Arctostaphylos
( ark - toh - STAFF - il - os )
At-A-Glance Information
More commonly known as Manzanita or Bearberry, this shrubby tree attracts birds and other wildlife to your yard. They are native to the far West and can take many shapes, from creeping groundcovers to tree-like taller shrubs. All varieties sprout flowers in the late winter or early spring. These plants are prized for their beautiful branch patterns and smooth red to purple colored bark.
Their leaves are held perpendicular to the sun, an adaptation acquired by the plant in its evolution to avoid moisture loss. Another environmental adaptation that Manzanita has acquired over its history is its ability to bounce back after wildfires. On many Manzanita plants, there is a burl at or around ground-level from which the plant will regrow if it is burned to the ground. |
Arctostaphylos Species and Varietals
Manzanita is part of the Ericaceae, or Heath/Heather, family and includes around 60 species. A wide variety of Manzanita is native to California, each species with its own specific growing area in various climates including mountains, coastlines, and foothills. The best growing zones for Manzanita depends on which variety you're looking to plant in your garden (to find your zone, click here: Zone Map). Take a look at the different types outlined below:
Arctostaphylos 'Austin Griffiths' Grows best in zones 4-9 and 14-24. This shrub is a hybrid between A. manzanita 'Dr. Hurd' and A. densiflora 'Sentinel'. Can reach 8 feet tall and wide and has a tree-like habit. Leaves are grey-green, and flowers are white. Bark is a dark burgundy color. This variety can tolerate more water than others. |
Arctostaphylos bakeri 'Louis Edmunds' This species is found in zones 4-9 and 14-17. Native to the Sonoma area in California, this is an upright, elegant shrub growing to 5-8 feet tall and wide. Bark is dark mahogany, leaves are small and grey-green. Flowers are showy and pink, and bright red berries follow blooms. Can tolerate heat and drought, but will take some regular garden watering. |
Arctostaphylos columbiana (Hairy Manzanita) This species grows best in zones 4-6 and 15-17. Native to California's low coastal mountain ranges up to British Columbia. Grows to 10 feet tall and wide with reddish-brown bark and grey-green leaves. Tree-like habit. Flowers are white, and berries are red-cheeked brown. 'Oregon Hybrid' is a compact form of this variety that grows to 3 feet high and 5-7 feet wide. It is tough enough to be used along highways in Washington and Oregon. |
Arctostaphylos densiflora (Vine Hill Manzanita) This variety grows best in zones 7-9 and 14-21. This variety is also native to Sonoma, California and is generally a low, spreading shrub. Outer branches will root when they hit soil. Main stems are slender and crooked with smooth, reddish-black bark. Leaves are small and glossy, flowers are pale pink. This species is rarely sold in nurseries. Vine Hill Manzanita varieties include 'Howard McMinn' (5-8 feet tall mound-like plant with white flowers), 'Harmony' (4 feet tall, 6 feet wide with a profuse showing of pink flowers), and 'Sentinel' (downy, light-green leaves and pale pink flowers; a good choice for warmer, inland gardens grows to 6-8 feet tall and 4-10 feet wide). |
Arctostaphylos edmunsii (Little Sur Manzanita)
Grows best in zones 6-9 and 14-24. This low-growing species hails from the Monterey Bay area in California. This variety has a few good groundcovers. 'Carmel sur' grows quickly to 1-1.5 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide with grey-green foliage with rarely seen soft-pink flowers. 'Greensphere' is a hybrid ideal for containers that grows slowly to form a dense 4 foot sphere with dark green leaves and a long blooming period. 'Little Sur' is another groundcover variety (10 inches high, 5 feet wide) with pointed leaves edged with red and soft pink flowers. Finally, A. e. parvifolia 'Bert Johnson' grows to 1-3 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide and can handle a wide variety of garden conditions. Leaves are shiny and dark green in color, bronze when new. Flowers in late winter to early spring in pale pink. |
Arctostaphylos 'Emerald Carpet' Grows in zones 6-9 and 14-24. This is one of the greenest, most uniform groundcover varieties of manzanita. Grows to 8-14 inches tall and 5 feet wide. Bright green rounded leaves remain even in hot, dry weather. Flowers are small and white. This variety requires acidic soil and a deep water every two to three weeks. |
Arctostaphylos hookeri (Monterey Manzanita) Grows in zones 6-9 and 14-24. Native to Monterey, California. Slow grower to 1.5-4 feet tall and over 6 feet wide. Leaves are small and glossy green and flowers are white to pink. Bright red berries appear after flowering and bark is reddish brown. Great for hillsides. Varieties include 'Monterey Carpet', which grows to 1 foot high and 12 feet wide, and 'Wayside', which grows to 4 feet tall and 8 feet wide into an attractive mound. |
Arctostaphylos insularis (Island Manzanita) Native to the Channel Islands off the California Coast, this large shrub grows best in zones 16-24, and can reach up to 10-12 feet tall and a little less wide. Leaves are bright green and flowers appear in large, drooping clusters in mid-winter. 'Canyon Sparkles' is a smaller varietal of this Manzanita, reaching 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide. |
Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley' This shrub is a colorful and dependable choice for planting in your garden, growing best in zones 6-9 and 14-24. Can be used as a low shrub or groundcover. Leaves are copper-pink when new, grey-green when established. Abundant pink flowers make a long-lasting show followed by purple-red fruit. Slow grower to 2-4 feet tall and 4-8 feet wide. Has a good tolerance for clay soil and regular garden watering. |
