Description:

An attractive, densely leafed large shrub covered with clusters of urn-shaped, white flowers in winter; adaptable to many growing conditions; a coastal plant, protect from midday sun when planted inland; very drought tolerant once established

Ornamental Features

Santa Catalina Island Manzanita is clothed in stunning nodding white bell-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches from early to mid winter, which emerge from distinctive shell pink flower buds. It has forest green evergreen foliage. The glossy oval leaves remain forest green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy brick red drupes displayed from early summer to early fall. The peeling burgundy bark and brick red branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Santa Catalina Island Manzanita is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

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.

Santa Catalina Island Manzanita is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Santa Catalina Island Manzanita will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet 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 locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. 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.

Santa Catalina Island Manzanita makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.