Manzanitas take a bow in winter and early spring
Like people, some plants demand center stage. California poppies and lupine are springtime darlings, followed by fragrant sage in summer and crimson maples in fall. But what about the supporting players who work hard but never seem to get the limelight? Cue the manzanitas.
Manzanitas, aka Arctostaphylos, are rugged California native evergreen shrubs and trees with white or pink mini-bell flowers that dangle in delicate panicles in winter and spring and turn into “mini-apples” in summer and fall. Manzanita bark is stunning and variable -- sinewy and smooth, peeling and revealing, old and gnarled – in colors spanning cinnamon, burnt mahogany, chocolate brown, and driftwood gray. Like cracks of lightning, manzanita bark illuminates gray days and reduces the winter drab factor.
Year-round beauty and many ecological benefits
Manzanitas are outstanding additions to any garden, whether for low groundcovers, uplit accent trees, background shrubs, or hedges. In addition to their innate year-round beauty, manzanita provide many benefits to the environment (and to gardeners!):
- Pollinator-friendly. Hummingbirds and bees delight in having a food source during the colder months in late winter and early spring. This is especially true for California native bees that emerge after overwintering in ground nests and hollow stems. Manzanitas are among the first plants they forage.
- Food for many animals and birds. Summer and fall manzanita berries feed bears, deer, coyotes, foxes, quail, and many other birds.
- Low water. These tough plants thrive on little water once established. This is due in part to their leaves, which have tiny pore-like stomates on both leaf sides instead of one side as in most plants. The result? The leaves are held perpendicular to the ground instead of parallel to minimize sun exposure and water loss.
- Erosion control. Thanks to their extensive roots, manzanitas are an excellent choice to help keep steep slopes intact.
- Long-lived. Manzanitas can live 100 years or more and disperse seeds that survive underground for hundreds of years.. Their elixir for long life? Co-mingling root fungi (mycorrhiza) with others in their own plant community, dramatically increasing the ability to absorb water and minerals, even in poor soil.
How to grow and care for manzanitas
Manzanitas are easy and satisfying to grow. Here’s how:
- Grow in full sun.
- Plant in well-draining soil. In general, manzanitas do not like water to linger on their roots, leaves, or at the crown of the plant (where the roots meet the stem).
- Do not amend soil with compost or other rich organic matter.
- Avoid fertilizer.
- Water deeply until established, then cut back. Manzanitas are vulnerable to fungal diseases that thrive in warm, moist conditions, so avoid summer watering as much as possible.
- Prune judiciously. Manzanitas bloom on old wood. If necessary, only prune in August through October before flower buds emerge. Use thinning and re-leadering cuts sparingly to unveil the plant’s natural structure. Make as few cuts as possible and do not force an unnatural shape. Never use heading cuts, which can lead to fungal issues and suckering.
Many manzanitas to choose from
Manzanitas grow on dry slopes of chaparral and coastal range mountains, which is why we get to witness their quiet beauty on numerous Marin trails – from dry rocky slopes and ridges to the borders of pine and redwood forests to the exposed ocean-facing slopes of Point Reyes. Some even grow in serpentine soil where few other plants survive. Take a walk in China Camp, on the Shoreline Trail, or on King Mountain to spot these austere treasures.
There are more than forty species of manzanita in California, not to mention all the cultivars, subspecies, and hybrids.[1] They are a promiscuous bunch, interbreeding freely to the point where it’s even hard for botanists to tell one species from another. They range from 2-inch ground huggers to 20-foot trees – and everything in between.
If you’d like to add a manzanita to your landscape, here are a few to consider:
- Groundcovers: Arctostaphylos uva ursi, ‘Emerald Carpet,’ ‘Pacific Mist’
- Taller specimens: ‘Dr. Hurd,’ ‘Austin Griffiths,’ ‘Howard McMinn’
- Here are more common manzanitas for northern California gardens
A long, venerable family line and history
All manzanitas are cousins to madrone, rhododendron, azalea, and a host of edible berry-producing plants including huckleberry, blueberry, and cranberry. The berries are indeed edible. Just ask the native Americans, who ate manzanita berries raw, dried, fresh, and crushed for cider. (Manzanita means “little apple” in Spanish.) They chewed the leaves to curb nausea and settle upset stomachs and made poultices from soaked leaves to combat poison oak rashes. One tribe dried and smoked manzanita leaves for good luck.
Today many coastal manzanitas are endangered or rare, due in part to development. Among the rarest species is the Franciscan manzanita, which had not been seen since 1947 but was discovered thriving amid the litter and car exhaust fumes during the Doyle Drive expansion just south of the Golden Gate Bridge. That plant was moved to an undisclosed location for further research and propagation. The good news? It is now available in nurseries.
Regardless of which manzanita you choose, you can look forward to years of a carefree plant with a long and proud history.
Gardener's checklist for fall
SEPTEMBER
Maintenance and prevention
- Reduce irrigation times as day length shortens and plant growth slows.
- Add garden waste, grass clippings, pruning material, and leaves to your compost so long as they are not diseased. Turn compost and keep it as moist as a wrung-out sponge.
- Refresh the spring application of mulch to bring it to two to four inches.
Planting and propagating
- Divide overgrown perennials as they finish blooming. Before replanting them, weed and amend garden beds.
- Renovate lawn by seeding bare spots, dethatching, and fertilizing. Consider replacing or reducing lawn area. Learn more about lawn care.
- Plant ornamental grasses, shrubs, perennials, evergreens, and groundcovers.
Cutting and pruning
- Cut strawflowers, statice, yarrow, and other flowers that preserve well. Hang them to dry for use in arrangements.