Arctostaphylos manzanita (Common Manzanita)
Native to the inner coast range and Sierra Nevada foothills in California, and grows best in zones 4-9 and 14-24. When grown in a garden, it can reach 10-12 feet high and wide. When they get to reach old age, they can be twice that size. Bark is purplish red on crooked, twisting branches. Leaf color varies depending on the variety. Can be an excellent garden focal point or even used as a screening plant. Flowers are profuse and range between white and pink, dropping away to show berries that start white and turn a deep red over time. Popular varietals include:
Native to the inner coast range and Sierra Nevada foothills in California, and grows best in zones 4-9 and 14-24. When grown in a garden, it can reach 10-12 feet high and wide. When they get to reach old age, they can be twice that size. Bark is purplish red on crooked, twisting branches. Leaf color varies depending on the variety. Can be an excellent garden focal point or even used as a screening plant. Flowers are profuse and range between white and pink, dropping away to show berries that start white and turn a deep red over time. Popular varietals include:
Arctostaphylos nummularia (Fort Bragg Manzanita) Grows best in zones 14-24. This shrub has dense foliage and is nearly dome-shaped and low-growing (not usually more than 2.5 feet high) Bright green leaves and little white flowers. Considered difficult to grow outside of its natural habitat in coastal California forests. It needs good drainage and acidic soil as well as partial shade in hotter climates. 'Small Change' is a smaller varietal of this bush with tiny, narrow dark green leaves. |
Arctostaphylos 'Pacific Mist' Grows best in zones 7-9 and 14-24. Grows up to 2-3 feet tall and 6-15 feet wide. Stems are spreading and twisting, turning upwards near the ends. Reddish-brown bark and narrow grey-green leaves. Blooms are white but sparse. Can form a great groundcover with some targeted end-pinching. Grows well even in dry shade and is disease-resistant. |
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis (Pajaro Manzanita) This variety is native to Monterey Bay, California and grows 3-8 feet tall and 10-12 feet wide. New growth is bronzy and matures to a bluish-green color and flowers bloom for a long while white to pink. 'Paradise' (pictured) is pink-flowered with bronze foliage, and 'Warren Roberts' is similar but with a more upright habit and bluer leaves (dark bronze when new). |
Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' Grows in zones 6-9 and 14-24. This is a hybrid between A. hookeri and A. pajaroensis. Has a dense, mounding habit with coppery red new foliage that matures to a bright green. Grows fast to 5-8 feet tall and a little wider. Flowers are pinkish white and can tolerate wide range of soil and garden conditions. |
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnik, Bearberry)
Grows in zones A1-A3, 1-9 and 14-24. Popular groundcover variety that roots as it spreads, eventually growing to 15 feet wide. Leaves are small, glossy, and bright green, turning a beautiful red to purple color in winter. Flowers are white or pink followed by red fruits. This species is also known as 'Kinnikinnik', which is a word that refers to many tobacco substitutes in Algonquin.
Grows in zones A1-A3, 1-9 and 14-24. Popular groundcover variety that roots as it spreads, eventually growing to 15 feet wide. Leaves are small, glossy, and bright green, turning a beautiful red to purple color in winter. Flowers are white or pink followed by red fruits. This species is also known as 'Kinnikinnik', which is a word that refers to many tobacco substitutes in Algonquin.
caring for and pruning Manzanita shrubs
Manzanitas are relatively low-maintenance plants, needing very little attention in gardens. Planting Manzanita in the correct spot in your yard is the first step to caring for your shrub or tree. Manzanitas are usually grown in-ground, but can also be treated as a container tree on a patio or next to an entryway. Choose a place where you will not have to do hard-pruning to keep the plant compact; these trees need space for their mature size, and appreciate air flow around their base. They do best in acidic soil or neutral soil, but not alkaline soil, and prefer sun, though some can do well in partial shade. Make sure to research the specific requirements of any Manzanita before planting it in your yard. Once you have chosen a perfect spot in your yard and have ensured that the soil is prepped and well-draining, you can plant your Manzanita.
For the first year, while your shrub or tree matures, it will need weekly to bi-weekly water. After this period, limit watering to about once a month or less. These trees can take drought, and do not enjoy wet soil conditions. There is no need to fertilize your Manzanita; in fact Manzanita shrubs and trees do not enjoy rich soil. Pruning your plant will be simple; these trees and shrubs do not need much pruning, just occasional pinching of branch tips to create a bushier, shrubbier habit (if that is your goal). If you are shaping your Manzanita into a tree form, the lower branches can be removed to reveal the beautiful, twisting trunk. When doing a hard pruning like this, make sure to cut back to the collar of the branch on the main trunk or stem, and do it during the summertime when cuts will dry and heal quickly. Fresh cuts are easily infected by rain or irrigation, so ensure that you are pruning and allowing the plant to heal in dry weather.
