Description

Salal is native to cool coastal regions from the Oregon border to Santa Barbara County. One often finds it under redwoods where little else is growing or growing densely in continuous fog drip. Salal grows as a mounding shrub with dark green leaves on reddish gray stems. This manzanita relative has the pendent bell-shaped flowers of that family, growing sparsely in white or light pink. These produce succulent dark blue berries that are quite attractive on the red stems. Away from its natural range, Salal can thrive if given adequate shade, regular water and acidic soil. In such settings it grows to about three feet in height. One might try regular misting to simulate coastal fog, especially during summer heat waves.