Arctostaphylos columbiana 'Blue River', Manzanita

From our collection during a fun day in October, '06 with Neil Bell: rounded form and clean foliage, somewhat narrow, light blue-green and light green, and orange-brown exfoliating bark.

This selection, from the North-East side of Mt. Hood, is not very tolerant of summer water once established. So, think garden bed with no drip irrigation or sprinkler spinners for this one. It's a good rule of thumb that A. columbiana chosen from more southern and coastal areas will be more water-tolerant (can be planted maybe 4-5 ft away from occasional summer water drip lines), while those from the Cascades and eastern choices will not. 

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 mostly in the fall and the beginning of spring for the best results. 

Mature size: 6 ft T x 8 ft W

Minimum temperature: 0º F