The Lester Rowntree manzanita grows into a medium to large shrub with a mounding habit, 8-10 ft. tall and 10-15 ft. wide. It has attractive colorful pink flowers and new foliage growth with reddish tips during the winter; mature leaves are slate gray-green. Large clusters of red-blushed fruit mature in early spring and are among the most attractive of the manzanitas.
Lester Rowntree manzanita has the potential of becoming an attractive garden specimen plant that needs 8-10 years of growth to attain some size and caliper to its trunks and stems. Mature plants can be pruned to reveal dark purple-red bark that is a strong contrast to its blue-gray foliage. Like other manzanitas, this cultivar does best in well-drained soils and with low amounts of summer water. It is well adapted to both sun and partial shade locations in most garden settings.
