Manzanita: The 'Little Apples' shrub is a California favorite

Jon Hammond.

Manzanita produces beautiful little bell-shaped flowers in the spring that turn into berries by autumn.

Manzanita is the genus name for a large group of shrubs that are native to California – there are nearly 100 different species of Manzanita found in California, and there are a number of cultivars with their own characteristics, so a gardener has many varieties from which to choose.

The different Manzanitas share a number of desirable qualities, since they are evergreen, drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and have attractive bark, flowers and berries. Several species of Manzanita are native to the Tehachapi Mountains, but there are dozens of others that will do well here – the Mourning Cloak Ranch and Botanical Garden on Old Town Road used to have 13 different types of Arctostaphylos growing there.

The word "Manzanita" was given to these shrubs by Spanish-speaking settlers, and it means "Little Apples" and refers to the small waxy berries that the shrubs produce in the fall. These berries are rather astringent and contain tannins, but Native Californians ate them, and Franciscan friars made a kind of cider from them. In spring, Manzanitas have beautiful little urn-shaped white or pink flowers, which hummingbirds, butterflies and other nectar-loving insects find irresistible.

Manzanita shrubs are best known for their distinctive red bark and strong wood, which is popular for use in parrot or snake cages, as well as in aquariums because it is fairly chemical neutral and can withstand extended periods of submersion.

Manzanitas are used for soil stabilization and highway landscaping because they are so hardy, and the fact that they are evergreen means that their leathery, oval leaves provide shade year-round.

Manzanitas typically do best in full sun, but they can tolerate partial shade. They need little to no fertilizing, and little supplementary watering once they are established. Manzanitas are one garden plant that you can plant and then not have to maintain too much, and when you do get back around to it, instead of the dried up skeleton of a plant there will still be growing, beautiful California native shrub.

Manzanita

Botanical name: Arctostaphylos

Perennial Shrub

Starting: Containers.

Size: One to ten feet.

Exposure: Full to partial sun.

Watering: Rainfall, occasional.