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Great Design Plant: Manzanita
Winter blooms and spectacular bark make this water-wise tree a worthwhile investment
Like the furniture that fills your home, the plants chosen to grow in your yard are an investment, financially and aesthetically. A shrub or tree may inhabit your property as long as you do, or even longer, and can speak strongly of your design personality and point of view. Dr. Hurd manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita 'Dr. Hurd') is definitely a botanical investment that is sure to attract attention and secure any landscape.
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| Botanical name: Arctostaphylos manzanita 'Dr. Hurd' Common name: Dr. Hurd manzanita USDA zones: 7-10 Water requirement: Low to none Sun requirement: Full sun to partial shade Mature size: 12’-16’ tall x 10’-15’ spread Tolerances: drought, coastal climates, most soils, deer Environmental benefits: Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees; slope stabilizer |
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Distinguishing traits. A hybrid treelike shrub, Dr. Hurd is one of the largest species of manzanita, reaching upwards of 15’ in height. Open and multi-branched, ovate glossy green leaves fill its branches year-round. Mid-winter beckons small white flower clusters on the tips of Dr. Hurd's branches, lasting well into early spring.
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Few plants can rival the identifying feature that manzanita is most known for: its bark. A fine textured hue of dark red mahogany, it's easy to forget that the surface is natural, unfinished and untreated. As an evolutionary means of defense the bark peels away yearly, revealing a fresh layer. As shown in this photo, the effect is quite remarkable.
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How to use it. Native to the rocky slopes and chaparral forests of California, Dr. Hurd is a shrub designed to handle arid landscapes. Its low, open structure and jagged architectural limbs allow Dr. Hurd to be the perfect specimen or focal plant for a landscape with a rugged Mediterranean theme. Manzanita is also commonly trained as hedges and can be used as quite an imposing screen.
Look to Dr. Hurd’s natural environment for design inspiration. Paired with ornamental perennial grasses, hulking boulders and other low growth scrub, attaining a beautifully dynamic and water-wise landscape is possible almost anywhere.
Look to Dr. Hurd’s natural environment for design inspiration. Paired with ornamental perennial grasses, hulking boulders and other low growth scrub, attaining a beautifully dynamic and water-wise landscape is possible almost anywhere.
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| Before you plant. This plant is great news for home gardeners hoping to create a Mediterranean chaparral landscape but who may not necessarily live in that exact climate. While Dr. Hurd does thrive in warmer weather, it is one of the most tolerant manzanita species there is — reliably hardy to 10 degrees Farenheit. It's tolerant of clay soils and summer watering. And while manzanitas are typically slow-growing, Dr. Hurd is quicker to reach maturity. More great design trees: Japanese Maple | Persian Ironwood | Smoke Tree | Bald Cypress | Tree Aloe Great design plants: Black Mondo Grass | Feather Reed Grass | New Zealand Wind Grass | Red Kangaroo Paw | Blue Chalk Sticks | Catmint | Slipper Plant |
Comments
bbaier96 Do these grow in Louisiana and, if so, do you have any suggestions as to where I might buy one?
18 months ago · Like
janet4784 Another great variety is Howard McMinn. They're smaller, just as beautiful if not more so, and very easy to maintain. Google the native plant society for your state for great info on whether or not Manzanita is available where you are, and for great native alternatives for your region.
18 months ago · Like
Ideabook updated on Aug. 23, 2012.
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