Description:

An attractive, densely leafed large shrub or small tree, covered with clusters of urn-shaped, dark pink flowers in winter; attractive blue-green foliage and red-brown bark; very drought tolerant once established; perfect as a hedge in a dry garden

Ornamental Features

Lester Rowntree Manzanita is clothed in stunning nodding hot pink bell-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches from mid winter to early spring. It has attractive bluish-green foliage with hints of silver which emerges light green in spring. The oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent cherry red berries from early summer to early fall. The peeling burgundy bark and brick red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Lester Rowntree Manzanita is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, squirrels and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Lester Rowntree Manzanita is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Lester Rowntree Manzanita will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have sandy, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.