For the first year, while your shrub or tree matures, it will need weekly to bi-weekly water. After this period, limit watering to about once a month or less. These trees can take drought, and do not enjoy wet soil conditions. There is no need to fertilize your Manzanita; in fact Manzanita shrubs and trees do not enjoy rich soil. Pruning your plant will be simple; these trees and shrubs do not need much pruning, just occasional pinching of branch tips to create a bushier, shrubbier habit (if that is your goal). If you are shaping your Manzanita into a tree form, the lower branches can be removed to reveal the beautiful, twisting trunk. When doing a hard pruning like this, make sure to cut back to the collar of the branch on the main trunk or stem, and do it during the summertime when cuts will dry and heal quickly. Fresh cuts are easily infected by rain or irrigation, so ensure that you are pruning and allowing the plant to heal in dry weather.
Propagation
Manzanitas are most easily propagated from cuttings, though they can be propagated from seed. Some species will root easier than others. The easiest species of Manzanita to propagate from cutting are A. densiflora, A. edmundsii, A. hookeri, and A. uva-ursi. To get an exact clone of the parent tree, you will want to propagate from a cutting. To do so, you will need a clean, sanitized pair of shears, a pot that is at least four inches deep (or a flat, your choice) filled with a mixture of half sand and half peat, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a plastic bag. Follow the directions below after you have gathered your supplies.
- Between the months of March and May, take a softwood cutting of the current season's growth that includes an inch or two of hard wood at the base. The entire cutting should be about 4 inches in length. Remove leaves from the lower half of the cutting.
- Prepare your pot by watering the half peat, half sand mixture and ensure good drainage is occurring. Make a hole (or more than one hole if you have more than one cutting to propagate) with a pencil. Dip your cutting(s) in rooting hormone, and then place it into your hole(s). Gently fill in potting mixture around the base of the cutting if it is not standing on its own, but do not pack down the planting medium.
- Keep your cuttings covered, either with a cover for your flat or with a plastic bag secured around the top of the pot. Do not let the soil dry out. Keep your cutting(s) in an area with bright light but out of direct sun. In four to eight weeks, cuttings should be rooted. Continue watering them until the fall, when they can be transplanted into larger pots. Manzanitas generally do not transplant well, as their roots do not like to be disturbed, so ensure that your propagated plant has grown to a healthy size, and then it can be planted in the yard in late fall or early winter.
Problems and pests
To avoid issues with your Manzanita, ensure that you do not give it overhead water, prune dead/dying or damaged branches off with sterilized garden shears, and keep the area around the bottom of the plant free of debris and fallen leaves. Manzanitas are susceptible to some issues with pests and fungi, and keeping your plant healthy and pruned will help stave off these other issues.
Manzanitas are susceptible to pests, including Aphids, Scales, Whiteflies, Mealybugs, Psyllids, Borers and Caterpillars. For more information on these pests, the damage they can do to your garden plants, and how to eradicate them once they've taken up residence, see the Pests and Pest Management page. These plants are also sensitive to diseases including Bacterial Leaf Spot, Canker, Crown and Root Rots, Leaf Gall and Spot Diseases, Rusts, and Sudden Oak Death. Some environmental disorders can also affect Manzanita, and include poor water management and nutrient and mineral issues and deficiencies.
Manzanitas are susceptible to pests, including Aphids, Scales, Whiteflies, Mealybugs, Psyllids, Borers and Caterpillars. For more information on these pests, the damage they can do to your garden plants, and how to eradicate them once they've taken up residence, see the Pests and Pest Management page. These plants are also sensitive to diseases including Bacterial Leaf Spot, Canker, Crown and Root Rots, Leaf Gall and Spot Diseases, Rusts, and Sudden Oak Death. Some environmental disorders can also affect Manzanita, and include poor water management and nutrient and mineral issues and deficiencies.
Gallery
Manzanita trees that I stumbled across at a stage in the hills of Los Gatos, California (Sunset zone 15). They were planted in the raised center of a circular driveway. This is a great situation for planting Manzanita; their branches were beautiful when admired from below the canopy. The trees were about 12 feet tall and 15 feet wide, clearly mature trees that had been there for a while! Date: April 20, 2023 |
videos
All about the Manzanita tree
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An overview of the groundcover 'Emerald Carpet'
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Manzanita as a native plant in your garden
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Resources
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 164-166 Arctostaphylos
Living Wild: Gardening, Cooking and Healing with Native Plants of California by Alicia Funk and Karen Kaufman A celebration of California's culture and heritage, this book is a guide for those wishing to use California's native plants more often in their lives. There is a great section on Manzanitas in this book, including easy-to-follow recipes for Manzanita cider, muffins and sugar. |
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