Manzanitas

In 2023, we planted over a hundred new manzanitas in the Manzanita Expansion Project which increased our dry garden by 50%. Many species and cultivars are old industry favorites from California, but many are from our own selections, gathered as cuttings on trips to California and southern Oregon over the decades.

No other shrub can offer the diversity of both habit and foliage, the changes throughout the seasons of both bark, foliage, and the desirable bloom time of December- April. Early bloom time is a much-needed resource for birds and pollinators. This shrub does it all. You can find it as a groundcover up to a LARGE shrub. The habit can be dense or more open to enjoy the bark more. The foliage color ranges from deep emerald green, olive tones, bright green, sage, and silver. The foliage can be shiny or matte, with tiny leaves or leaves that are up to 3 inches wide. The new growth can be fantastic shades of orange or red. This is not a static evergreen shrub, Manzanitas exhibit changes through the seasons offering blooms in the winter or early spring, berries in the summer, different shades of foliage between the new and the old, either smooth bark in winter or peeling bark in the summer. 

Extremely drought tolerant, we water our newly planted manzanitas for 30 seconds only once a week for the first year, even in the heat of summer, after that, they are on their own. We plant them mostly in the fall and the beginning of spring for the best results.