If your customers are looking for distinctive and easy-care plants, consider some of the many CA native Arctostaphylos that are tailor-made for Bay Area landscapes.
These hearty and uniquely California plants offer several features and benefits that are perfect for our region’s Mediterranean climate and diverse landscape conditions.
These hearty and uniquely California plants offer several features and benefits that are perfect for our region’s Mediterranean climate and diverse landscape conditions.
CA native features that clients love
Check out these 7 Arctostaphylos attributes that make them so attractive to your customers.
Summer-dry Tolerant
Diverse Soil Compatiblity
Water Wise
Low Maintenance
Less Combustible
Supports Wildlife Habitat + Ecosystems
Wide Species Variety
A smart plant choice for Bay Area Landscape Pros too
Many species of Arctostaphylos are native to California—including the Bay Area. By integrating these plants and other native species into a project, local ecosystems, native wildlife, and biodiversity are both supported and enhanced.With their attractive evergreen foliage, beautiful winter and spring flowers, and striking bark, Arctostaphylos stand apart from other delicate Perennials or woody shrubs. The result is year-round interest and contrast in the landscape. From ground covers to shrubs and even small trees, Arctostaphylos provide plenty of sizes and form options for just about any landscape design solution or site requirement.
Their flowers attract many pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. And, the berries produced by some Arctostaphylos species provide essential seasonal food for many birds and other native creatures.
Once established, Arctostaphylos are highly drought and summer-dry tolerant making them well-suited to our changing Bay Area climate where water conservation is now essential.
While no plant is entirely fireproof, Arctostaphylos species have many, unique properties that make these plants less combustible. Their thick, leathery leaves and branches with smooth bark can help reduce the spread of fires. The result is an appropriate CA native plant for fire-prone Bay Area landscapes.
These hard-working plants are also adaptable to various soil types, including the rocky, Serpentine clay, and sandy soils frequently found throughout our region.
Even better, Arctostaphylos requires minimal watering, pruning, and fertilizing. So if low-maintenance, evergreen plants are in your planting plans, many Arctostaphylos options can meet your design requirements.
“When a Bay Area landscape needs to blend in with a natural setting, adding CA native Arctostaphylos to the margins can be an effective transition element.”
Kathryn Rakow | Kathryn Rakow Garden Design
How to make a dramatic landscape statement
Dense masses of Arctostaphylos can create a visually striking CA native landscape—especially when planted in groups on slopes, in large beds, or as a ground-cover.Their extensive root systems can also bind soil particles together and reduce erosion caused by wind and water runoff. The result is very effective grade and slope stabilization.
While Arctostaphylos are generally low-maintenance plants once established, dense plantings can require periodic pruning to maintain their shape and prevent overcrowding. Proper spacing and selective thinning may be necessary to ensure adequate airflow and sunlight penetration. This selective maintenance routine can also prevent disease and promote overall plant health.
Ensuring Arctostaphylos availability
We grow a wide variety of Arctostaphylos—and many other CA native plants—from the ground up at our Gabilan Growing Grounds in San Martin.At this facility, we integrate all stages of plant development from seedlings to large, boxed trees. The result is an ever-growing selection of summer-dry-tolerant CA native plants.
We continue to develop and clone Bay Area plant varieties and others using the proven practices and production techniques that were pioneered by the Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation |SHRF.
This ongoing work and experimentation at our Gabilan Growing Grounds provides a continuous pipeline of tens of thousands of CA native plants—including Arctostaphylos—that Bay Area Landscape Pros demand.
Which Arctostaphylos is right for your project?
The California Native Plant Society | CNPS has documented and recorded over 191 species of native Arctostaphylos.Here in the Bay Area and throughout California, many species of Arctostaphylos are prized as great solutions for challenging landscapes. Some of the most popular varieties that Bay Area Landscape Pros choose again and again are included in this select group below.
Arctostaphylos manzanita 'Dr. Hurd'
CA Native Common name | Dr. Hurd Manzanita
Arctostaphylos manzanita ‘Dr. Hurd’ is an evergreen, multi-branched, treelike natural-hybrid shrub with glossy, light green foliage. It features beautiful dark reddish-brown bark that contrasts will with the foliage. As a fast-growing shrub, it can reach to become a small tree. This CA native is a pollinator magnet with white flowers blooming in spring followed by berry clusters in fall. Dr. Hurd Manzanita needs little water and is very tolerant of many soil types found throughout the Bay Area.
