Manzanita is widespread along vistas overlooking the Pacific Ocean and trails in the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas.

But the shrub is easily overlooked, in part because many varieties only grow shin-high.

Speciality nursery owners believe the plant can be a star for yards and gardens in the Northwest and California.

“They just look fantastic throughout the year,” said Greg Shepherd, co-owner of Xera Plants in Portland.

He said manzanitas feature evergreen foliage, beautiful bark and winter flowers that attract hummingbirds and bees, including native pollinators.

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Manzanitas, adapted for dry West Coast summers, like the sun, are heat and drought tolerant and low-maintenance once established.

“Once people realize that all manzanitas want is a little neglect, that helps things along,” said Sean Hogan, owner of Cistus Design Nursery on Sauvie Island near Portland.

Astounding variety

Fred Weisensee, co-owner of Dancing Oaks Nursery & Gardens near Monmouth, Ore., said manzanitas offer an astounding variety, ranging in size from groundcover to small trees.

Leaves stretch from a half-inch to 4 inches, and span colors from yellowish green to a blue-silver.

Manzanitas often display a red, shiny bark like their relatives, madrones, but they can also have a shaggy silver bark, Weisensee said.

He likened some varieties to bonsai madrone. Unlike madrone, manzanitas thrive in yards and gardens.

“If you make eye contact with a madrone while you’re holding a garden hose, it will die,” Hogan joked.

Shepherd, Hogan and Weisensee have been collecting manzanitas from fellow nurseries and taking cuttings in the wild, studying which varieties work best commercially.

Most of those are from California, the epicenter of manzanita diversity with more than 100 species. Oregon has around 10 species and Washington five, Weisensee said.

Growing popularity

Weisensee said big box stores generally don’t have manzanitas, but specialty nurseries are relying on them more.

Demand has grown in the last decade, experts said, and that includes for the public sector. Projects such as the South Waterfront in Portland have used manzanita.

Shepherd said manzanitas haven’t been commercially available until recently in the Northwest, as many nurseries target larger East Coast markets.

Manzanitas play into two nursery trends for the West Coast — using native plants and creating drought resistant landscapes to conserve resources.

“I call it gardening for a sense of place,” Hogan said.

People also are replanting with vegetation adapted to the Mediterranean climate that doesn’t need to be watered much or at all, experts said.

Hotter weather also makes it challenging to grow rhododendrons featured in Oregon and Washington landscaping for decades. Rhodies need plenty of shade and water and also have been hammered by root rot and insect pests.

The main problem for manzanita is human error, as overwatering can lead to fungal root rots, said Jerry Weiland, plant pathologist with the Corvallis, Ore., USDA labs.

Experts said residents are turning away from rhododendrons and turning to manzanita as a heartier alternative.

Manzanita is named for the “little apple” the shrubs produce. in Spanish. Humans can eat the fruit for fiber, Weisensee said.

“Some taste better than others, but they aren’t poisonous. They are good for the wildlife,” he added.