Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme' (Manzanita) – A low fast growing, dense and spreading evergreen groundcover 6 inches tall and up to 12 feet wide with glossy, bright green oblanceolate leaves and thin reddish branches and stems. Light bloom or whitish pink flowers appear late spring to early summer.
Plant in full sun to light shade where it is fairly drought resistant but appreciates occasional irrigation. It is noted as growing well in clay soils and being disease resistant. Cold hardy to 15-20 degrees F.
Arctostaphylos 'Green Supreme' was discovered as a volunteer seedling by staff at Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden in the East Bay. Though this cultivar does not set flower clusters as profusely as other varieties of manzanita, a major plus of this manzanita is its fast growth and that it has no center dieback. The juvenile structure is one of long, radiating runners; lateral branches are then sent out, eventually covering the area between the runners. We grew this nice groundcover Manzanita from 1995 until 2005.
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 about Arctostaphylos uva-ursi 'Green Supreme' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |