Description

The common manzanita is the prevalent tree-form manzanita species in the mountainous portions of counties north of Santa Clara County, especially along the coast. As one moves south of this imaginary line, the bigberry manzanita, Arctostaphylos glauca, takes over. This selection was taken from the slopes of Mount St. Helena in Napa County by Nevin Smith. It is appreciated as an exemplary representative of the manzanita subspecies (there are six subspecies). The form is upright and rounded with large, bright green leaves over smooth mahogany bark. The plant opens up over time, revealing the interesting tortuous structure of the mature branches. The St. Helena selection blooms with large clusters of white flowers in mid to late winter. One encounters plants that have developed a form with a single trunk in the wild. This can be accomplished in the garden with judicious pruning of lower branches in August. When pruning manzanita, do keep in mind that only new growth produces flowers. Shearing new growth will result in little or no winter bloom.