Description:

An upright California native shrub with shredding red or grayish bark; new foliage is orange-red, maturing to gray-green with a reddish tint; large clusters of pink to white urn shaped flowers in winter; protect from midday sun when grown inland

Ornamental Features

Pajaro Manzanita features dainty nodding shell pink bell-shaped flowers with white overtones at the ends of the branches from mid winter to late spring. It has attractive grayish green foliage with hints of red which emerges orange in spring. The small pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy red drupes displayed from late summer to late fall. The shaggy gray bark and brick red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Pajaro 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 bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Pajaro Manzanita is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Pajaro Manzanita will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front, 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. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. 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 species is native to parts of North America.