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oregongrape

Viability of Sunset manzanita in part shade?

OregonGrape
10 years ago

I was wondering if anybody in the Pac NW has had any success with Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' in partial shade conditions. The reason I ask is that I'm seeing conflicting reports on its sunlight requirements (most call for sun/part sun, but a few say that part shade is fine).

I'm reflexively skeptical of any claim that a manzanita will do well in less than 4 hours of full sun. Especially since many of these claims come from CA, where they get a lot more sun than we do. However, Sunset's lineage (A. pajaroensis x A. hookeri) suggests that there may be some merit to the partial shade claim. A. hookeri 'Wayside' is well-known as a good understory shrub. Some of the A. pajaroensis cultivars also reportedly do well in light to partial shade.

Anyway, if anybody has any insight into Sunset's shade tolerance, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

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