california native flora

Arctostaphylos Densiflora ‘Howard McMinn’ – Howard McMinn Manzanita

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The slow growing Howard McMinn Manzanita is a garden favorite in California. My wife and I have two of these here although one was somehow damaged and lost a large portion of it’s main trunk. It looks like it is surviving though, no sign of imminent death. It’s an evergreen shrub that should eventually top out at 6′x6′. Butterflies and hummingbirds love the pink/white urn-shaped flowers in the winter (ours have not flowered, they are less than a year old) and songbirds enjoy the resulting fruits in spring and summer that resemble tiny apples (the word ‘Manzanita’ means ‘little apple’).

Once established, the Manzanita should rarely be watered or fertilized in the summer. It does best in full sun but grows pretty well in light shade. It also tolerates many different soil types so this is a forgiving plant, easily grown.

I tried to find out who Howard McMinn is/was but can’t seem to find much information. He appears to be a popular author of books about California native flora in the early to mid 1900′s and was thus bestowed the honor of having this species of Arctostaphylos named after him. Some of his books are available to read online in electronic format at the Open Library.

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