- Prune evergreen, summer-flowering shrubs.
Pests and weeds
- Reduce spider mites, scale, and other insect pests by taking houseplants outside and spraying them down with the hose in a part shade area. Keep the foliage dust free to discourage indoor pests.
- Use caulk to seal entries that ants may use to enter your home.
- Manage aphids and scale on outdoor and indoor plants to discourage ants.
Feed and fertilize
- Fertilize houseplants if needed.
- Feed azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons with an organic fertilizer with no nitrogen.
- Feed citrus for the last time of the year, if needed.
Edibles
- Plant cover crops to improve soil structure and fertility.
- Plant artichokes, arugula, cauliflower, celery, chard, collard greens, kale, lettuce, bunching onions, and peas.
- Learn more about crops to plant in September and other activities in the edible garden.
Fire-smart Landscaping
- Clear leaf and needle litter from gutters, roof, eaves, and vents.
- Clear branches 10 feet from the roof and chimney.
- Learn more about Fire-smart Landscaping.
OCTOBER
Maintenance and prevention
- Reduce irrigation times significantly as day length shortens and plant growth slows or stops.
- Clean up diseased and damaged plant materials so pathogens don’t overwinter.
- Add garden waste, grass clippings, pruning material, and leaves to compost so long as they are not diseased. Turn compost and keep it as moist as a wrung-out sponge. Cover before rains start to retain moisture; cover during rainy weather to avoid the pile becoming waterlogged.
- Add compost and organic soil amendments but don’t disturb shallow-rooted plants.
- Refresh the spring application of mulch to bring it to two to four inches. (Avoid thicker layer of bark mulch as it may hide smoldering embers in the event of a nearby fire.)
- Clean garden tools. Disease microorganisms may also overwinter on the surface of stakes, tomato cages, trellises, and other garden equipment. Remove all soil from the tools and clean them with a 10% bleach solution or other disinfectant to protect your tools from spreading diseases. Apply a light layer of oil to prevent rusting if you will not be using them for a while. Wash garden gloves.
- Visit nurseries to see trees and shrubs with outstanding fall color; determine if there’s a place in your garden that would benefit from one of these selections.
Planting and propagating
- Plant California natives. This is the perfect time.
- Reseed bare spots in your lawn or install sod. Consider reducing or replacing your lawn to conserve water.
- Plant ornamental grasses, shrubs, perennials, evergreens and groundcovers. Winter rains will help establish sturdy root systems.
Cutting and pruning
- Lightly prune Japanese maples while still in leaf. Select and plant maples; now is the time to see fall color.
- Prune deciduous trees and shrubs that need pruning such as crape myrtle, rose, and Spirea
Pests and weeds
- Visit your garden after dark with a flashlight and handpick snails and slugs. Control measures in fall help reduce populations in spring.
Feed and fertilize
- Feed azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons with an organic fertilizer with no nitrogen.
- Change feeding program for cymbidium. During the fall and winter, use a formula with low nitrogen and higher potassium and phosphorus monthly to promote more and bigger blooms.
Edibles
- Continue with last of summer harvest.
- Plant artichokes, arugula, kale, garlic, shallots, and lettuce.
- Learn more about crops to plant in October and other activities in the edible garden.
Fire-smart Landscaping
- Learn more about Fire-smart Landscaping.
NOVEMBER
Maintenance and prevention
- Mulch bare soil to hold in moisture, keep out weeds, and prevent compaction by hard rains.
- Clean up the garden before the rains begin. Remove leaves and debris from under and around plants.
- Create new planting areas by sheet mulching over weed patches or unwanted lawn.
- Turn off irrigation system for the season; continue to water plants under overhangs.
- Protect sensitive plants from cold injury when frost is predicted. Water the garden if it hasn’t rained recently. (Do not water succulents if frost is in the forecast.)
- Clean and store any unused pots and containers that can be used as hiding places by overwintering insects, slugs, and spiders.
- Clean garden tools. Disease microorganisms also overwinter on the surface of stakes, tomato cages, trellises, and other garden equipment. Remove all soil from the tools, and clean them with a 10% bleach solution or other disinfectant to protect tools from spreading diseases. Apply a light layer of oil to prevent rusting if you will not be using them for a while. Wash garden gloves.
Planting and propagating
- Plant shrubs, perennials, and trees. Fall is for planting! Winter rains will help develop a strong root system.
- Plant spring blooming bulbs.
- Plant California natives. Late fall, just as the rains start, is the best time for planting natives and scattering seeds of annual wildflowers.
- Dig, divide, and replant overgrown perennials for more profuse blooms next spring.
- Plant bulbs for spring color, including daffodils, crocus, freesia and hyacinths.
- Remove all but one fat bud from each camellia stem for larger blooms.
Cutting and pruning
- Lightly prune Japanese maples while still in leaf. Select and plant maples for fall color.
- Remove dead, broken, or diseased limbs from trees and shrubs.
Pests and weeds
- Do not compost debris from fuchsias, roses, and the camellia/rhododendron/azalea family, as they can spread a variety of fungi and molds and allow undesirable insects to overwinter.
- Manage rainy season weeds before they flower using non-chemical methods such as cultivation, hand weeding, or mowing. Use toxic chemicals only as a last resort.
Edibles
- Plant garlic, shallots, and peas.
- Learn more about crops to plant in November and other activities in the edible garden.
Fire-smart Landscaping
- Create adequate spacing of trees and shrubs in your garden to minimize the transmission of fire from one plant to another and ultimately to your house.
- Learn more about Fire-smart Landscaping.