Description:

An attractive groundcover selection that is low, compact and dense, with small, dark green leaves; pale pink to white flowers in late winter, followed by red fruit; this rare species is exceptionally hardy, and tolerates a wide range of conditions

Ornamental Features

Franciscan Manzanita features dainty nodding shell pink bell-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches from mid winter to early spring. It has attractive dark green foliage with grayish green undersides which emerges light green in spring. The small fuzzy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It produces red berries from mid to late summer.

Landscape Attributes

Franciscan Manzanita is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which should be used to full effect.

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, bees and butterflies 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.

Franciscan Manzanita is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Franciscan Manzanita will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. 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 a low-water garden or xeriscape application. 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.

Franciscan Manzanita makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants 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.