Arctostaphylos edmundsii Carmel Sur Manzanita

Identification

Gallery

Description

Carmel Sur manzanita is a flat evergreen shrub(arches to 3 inches high in middle), with light green leaves. Plant in part shade inland to full sun (with a little extra water) near coast. Carmel Sur likes good drainage but also likes adobe. This manzanita is very garden and water tolerant as long as the water doesn't stand on it. (It has short little legs.). One yard in San Luis Obispo (heavy adobe) had this manzanita on a small slope of adobe soil and was watering daily, water oozing out of the sidewalk and the plants looked good. But in part shade it has a lot of drought tolerance (for a flat plant.) It prefers some afternoon shade in our location (interior coast ranges). Fast growing for a manzanita. . Carmel Sur  has survived open ground and 8-9 F for 3-4 nights and ground frost to 3 inches(it got beat up but recovered quickly in the spring).  Use with Ceanothus species, Rhamnus species, Ribes species or other Arctostaphylos species to make a beautiful border.  Carmel Sur survived here for years with no water before the year we had only 4 inches of rainfall and 100 temperatures for 8 months finally killed it. Another plant in a more sheltered spot has been going strong for 25 years. So although Carmel Sur manzanita is not a good candidate for drought resistant planting in Palm Springs, it is an excellent plant for most of the gardens in California. Wash the dust off of it occasionally while sipping your favorite beverage and it and you will be happy, if you get too happy the plant will survive. If you have the heavy clay soils and a neighbor that waters too much, or that edge of the lawn where you want a native border, this is an excellent solution.
This manzanita can work between a lawn and sidewalk or as walk edging .