Arctostaphylos pajaroensis, Paradise Manzanita, has pink flowers and slate green foliage
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis, Paradise Manzanita, grows in sand!
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis, a Dogface butterfly in Paradise
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis Paradise Manzanita as a shrub. This photo is closer to the wonderful colors we see with our eyes. Taken with a Pentax K-x
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis Paradise Manzanita taken with a Pentax K-x.
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis Paradise Manzanita, closeup
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis Paradise Manzanita new growth of leaves
Description
Paradise Manzanita, is a sprawling evergreen shrub, that can be used as a ground cover or small border. This manzanita has dark red bark, white to pink flowers, depending upon climate that year and soil, etc., and bright red Christmas-like new growth. If you keep it pruned once a year you will end up with a three foot-round mass of flame red each fall turning nearly purple here. Parajo was in two other coastal gardens where the plants were side trimmed a few times and the manzanitas became these wonderful mounds of foliage colors(green, purple, and red) and flowers. A very unusual, showy manzanita with the red color on the new growth, and the contrast of it with the slate-colored older foliage is so vibrant that everyone that sees this plant in our garden inquires about it. Pajaro manzanita has done fine in full sun to part shade, clay soil to sandy soil.
We have planted Paradise in full sun here and it did ok, planted in full shade it elongated a little, but survived. Without any water and planted in winter, half died, but half survived and did fine through three years of 8 inch rainfalls and 100 degree summers. Probably fully drought tolerant after first year in San Diego, Los Angles, Bay Area or Sacramento.
THIS MANZANITA FLOWERS FOR ALMOST THREE MONTHS!
