Howard MicMinn Manzanita
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
Summary
This exceptionally adaptable manzanita grew and thrived in every site where it was grown and on every irrigation level. Like most woody California native species, it can be slow to establish, flower, and put on size, but in gardens where it has been growing for some time, it is a handsome part of the landscape with consistent good looks and heavy flowering in early spring. Flowering cannot be correlated to irrigation in this study, since it precedes the irrigation treatments. A three-year trial would be needed to see if flowering in subsequent years was affected by the previous year’s irrigation. Though there were no statistically significant differences in relative growth between the treatments, the best overall appearance was achieved at 40% ETo.
The only pest issue was manzanita leaf gall aphids, which distorted the tips and edges of the leaves with reddish galls. Although it was technically pest damage, the overall aesthetics of most plants were not really diminished by minor galling, though in a few cases major galling turned necrotic and affected the appearance negatively. However, some found the reddish galling attractive for the color it added in the non-flowering season.
Basic Info
| Submitted by: | UC Davis Arboretum |
| Trial Exposure: | Sun |
| Year evaluated: | 2013 |
|
Height & Width
(after 2 years):
|
19" x 40" - UC Davis
|
|
Reported Height & Width
(at maturity):
|
5-7' x 8-10' |
| WUCOLS plant type: | S N A |
| Water Needs & WUCOLS Region: |
Low - Region 2
|
|
Mean Overall
Appearance rating:
(1-5 Scale, 5 is highest)
|
3.8 - UC Davis
|
|
Flowering Months
|
December-March, August - UC Davis
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Growth and Quality Data
Click Here for Complete Data Set
