Arctostaphylos bakeri 'Louis Edmonds' NEW Spring 2010!

$12

You've always wanted a shrub with a purple trunk, and now, at last, your dreams can come true! That's right, this manzanita has smooth bark with a distinct purple coloration. But wait; there's more! It also has dusky green-grey leaves, and pink flowers followed by reddish berries! And, if you call right now, we'll throw in a rugged, contorted growth habit. Like most manzanitas, this will appreciate a mostly sunny site with excellent drainage and no summer irrigation once established. Hardy to about 5°F.

Arctostaphylos columbiana x A. hookeri NEW Spring 2010!

$10

This natural hybrid from California combines the rugged character of our native hairy manzanita with the more graceful habit of A. hookeri. The foliage color is closer to the grayish A. columbiana, but the leaves are smaller and it has a more spreading habit. White spring flowers are followed by red berries. Interestingly, it seems to be much more resistant to disease and leaf spotting than A. columbiana, making it an excellent garden subject for the Pacific Northwest, even in wetter areas as long as drainage is good. Hardy to about 0°F.

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn' NEW Spring 2010!

$10

An attractive plant, it has a generous covering of white spring bell flowers, and the usual red fruits and smooth red bark characteristic of manzanita. Leaves are a rich, deep green with red highlights. It is usually purported to reach 3 - 6' tall, but I've seen it reach at least 12' tall and wider in Seattle. This is perhaps the most commonly available manzanita in nurseries, being considered "one of the most dependable and adaptable" of the bunch. What that really means is that people managing nurseries and gardens with heavy watering regimes and less than adequate drainage are less likely to kill it than other species - not that there's any thing wrong with the other species. It prefers full sun and tolerates a wide range of soil types as long as drainage is decent. Hardy to about 0 - 5°F.

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Sentinel' - SENTINEL MANZANITA

$12

This popular selection of a northern California native forms an upright shrub to 6' tall and as wide. Dark leaves and smooth red-brown bark are offset by generous clusters of pink flowers that cover the plant in spring. Relatively easy to grow, it is not afflicted with leaf spots or other ailments, but it does require perfect drainage and no summer water except in the hottest climates. For full sun; hardy to 5°F.

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'White Lanterns' NEW Spring 2010!

$12

This vigorous and easily grown manzanita has a distinctive, fine textured look with even smaller pointed green leaves than the other species. In spring it is covered with masses of tiny white bell-shaped flowers. The smooth bark is a rich light brownish-red. It may eventually reach 5' tall and 7' wide. This cultivar has been found to have excellent resistance to leaf spots and diseases, and may be grown in areas with high winter precipitation as well as drier regions. Hardy to 0 - 5°F.

Arctostaphylos x 'Emerald Carpet' NEW Spring 2010!

$10

A low growing, slightly mounding plant with glossy, small, deep green leaves and white flowers. It might be the same as Arctostaphylos x 'Emerald Carpet', a hybrid of A. uva-ursi and A. nummularifolia; however, it's mounding up a little more than 'Emerald Carpet' is supposed to, so I can't be certain. Whatever it is, it's very easy to please and seems to be very much at home in our climate.

Arctostaphylos glandulosa [creeping form]

$10

Cuttings from a plant that appears to belong to this species, but which of many forms and subspecies it represents, it's hard to say! In any case, it's a very attractive plant, vigorously creeping along the ground or spilling over banks with rows of hoary-grey, closely set leaves. Clusters of white bells appear in April. It performs perfectly in Northwest gardens, resisting leaf spots and fungal disease so long as drainage is excellent. Over time it may spread to 6' across or more and mound up a foot tall, and like all manzanitas it has peeling red bark! Use it spilling over a rock wall, or as a groundcover, for which purpose it is a much more ornamental substitute for the ubiquitous A. uva-ursi (kinnikkinnik). Hardy to 5°F.

Arctostaphylos manzanita 'St. Helena'

$14

A. manzanita is a vigorous, treelike species from California that is very easy to grow in the Pacific Northwest, yet remains undeservedly rare. This selection is slightly paler and bluer in color than the usual (for this species) green, and may be a hybrid with another species. Having the beautiful bark, flowers and fruit typical of many species, it is an excellent performer in the Northwest on a dry or moderately dry site in full sun, and usually doesn't get leaf spots at all for us as long as air circulation is good. Expect growth to 12' tall and wide - perhaps eventually to 20' after many years! Hardy to about 5°F once established.

Arctostaphylos x media [Port Angeles] NEW Spring 2010!

$9

An excellent, very vigorous form, reaching about 3' tall and 8' wide, with deep green leaves and plenty of pink flowers and fruit. I'm not certain, but I have reason to suspect this was selected from wild plants growing on the north Olympic Peninsula. I, um, "procured" cuttings of it from a planting on the Port Angeles waterfront.

