Friday, April 12, 2013

A Manzanita Retrospective

Ridiculous how time flies. My last post was on January 25th and here we are now into the 2nd week of April. Between work and garden chores, I haven't been able to keep my blog up to date, but at least I charted the progression of blooms throughout the season on the property via photography and am posting some of those photos now. 

We didn't have all that much rain this past winter, and yet every freaking plant on the grounds (native, non-native, fruit trees, or otherwise) is studded with blossoms. I can only surmise that it was perhaps due to the lack of protracted cold temps in La Cresta, which can sometimes extend into April-May. 

So the manzanita blooms were simply stunning this year, and here's the retrospective:


1/26/13 Frazier Park/Mt. Pinos Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca).

2/8/13 Lester Rowntree (A. obispoensis x A. pajaroensis). 1982 RSABG Intro.




2/8/13 Austin Griffiths Manzanita (A. manzanita x A. densiflora).




1/25/13 Rainbow Manzanita (Arctostaphylos rainbowensis).

1/25/13 Rainbow Manzanita (A. rainbowensis).

2/8/13 Lutsko's Pink Manzanita (A. densiflora hybrid).

1/26/13 Mexican/Pointleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens).

1/26/13 John Dourley Manzanita (Arctostaphylos hybrid named after the RSABG Horticultural director in the 1970s). A smaller selection with a mounding growth habit.

2/16/13 Whiteleaf Manzanita (A. viscida ssp. viscida).

1/25/13 Louis Edmunds Manzanita (A. stanfordiana ssp. bakeri).

2/8/13 Big Sur Manzanita (A. edmundsii).

2/8/13 Right to left: Sunset Manzanita (A. hookeri x A. pajaroensis) and Harmony Manzanita (A. densiflora).

2/8/13 Diablo Blush Manzanita (A. auriculata).

2/8/13 Ghostly Manzanita (A. silvicola).

2/8/13 Howard McMinn Manzanita (A. densiflora).

2/8/13 Austin Griffiths (A. manzanita x A. densiflora), Ian Bush Manzanita (A. densiflora x A. pungens) and Sentinel Manzanita (A. densiflora selection).

1/25/13 Margarita's Joy Manzanita (A. pechoensis).

1/25/13 Paradise Manzanita (A. pajaroensis).

1/25/13 Santa Cruz (A. andersonii).

3/3/13 Laguna Manzanita (A. glandulosa adamsii).