shrub
Manzanita 'Howard McMinn'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn' is a slow-growing evergreen shrub for gardens in zones 8–10. It grows 5–7 ft tall and 6–10 ft wide, so plant it 7 ft apart. Give it full sun to part sun and little water once established. It flowers pink and white in February to March. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the structure role: a shrub that holds the bed's shape at the back all year. It is native to California. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf, Texas and the South-Central states and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
- Plant type
- Shrub, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 8 to 10
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours)
- Water
- Low
- Soil
- Needs fast drainage; no summer water once established.
- Mature size
- 5–7 ft tall × 6–10 ft wide
- Spacing
- 7 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Feb–Mar · pink and white
- Roles in a bed
- Structure, Anchor
- Styles
- natural, low water
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. No ASPCA entry found; Arctostaphylos leaves contain arbutin and tannins. Marked toxic as a precaution, matching bearberry.
- Native to
- California
- Pot size and price
- 5-gallon pot, typically $35–$60 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer to root it in, then taper off; established plants need little extra water.
- Pruning
- Tip-prune after flowering only; do not cut into bare wood.
Sources: Calscape (California Native Plant Society); ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Western extension deer-resistance lists (CSU, UC); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Manzanita 'Howard McMinn', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Douglas irisIris douglasianaperennial · zones 7–10
- Texas mountain laurelDermatophyllum secundiflorumshrub · zones 8–10
- Deer grassMuhlenbergia rigensornamental grass · zones 7–11
- California fuchsiaEpilobium canumperennial · zones 8–10
- ToyonHeteromeles arbutifoliashrub · zones 8–11
- Tufted hair grassDeschampsia cespitosaornamental grass · zones 4–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Manzanita 'Howard McMinn': same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Walter's viburnum 'Mrs. Schiller's Delight'Viburnum obovatum 'Mrs. Schiller's Delight'zones 7–10 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Inkberry holly 'Shamrock'Ilex glabra 'Shamrock'zones 4–9 · flagged toxic to pets
- California lilac 'Concha'Ceanothus 'Concha'zones 8–10 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana'Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'zones 7–10 · flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants