One of the most exciting wild collected figs to come out of California, Black Manzanita was shared with us years ago by Mike Boss who had recently taken over Sonoma Horticultural Nursery. We assumed that this was another California seedling that might not produce figs without the wasp, but sure enough it produces loads of large and unique figs up here in Oregon.
A naturally occuring hybrid of Arctostaphylos viscida and A. canescens, this one found outisde of Grants Pass at a site where the Whiteleaf Manzanitas grow into trees.
Sunset Manzanita is a fantastic cross between Arctostaphylos hookeri and Arctostaphylos pajaroensis. This hybrid manzanita drapes itself across a six foot wide space and grows to about three to four feet in height.
Manzanita’s center of biodiversity is in the California Floristic Province, where they are the “rock stars” of woody shrub diversity. Ranging from the Sierra Nevada mountains to coastal bluffs along the Pacific, from temperate rainforests along the North Coast to arid mountain slopes in Southern California, a wealth of manzanita species and subspecies can be found in an astonishing array of environments.
A big, bold, large growing manzanita for those who want a more tree-like manzanita to really show off that gorgeous bark and take a prominent place in the garden.
A selection of a naturally occurring hybrid manzanita that is found in Western Colorado, Chieftain Manzanita greatly expands the area where this lovely genus can be grown and is one of the furthest eastern growing manzanita species we know of. While most gardeners in zone 6 or below typically can’t grow manzanitas, Chieftain is hardy all the way down to zone 4!
One of the most valuable ground cover manzanitas for our climates from a species that has produced a multitude of great selections. Wayside Manzanita has been grown for years and is incredibly tough and easy to grow. At the North Willamette Research station’s manzanita trial this cultivar performed better than nearly any other ground cover manzanita. Grows to 18-24 inches tall by around 6 feet wide.
One of the very best manzanitas for gardens, Austin Griffiths is a large grower, reaching up to 10 feet and about 6 feet wide. Grows very quickly when young and can tolerate more summer water than most manzanitas, though a well-draining soil on a slope is still recommended and zero irrigation after the first year will prolong its life.
Emerald Carpet was introduced by Santa Ana Botanical Garden as a functional and beautiful low maintenance groundcover. It is a hybrid of two manzanita species, Arctostaphylos nummularia and the not as drought tolerant Arctostaphylos uva-ursi.
A wonderful and easy manzanita for the Northwest, Sentinel is tolerant of both garden conditions and dry rocky soil, and is incredibly hardy and disease resistant! Fast growing to about 7′ tall by 5′ wide, the leaves are held perpendicular to the stems to reduce moisture loss but it also gives this shrub a fantastic texture! Bark is exfoliating and gorgeous, becoming deep mahogany red in time.
