, birds love the drupes that follow |
| Arctostaphylos silvicola ‘Ghostly’ |
Santa Cruz/Bonny Doon Manzanita | 6-10’+ H x W | Full to part sun | Pale sage cloaked in white woolliness, pinkish new growth & deep burgundy bark | Endemic to Santa Cruz CA (rare and endangered!), known as having the palest foliage of all Manzanitas, tolerates shallow soils & prefers no summer irrigation, upright habit, white flowers in spring |
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
Bearberry/ Kinnickinnick |
Groundcover Manzanita with a wide native range | |||
| Arctostaphylos uva-ursi |
6-12″ H x 6′ W | Full sun to part shade | Deep green w/maroon winter color | Variable in density & leaf size, fast growing, more tolerant of shade, pale pink flowers late winter/early spring followed by red drupes | |
| ‘Massachusetts’ | 6-12″ H x 6′ W | Full to part sun | Smaller than species & bright medium green, turning bronzy in winter | Super hardy (to Zone 2/3) selection from the East Coast, foliage is resistant to leaf spot and gall, very floriferous – white/shell pink in early spring with red fruits later on | |
| Arctostaphylos viscida |
Sticky Whiteleaf Manzanita |
8-16′ H x 6-12′ W | Full sun | Grey-green w/coppery new growth & red-mahogany bark | Native from CA through Southern OR, found in red clay/decomposed granite/serpentine soils in open forests and rocky slopes, new growth is coated w/waxy to sticky white powder (hence the name), very sensitive in a cultivated setting – needs sharp drainage & minimal water, shell pink flowers mid-spring followed by reddish/green-brown drupes |
