Arctostaphylos 'Sonoma'

Sonoma manzanita was not impressive until it flowered. The large pink flowers made quite an impression on everyone. The foliage is neat, green, and glossy. The bark is deep red and clean. A nice plant for a showy hedge. Add a few Ceanothus Concha, or Ceanothus 'Frosty Blue'. The plant keys to Arctostaphylos stanfordiana, but the plant has something else in it and appears hybrid. The low form, clean foliage and mass of flowers look like a (naturally occurring?) hybrid of Arctostaphylos stanfordiana, Arctostaphylos densiflora and maybe some Arctostaphylos manzanita. They all occur next to each other in the wild, and all hybridize with each other. Click here for more about California Manzanitas(Arctostaphylos).