Kinnikinnick Emerald Carpet

Kinnikinnick Emerald Carpet is a low, evergreen manzanita selected for dense, glossy green foliage and a spreading groundcover habit. Botanical references place this named cultivar differently: Oregon State lists it with bearberry, while a UC Master Gardener account treats it separately from *Arctostaphylos uva-ursi*; an older Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation account describes hybrid origins. The cultivar identity is clear, while its parentage is not consistent across sources. ## Form and flowering The [UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County](https://ucanr.edu/site/mg-sonoma/arctostaphylos-manzanita-groundcovers) describes dense, glossy foliage, white flowers in early spring, and a mounding habit as plants mature. [Oregon State University](https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/arctostaphylos-uva-ursi) lists ‘Emerald Carpet’ among bearberry cultivars and gives a mature height of about 25–45 cm. A [UC Davis Arboretum account](https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/news/building-blocks-resilient-gardens) describes it as a dense evergreen groundcover with winter flowers that support hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. ## Siting Use this selection as a low spreading cover where its mature width has room to develop. Provide well-drained soil and sun to partial shade; the Sonoma County guide reports that semi-shade reduces summer water needs. The [Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation account](https://library.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ArctostaphylosEmeraldCarpet.pdf) records a uniform, dense groundcover selected from coastal material and describes bright green foliage. ## Maintenance Water while new roots establish, then provide occasional summer irrigation in dry-summer gardens; the Sonoma County guide recommends twice-monthly dry-season watering once established, with less in semi-shade. Avoid frequent shearing, and allow the plant to develop its natural mat and later mound.