It’s a sad day here in the garden, as my dear manzanita bush is no more. Here is what she (I named her “Margarita” a few years ago) looked like when she first came into the garden in 2003:
And this afternoon just before Alejandro cut off the branches:
She’s gotten leggy lately because I could not figure out how and where to prune, in the midst of her demise. And you can see the lack of green leaves in the main branch. But for most of her life, she has looked quite lovely through all seasons.
I have a new plant that will go in soon. I think it is a different variety. The leaves don’t look the same as the old plant, and I don’t know if I have the name of the previous one anywhere in my stacks of papers. This one is a boy, I guess, “Howard McMinn,” and it is famous for being the most adaptable type for growing “in captivity,” as one might say. It puts up with clay soils, and with more summer water — a typical garden condition — than would be tolerated by many species of Arctostaphylos.
I might name it “McMinn.”
Gladsome Lights 
It is always sad to see the end of a beloved tree or bush. I hope that McMinn will give you great pleasure in the years to come.
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Thank you, Anne. It will be fun to watch him grow, without having to see the signs of decline I’ve been witnessing for a few years in the former tree.
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It’s always sad to say farewell to something like that. Even when it’s time.
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It was definitely “time.” One thing that has helped me not be too sentimental about Margarita is remembering that I still have one tree that my late husband and I planted together, my strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo. And it is very healthy!
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I hope McMinn thrives and survives in your garden.
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Thank you, Ellen! I’m going to prepare his spot well, and plan to have my expert, artisan tree pruner friend advise me on shaping him as needed in the coming years, so that he will be strong and handsome!
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Your poor manzanita bush didn’t fare so well. I hope her replacement will be hardier ( if indeed hardiness was the reason for her decline). It seems with plants one can never be sure what went wrong.
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About “what went wrong,” it was that unknown that made me reluctant to plant another manzanita, but my friend who also loves them (the one who planted 16 of them in her new front yard one time!) told me, “Plants die. Plant another manzanita!” So I will ❤
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When there’s sentimental value attached to a plant, it’s especially sad. But you’ve made the right choice, it seems, and hopefully McMinn will do you proud.
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