We love Manzanitas!! They are not only extremely beautiful but they are highly drought-tolerant. With picturesque bark and attractive flowers and berries they make themselves an ideal addition to any southern California garden.
Manzanitas come in many sizes and growth patterns which make them useful as ornamental plants in gardens. One of our favorites is emerald carpet, a low-growing shrub 10 to 16 inches tall that spreads to 3-6 feet wide. It is very compact and dense with small glossy deep green leaves (it’s leaf color is brilliant all year) that nearly hide the attractive cinnamon red stems with exfoliating bark. Small white flowers appear in mid-winter through spring and are followed by red fruit - flowering is somewhat sparse on this cultivar but its attractive form and foliage makes up for this. It is a great ground cover between a lawn and more drought tolerant plants or as a non-walkable lawn substitute. Beauty and brains... what more could you ask for!
