Arctostaphylos densiflora Howard McMinn Manzanita

Arctostaphylos 'Howard McMinn' plants are very flowery with red stems, green foliage, and easy in most gardens.

'Howard McMinn' was selected from wild stands of Arctostaphylos densiflora from Sonoma County. 'Howard McMinn' is like its cousin 'Harmony' manzanita but a little more upright. An old favorite. This is the manzanita you can usually find in commercial landscapes. This plant was one selected by Dr. Howard McMinn in 1952 and distributed  by Saratoga Horticultural Foundation in 1955.

'Howard McMinn' is excellent where you are trying to transition from a watered flower bed to the natural. It likes to be five to ten feet from a watered area where it can get the root moisture without the wet feet it hates. It is one of the most garden tolerant of the manzanita, and although you can kill it from overwatering or underwatering, it is hard.

Moths, hummingbirds, butterflies and all sorts of other native wildlife like the plant. 'Howard McMinn' does fine in beach sand or adobe, does ok in the San Joaquin Valley, does excellent in Los Angeles, it will even grow in Berkeley. If you want and manzanita, and do not know anything about native plants, this is probably the manzanita to plant. An excellent hedge plant for that small hedge between you and the neighbors. Plant a cluster in the middle of your yard and drop down to 'Sunset' or 'Harmony' manzanita around the cluster then 'Carmel Sur' or one of the low Ceanothus along the edges. Throw in a few sages, Ceanothi or monkey flowers/California fuchsias in to spots of color and Waa-la, the garden and you look brilliant.

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