Carmel Sur manzanita

Arctostaphylos edmundsii ‘Carmel Sur’

Description

Arctostaphylos edmundsii ‘Carmel Sur’ is one of the best manzanita ground covers for southern California where it shows good tolerance of heat, sun and periodic summer irrigation. This low spreading cultivar can reach 18 in. high and eventually spread 7-10 ft. across.

The Carmel Sur manzanita is best suited to California native gardens where it can be with other natives that adapt to monthly deep watering schedules. Avoid planting in areas of hot summer afternoon sun; good drainage is essential. This handsome foliage plant provides dense and uniform character on banks and for cascading over walls.

Plant Type: Shrub, Ground cover, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Spreading, Mounding, Dense
Growth Rate: Slow, Moderate
Foliage Color: Medium green
Flower Color: White
Flower Season: Winter
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Clay, Acidic soil
Exposure Adaptations: Morning sun, Moderate shade, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Hummingbird plant, California native
Height: 18 in.
Width: 7 ft. – 10 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

In general Manzanitas do not need much pruning. Carefully select the right species or cultivar for a fully mature size that fits your space well. Carefully thin or “skirt up” manzanitas to expose beautiful branches in November, after risk of sunburn from long summer days has passed (1). Manzanitas occasionally get bright red growths on the edges of leaves. This is manzanita leaf gall aphid, a small insect that causes the plant to create this reaction. It is generally not threatening in healthy plants, but can spread. Growth affected by leaf gall aphid may be pruned out after winter-spring flowering (4). References