This lovely manzanita believed to be a selection of A. densiflora originated at the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens many years ago, but today it is a rare find in nurseries. Slowly growing to a dense mound 3-4 feet tall and wide, this tough and disease resistant plant is equally at home as a beautiful specimen or massed in large plantings. Especially heavy blooming, this shrub is covered with clusters of white blossoms opening from pink buds over a long period in late winter. Excellent early nectar source for hummingbirds and bees. Plant in full sun to very light shade with little to no water once established.
We received Arctostaphylos 'White Lanterns' from our friend James Lockman, trained botanist, lifetime gardener, CNPS and Cal Hort member. He currently works as a Senior Restoration Ecologist in Southern California. James had this to say about this fine cultivar:
"Arctostaphylos 'White Lanterns' continues to be one of my very favorite plants. I first saw this cultivar at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden about 30 years ago. It struck me at the time as the most floriferous manzanita that I've ever seen. That plant was surely no taller than 3 feet, and it was in an older planting. Sadly, it perished in one of those awful fires that destroyed part of the garden several years ago. Another plant in a friend's garden near Ontario is between 3-4 feet tall, and is about 20 years old. It might get to 5 feet tall after 30 years, but I suspect that would be only with very ideal conditions. One of the nice things about this cultivar is that it can be sheared once a year. And now that I have grown this cultivar for a couple of decades, I can honestly say that a well grown plant will produce enough flowers to almost hide the foliage from December through January. Flowers are followed by abundant rusty colored fruits that the birds love to eat."