Manzanita branches
I was tempted to name this blog post 50 shades of Ceanothus…or manzanita…but desisted. In March, both Ceanothus and manzanitas are in bloom, brightening every Bay Area native garden. There are more than 50 species of Ceanothus and 100+ species of Arctostaphylos (more commonly called manzanita). Both plants range in height from one foot tall ground covers to small trees and everything in between. I have a Ceanothus (Ceanothus ‘Sunbird’) and a manzanita (Arctostaphylos ‘Pacific Mist’) in my garden and I lust for more varieties.
Manzanita ‘Pacific Mist’ in bloom
If you have ever come across a small tree with red glossy gnarled bark in a Bay Area garden and wondered what it was, it was most likely a manzanita. Manzanitas are native to North America and occur on the West Coast, as far south as New Mexico, all the way up to Alaska. Most species of manzanita are endemic to California, however. On close inspection, most of them have the characteristic gnarly red bark, and all have small white to pink bell shaped flowers in March. Manzanitas are extremely drought tolerant, and the challenge in maintaining them in a garden setting is ensuring that they don’t get any summer water after the first year. Some manzanitas tolerate water more than others, and thus have made their way into gardens and roadside plantings – some common cultivars include Arctostaphylos ‘Emerald Carpet’ (a ground cover and lawn replacement candidate), ‘Pacific Mist’ (another ground cover, with silvery leaves), ‘Howard McMinn’ (a 5 to 10 feet tall shrub) and ‘Dr. Hurd’ (a small tree).
Manzanita ‘Howard McMinn’
With so many manzanita species endemic to California, some have become extremely endangered. In fact, there are two species of manzanitas, Arctostaphylos Hookeri Franciscana, and Arctostaphylos Hookeri Ravenii, for which only one plant is left in the wild. Coincidentally, both grow in undisclosed locations in the Presidio in San Francisco. Arctostaphylos Hookeri Franciscana, or the Franciscan manzanita was considered extinct in the wild until 2009, and caused a stir when it was rediscovered, as it was unwittingly about to be destroyed by a Caltrans construction project. Fortunately, it was discovered in the nick of time, and the plant was dug up and relocated, rootball and all, to the aforementioned undisclosed location.
Ceanothus ‘Concha’
Ceanothus plants have a much wider range than manzanitas – they can be found as far south as Central America, and also on the East Coast – but California is home to the greatest variety of Ceanothus plants. Ceanothus boasts beautiful clusters of blue flowers ranging from faded sky blue to deep royal blue, and most of them bloom in March. Like manzanita, they do not like summer watering and thrive on neglect. Some common garden cultivars include Ceanothus ‘Yankee Point’ (ground cover), ‘Blue Jeans’, ‘Concha’, ‘Julia Phelps’, ‘Dark Star’ (shrubs), and ‘Ray Hartman’ (small tree). Unfortunately for my garden, many of them are favored by deer, but some are more resistant than others (‘Concha’, ‘Dark Star’).
Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’
Both manzanitas and Ceanothus appear in Native American traditions. Ceanothus flowers were mixed with water to make soap, and the leaves, in particular of the Ceanothus ‘Americanus’ plant (also called New Jersey tea), were dried and used for tea. The leaves of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi were used for medicinal teas as well as mixed with other herbs and smoked as kinnikinnick, the traditional smoking product of Western tribes. The manzanita berries were ground into coarse meals, boiled and strained into cider as well as mixed into bread and other meals as a sugar substitute. If you have a manzanita plant, keep an eye out for the berries in the summer. The unripe green berries can be made into jam (but inedible raw – as it contains too much tannin).
Manzanita ‘Emerald Carpet’ – a great groundcover
Manzanita ‘Emerald Carpet’ flowers
Ceanothus ‘Concha’
Ceanothus ‘Yankee Point’ – another great groundcover
Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ – a small tree
Big Berry Manzanita
Garden in the Hills 