Description
Horticultural selection from Arctostaphylos densiflora in the foothills of the north coast mountains. Howard McMinn Manzanita is known as ‘everyman’s manzanita’ for good reason. It is tolerant of a wide variety of garden conditions including clay soils, summer watering, pruning and shearing. So if you know nothing about native plants but would like to try a manzanita we suggest you start with Howard McMinn. This is a medium sized shrub with fine textured bright green foliage and red bark. Pink flowers appear in late spring. It is one of the last manzanita’s to bloom so if you have other manzanitas, including a Howard McMinn will extend your manzanita bloom time. At maturity Howard McMinn can reach 8 feet and spread to 10 feet or more. However, you can keep it in check by pruning. As it matures it will open up and reveal more of it’s twisting, red colored branches. Howard McMinn’ is excellent when you are trying to transition from a watered flower bed to a drought tolerant area. Moths, hummingbirds, butterflies and all sorts of other native wildlife like the plant. Howard McMinn’ does fine in beach sand or adobe. An excellent hedge plant for that small hedge between you and the neighbors. Tolerates almost any soil type. Prefers sun in coastal sites, and sun or part shade in inland sites. Horticultural selection of A. densiflora: origin = north coast foothills; introduced by the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in 1955.
Landscaping Information
Sun: Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture: Low, Moderate
Ease of Care: Moderately Easy
Cold Tolerance: 15° F
Soil Drainage: Fast, Medium, Slow
Soil Description: Tolerates a wide variety of soils. Soil PH: 5.0 – 8.0
Common uses: Hedges, Bird Gardens, Deer Resistant, Butterfly Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens
Companion Plants: Works well with a number of low to medium height plants including Ceanothus species, Buckwheat (Eriogonum species), and Sages (Salvia species).
Maintenance: Prune in late summer to achieve desired height or spread
Calscape website has more information.