Arctostaphylos x 'Pacific Mist' - PACIFIC MIST MANZANITA

$10

No, contrary to popular belief, Pacific Mist is not what falls out of the Seattle sky eleven months out of the year. It is the name for this wonderful manzanita hybrid, the silvery-grey leaves of which, when you desperately desire relief from the heat and drought, pining away for those rainy winter days to hydrate your garden, will recall those nice drizzly winter afternoons. This cultivar has less conspicuous flowers than some, but the leaves, red stems and pink new growth are very attractive, and of course, the smooth red bark is too. This plant is somewhere in between a groundcover and a shrub, forming a broad, low mound to about 2' high and 10' wide, and growing much more quickly than most manzanitas. One of the easiest Arctostaphylos to grow, it will readily adapt to most soils and tolerate a little summer water, but not too much. It will even handle a little bit of shade, especially in hot climates. Hardy to about 5°F.

Arctostaphylos rudis - SHAGBARK MANZANITA

$12

You may have noticed a recurring theme as I describe each of these manzanitas: smooth red bark, smooth red bark, smooth red bark, blah, blah, blah. But here, at long last, we finally have something different! Not just your ordinary smooth red bark, my friends, but rough, stringy, even shaggy bark! Wow. Other than that, this species shares most of the same characteristics as the other manzanitas, including its contorted branching habit and small, attractive, rounded leaves. Actually, I find the leaves on this species to be exceptionally pleasing in texture, as are the clusters of soft white flowers. If I were dyslexic, I could call this 'bagshark manzanita', but that wouldn't make as much sense. Does it resemble a bag of sharks? Not really. So we will go with shagbark. It will prefer a sunny, well drained location, where it may reach a height of 6' or more with greater spread over time. Hardy to about 5°F.

Arctostaphylos rudis 'Vandenburg' - SHAGBARK MANZANITA NEW Spring 2010!

$12

This form of shagbark manzanita was salvaged from the Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. Like the species, it has shaggy red bark and soft white flowers followed by red berries. It is vigorous and easy to grow, with very small, cute, soft leaves. What's not to like? I know, we say that about most of our plants. Hardy to 10°F.

Arctostaphylos x 'Sunset' - SUNSET MANZANITA

$10

This selection of a natural hybrid of A. pajaroensis and A. hookeri has proven to be one of the most reliable and easily grown manzanitas in cultivation. Growing vigorously to 6' (taller eventually) with equal spread, it has smooth red bark, apple-green leaves on white stems, and amazing bronzy new growth. It is at home in any sunny garden with well drained soil, and while it prefers a period of summer drought, it can handle a little bit of occasional irrigation. Hardy to around 5°F.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi [Blue Mountain] - KINNIKKINNIK NEW Spring 2010!

$7

From the exceptionally high altitude of 5,600' on the rainshadow side of the Olympic Mountains. Brought into cultivation it has surprisingly larger leaves than most forms of this species.

Myrica californica - PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE NEW Spring 2010!

$8

This broadleaf evergreen is one of the Northwest's most valuable garden plants. It is native along the immediate Pacific Coast from California up to Vancouver Island, where it grows as a low shrub in exposed areas right at the beach, to a small tree to 25' in coastal forests. In gardens it makes an excellent screen for shelter or specimen tree for a native planting, and it is always in high demand in Northwest nurseries. It also has value as wildlife habitat, since it produces little black berries that the birds like. Although it will tolerate both drought and poor drainage, it looks a lot better on decent soil with at least a little irrigation. Hardy to about 0°F.

Rhododendron macrophyllum [white flowers]

$16 (1 gallon)

That's right, now we're growing Rhododendrons. But it's not so bad. This is our very own Northwest native Rhododendron, which is as beautiful as all those fancy-shmancy cultivars and much more special. This form has white flowers, rather than the usual pink, which we think is quite interesting. Although drought tolerant, it really doesn't like a blasting hot, dry spot, and will look better with well drained loamy soil and a little protection from the hottest sun. Hardy to -20°F.

Ribes viburnifolium NEW Spring 2010!

$12

Although this low shrub or groundcover native to southern California really looks nothing like the flowering currants we are familiar with in the Northwest, it has numerous virtues. Another subject for year-round foliage interest, its somewhat glossy, rounded, evergreen leaves appear on reddish-tinged stems. In spring curious burgundy flowers are displayed above the stems: these are very attractive when viewed up close but too subtle to make the plant appear showy in bloom from a distance. As would be expected, it's completely drought tolerant west of the Cascades and makes a great groundcover or bank cover. Below about 12°F it freezes to the ground, but it returns very strongly from the roots.

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