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Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' (Manzanita) – A dense, mounding shrub to 5 to 8 feet tall by as wide or slightly wider with shiny green leaves that are a bright copper color when young before turning dark green and with new stems covered with fine white hairs. Mature bark is light brown with age but sheds to reveal new honey-brown-colored bark. The attractive pinkish-white flowers appear in short clusters early spring.
Plant in full sun to light shade and give little to occasional irrigation. Hardy to around 5 degrees F. This manzanita has proven to be a durable long-lived shrub that can be planted in a wide range of conditions. Unlike many other shrubby cultivars, it has shredding brown bark that is mostly hidden beneath the dense foliage.
This plant was discovered in 1965 by Roman Ganklin and W. Richard Hildreth in chaparral near Prunedale in Monterey County while on a plant collection trip for the UC Davis Arboretum. The plant was noted to exhibit characteristics intermediate between Arctostaphylos pajaroensis and A. hookeri, the two species growing at this location. It had the shredded bark typical of A. pajaroensis and glossy pointed leaves and hairy new branches of A. hookeri. Cuttings of it were rooted and planted at the arboretum and plants were shared with the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation where it was trialed and released with the name commemorating the 75th anniversary of Sunset Magazine in 1973.
The name Arctostaphylos was given to the genus by the French (of Scottish descent) naturalist Michel Adanson (1707-1778), who first named the circumboreal Arctostaphylos uva-ursi for plants found in Europe. The name comes from the Greek words 'arktos' meaning "bear" and 'staphyle' meaning "grapes" in reference to bears eating the fruit and the common name Bearberry also references this fact.
The information displayed on this page about Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.
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