Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Big Sur'
Big Sur Manzanita
Description
A knee high sub-shrub manzanita from the Big Sur area of the California coast. Flowers are clear white and a delicate bonus to the dark green, clean foliage, red bark and a nice size. Use as a step down from Sunset manzanita or step up from Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi or mix in patches with Seaside Daisy, Thrift and Encelia californica and Carmel Sur manzanita. This manzanita would also be a stunner in coastal gardens with shore pine or bishop pine as a pine forest retreat. Big Sur manzanita will tolerate beach sand or adobe and with some afternoon shade, can commonly tolerate the SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY (pity the plants, poor souls). Although it is native on the coastal bluffs, this manzanita, along with most other manzanitas, cannot tolerate salt spray very well. If you live next to the coast, remove out of the direct salt spray. Sometimes a boulder or log is enough to protect it, sometimes you'll need the wind shadow of a house. Tolerates full sun in coastal areas and afternoon shade in warm, inland areas. Slowly reaches 3' tall and 4' wide. White flowers bloom in fall and winter. Established plants are drought tolerant. It does best in well draining soil. Attracts bees, birds and hummingbirds. Great for slope stabilization. Deer resistant shrub.
Plant Type
Shrub
Height Range
1-3', 3-6'
Width Range
Flower Color
Violet
Flower Season
Winter, Fall
Leaf Color
Dark Green
Bark Color
Red
Fruit Color
Red
Fruit Season
Spring
Sun
Full, Half
Water
Very Low, Low
Growth Rate
Slow
Soil Type
Sandy, Loam, Rocky
Soil Condition
Well-drained, Dry
Soil pH
Neutral
Adverse Factors
Attracts Bees
Design Styles
Mediterranean, Ranch, Seascape, Spanish
Accenting Features
Fall Color, Multi-trunk Tree, Showy Flowers, Specimen
Seasonal Interest
Summer, Fall
Location Uses
Shrub Border, Patio, Park, Parking Lot, Raised Planter, Roadside
Special Uses
Cascade, Erosion Control, Filler, Mass Planting, Naturalizing
Attracts Wildlife
Birds, Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Change spray sprinklers to low-flow bubbler or drip systems.
Shrubs and trees are ideal candidates for this type of irrigation because the water is applied directly to the root zones.