2015 Plant of the Year, Honorable Mention

Proposed by: a member of Orinda Garden Club, Zone XII
Seconded by: a member of Orinda Garden Club, Zone XII

Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Howard McMinn’ was awarded Honorable Mention. This manzanita cultivar is a California native shrub that reaches 7 to 10 feet. Easily identified by its reddish bark that peels to a smooth surface, ‘Howard McMinn’ is environmentally adaptable. It tolerates average soil conditions and does not require heavy summer watering. Its mounding evergreen foliage has showy clusters of small white flowers tinged in pink during the spring. Its berries in the fall provide food for birds. Hardy in USDA zones 7b to 10.