Many Californians’ love and adore Manzanitas for their smooth red bark, but most have never heard of this beautiful Manzanita relative. Well, like Angelina Jolies’ beautiful younger sister (yes, we just made her up for this write-up) Palo Blanco is just as beautiful OR MORE beautiful than the famous Manzanita!
Growing slowly, sometimes quickly, to 8-15 feet high and wide, Palo Blanco makes an excellent centerpiece shrub, with its’ most beautiful feature being its attractive bark. Part cinnamon brown, part chalky white, the curving bark on older plants makes this plant look like a brownish gray-white manzanita. Older specimens are BEAUTIFUL and VERY RARE in gardens. Tolerating ridiculous amounts of heat and drought, Palo Blanco is found in San Diego County and parts of Northern Baja California but is quickly losing much of its habitat due to human development, which is a shame because the winter flowers, similar to manzanita flowers, provide food for hummingbirds and other insects. Produces Manzanita-like fruits in the Summer, which may have been used by native peoples for food. Highly recommended for gardeners looking for a rare and unique plant, Palo Blanco is gorgeous in pots, as a hedge or as a centerpiece in smaller gardens. Ask us to show you a picture of this beautiful plant ,full-grown, that will blow your native socks off!