Lucia Mae Santa Lucia Manzanita
Likely our favorite of the many Arctostaphylos luciana selections we’ve made, this one has wonderfully blue foliage along with a deeply auriculate clasping leaf that gives a texture similar to juvenile Eucalyptus foliage. Named for our friend’s daughter Lucia Mae who was born just before we found this beautiful plant.
Arctostaphylos luciana is a manzanita species native to the Santa Lucia Mountains just outside of San Luis Obispo at elevations up to around 2,000 feet. It is listed on the California Native Plant Society’s inventory of rare and endangered species and is threatened due to its small natural range, surrounding area and some of its habitat being mostly on private land and climate change. We find this species to be one of the most beautiful and adaptable of any manzanita and have enjoyed selecting some interesting new cultivars from a friend’s ranch where we’ve found many interesting forms.
Latin Name: Arctostaphylos luciana (cv. 1)
Site and Soil: Well draining unamended soils in full sun
Hardiness: Hardy to at least 10 F.
Size at Maturity: ~6′ x 6′
Bloom Time: Late winter into spring
Pests & Diseases: None that we have observed
USDA Zone: 8a