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
CA Native Common name | Howard McMinn Manzanita
Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Howard McMinn’ was introduced by the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in 1955. As a medium-sized evergreen shrub, it features fine-textured, bright green foliage and distinctive red bark. Small, urn-shaped white to pink flowers appear in mass in winter and early spring. It’s also one of the last manzanita’s to bloom. This CA native Arctostaphylos is prized for both its attractive foliage and wide tolerance of soil types. It is a magnet for pollinators including moths, hummingbirds, butterflies and many other native wildlife. It can reach to reach 8′ and spread to 10′ or more but with pruning, growth can be checked. Plant it in full sun on the coast and in part shade inland. As one of the easiest to grow Arctostaphylos, it will make a brilliant CA native addition to just about any Bay Area landscape.
“Arctostaphylos are summer-dry tolerant and are well suited for xeriscapes and water-conscious gardening. They are an excellent choice for clients looking to reduce their water consumption. Some of our favorite varieties to are Arctostaphylos ‘Howard McMinn’ and ‘Dr. Hurd’, which have a beautiful vertical structure and make excellent focal plants.”
Viola Toniolo | The Garden Route Company
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Wood's Compact'
CA Native Common name | Wood’s Compact Manzanita
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Wood’s Compact’ grows low but fast quickly spreading up to 12′ wide. The foliage is very compact which helps suppress weeds and stabilize slopes. The bright leaves also contrast well with the gnarled and twisted branches and stems. White to pale pink flowers appear in late spring to early summer. This CA native Arctostaphylos thrives in well-drained soil and can also tolerate heavier clay with drainage. With summer-dry tolerance, it does best in full sun with part shade and little water.
Arctostaphylos 'Sunset'
CA Native Common name | Sunset Manzanita
Arctostaphylos ‘Sunset’ is a hybrid manzanita that is crossed between Arctostaphylos hookeri x Arctostaphylos pajaroensis. It features attractive dark red bark yellow-green leaves with copper-colored margins, and white to pink bell shaped flowers. It performs best in cool coastal environments and can often be short-lived in hot, direct sun locations. Little water is required for this CA native plant and it prefers well-draining soil.
Arctostaphylos 'Pacific Mist'
CA Native Common name | Pacific Mist Manzanita
Arctostaphylos ‘Pacific Mist’ is a fast-growing and spreading ground-cover manzanita with gray-green leaves. As an Arctostaphylos hybrid, it’s ideal for use in coastal gardens. Unlike some manzanitas, it tolerates heavier soils and dry shade. This CA native is attractive to many pollinators with winter flowers followed by berries that birds find edible and tasty. Pacific Mist is a perfect solution for a beach site or behind a retaining wall.
“Arctostaphylos ground-covers like ‘Pacific Mist’ are great for covering large landscape areas with CA native evergreen planting. They work very well when added outside—not underneath—the dripline of Oak trees.
Sharon Finkle | Studio-SF
Arctostaphylos 'Lutsko's Pink'
CA Native Common name | Lutsko’s Pink Manzanita
Landscape architect, Ron Lutsko, introduced Arctostaphylos ‘Lutsko’s Pink’ to become a unique ornamental manzanita. It’s an upright shrub 4-7′ tall, and features dark glossy green leaves. In spring, this CA native is covered with beautiful pink blossoms that contrast brilliantly with the foliage. It prefers sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. It is coastal tolerant, does best in sun or part shade and needs little summer water to perform well.
Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Wayside'
CA Native Common name | Wayside Hooker’s Manzanita
Arctostaphylos hookeri ‘Wayside’ is a low-growing, distinctive CA native shrub that features bright green oval leaves and pale pink to white seasonal flowers. This very hearty manzanita prefers sun in coastal sites and part shade in inland areas. It is summer-dry tolerant, unattractive to deer, and will perform well in many soil types including Serpentine clay. It also looks great in mass plantings in Bay Area landscapes.
Ready to add Arctostaphlos to your landscape project?
If you want to learn more about selecting the right Arctostaphlos for your project, contact any of our Customer Service experts by clicking on the PHONE icon below their name to call. Or click on the ENVELOPE icon below their name to send an email directly to them. You can also give us a call at 650.755.2330. If you want to know what plants are available right now, check out our Plant Availability List. This list is updated weekly and includes all of the plants and sizes that you can pick up or schedule to have delivered to your job site.
If the Arctostaphylos or other plant that you want is not on our list, we’ll do all that we can to get you what you want, when you need it.
As both a grower and a plant broker, we’re ready to work with you to provide just the right Arctostaphylos or CA native plants that will make your project a success with your clients.
We can also provide an Estimate for one item or for an entire installation. Just attach your Microsoft Excel .xlsx plant list to our ONLINE ESTIMATE | ORDER FORM.
As Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Nurseries, Will Baldocchi focuses on operations management, sales, and how to improve the customer experience at Pacific Nurseries. He also continues a proud family tradition of helping Bay Area Landscape Professionals succeed with high-quality landscape material and great service. Email Will or give him a call at 650.755.2330.
