Request from wife

[Fred San Pedro]

My wife asked me if I could find a Manzanita tree. I thought that SOMEONE on here might be able to help me out.

Thanks,

Fred

[Fred San Pedro]

Something like this???

[John Case]

Fred,

Manzanitas, native to CA, are sometimes available at CA native nurseries. Finding a large one will be a problem. Their roots are very sensitive to disruptiion. I do not know of anyone who has successfully transplanted a large one. Smaller ones will be available from time to time, but they are not the fastest growing plants.

Once established, however, they look fantastic, require little to no water, and can be a focal point in the desert garden. There are several species, particular to geography.

Try this link

Las Pilitas Nursery

Good luck

[Gtlevine]

Manzanitas live by me, I had a few on my property that I since removed for palm trees. They are very sensitive to the environment they live in, even here in San Diego. For instance, they are not found much, if at all, below 1000 feet elevation. At my house and around my area you can find a few and I am at 971 feet, but if you go three miles from my house to a slightly higher elevation you will find them everywhere. I can't imagine them living for any period of time outside of their habitat range.

Gary

[MattyB]

Yeah, 1000 feet and above. I've always wondered about that. Even on a place like Cowels Mtn, which is right in the middle of the city there's a definite line of deliniation as you hike up the hill. You'd think that seeds would get washed down and inhabit all the way down the Mtn. Not so.

[LJG]

Not sure on 1000 feet and above. I have seen them on hill sides in Carlsbad. OLD ones too. 15 feet tall with beautifully peeled maroon trunks. They are were I use to Mtn bike on the old Flightline Trails.

[Morabeza]

Hi Fred,

Manzanitas belong to a large genus whose range stretches from the Pacific Northwest down the foggy coasts, inland, high up in the Sierras, to the Channel Islands and into Mexico. Their habitats are quite varied and so are their forms. Some never grow taller than 1' while others form small trees to 20'. Most are slow growing. Habitat destruction in urban and suburban areas has caused the extinction of some manzanitas. Currently there are five federally-listed endangered manzanita species, one of which has a natural range in Coastal San Diego County, the Del Mar Manzanita Arctostaphylos glandulosa subsp. crassifolia. ( http://sandiego.sierraclub.org/rareplants/010.html ) which is still clinging to life in the Torrey Pines State Preserve, San Dieguito County Park, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, and in a few other locales.

Regarding cultivation in California, there is at least one species, hybrid or cultivar of manzanita suited to nearly every climate zone and altitude. The challenge is locating the type you desire for purchase. Like John said, it is difficult to find large potted manzanitas for sale, mainly because they loathe being grown in pots for very long. If your wife really wants a manzanita growing in her garden with the size and character of the plant you pictured, she will need to start with a small plant from a 1 or 5 gallon pot and be very patient.

Most all manzanitas have something in common, they require well drained soil free from the fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_cinnamomi). There are some notable hybrids and cultivars available for gardens that have more vigour and tend to grow faster.

Here is a great link for nurseries in the Los Angeles to San Diego Area that specialize in California Native Species: http://www.cnpssd.org/horticulture/nurseries.html .

Best of luck!