Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Big Sur' - Manzanita

Description

This is decidedly our favorite manzanita here at the nursery.  It's kind of a "Goldilocks" shrub because it has a lot of practical value in the landscape while also being really attractive and pollinator friendly.  Unusually large for an A. edmundsii, this manzanita grows to about 3' x 6', making it a really nice mid-size shrub- not too big not too small.  It's perfect as a border plant where it can be admired up close, or in the mid-section where it sits behind groundcovers and in front of taller shrubs.  Like all manzanitas, it is evergreen, which helps to add structure in a seasonal garden creating a consistent green backdrop year-round.  'Big Sur' forms a mound of dark green leaves and mahogany-red branches. Unlike most of the smaller manzanitas, this selection remains somewhat open, revealing the plant's characteristic beautiful branching structure.  Tiny clusters of blush pink-white flowers arrive in November, providing food for bees and hummingbirds at a time when not much else is blooming.  Various lepidoptera also nectar on the flowers and use this as a larval food source.