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Clay tolerant species 

Clay tolerant natives grown by Yerba Buena Nursery

Along with deer as neighbors, gardening in clay soil is one of the most common challenges facing our customers. The following list will give you a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and perennials to select for a garden with poor drainage.

How do you know if you have clay soil? The easiest method is to moisten a small patch of your yard and scoop up a handful of earth. Form it into a ball, then open your hand. If the ball falls apart, it's safe to say you do not have clay soil. If it withstands a couple of pokes without disintegrating, it's safe to say your soil is at least fairly clayey.

 

Another common test is to dig a small hole about a foot deep, fill it with water, let it drain, then refill the hole. The time it takes for the second filling to percolate into the soil is a good judge of the drainage characteristics of your yard. If water remains standing in the hole longer than 8-12 hours, you have clay soil.

Arctostaphylos columbiana
Arctostaphylos columbiana
Hairy Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos cruzensis
Arctostaphylos cruzensis
Arroyo De La Cruz Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos densiflora
Arctostaphylos densiflora
Vine Hill Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Harmony'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Harmony'
Vine Hill Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'
Vine Hill Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'James West'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'James West'
Vine Hill Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Lynne'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Lynne'
Vine Hill Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Monica'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Monica'
Vine Hill Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Sentinel'
Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Sentinel'
Vine Hill Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos edmundsii
Arctostaphylos edmundsii
Bronze Mat Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Bert Johnson'
Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Bert Johnson'
Bronze Mat Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Big Sur'
Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Big Sur'
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Carmel Sur'
Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Carmel Sur'
Bronze Mat Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Little Sur'
Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Little Sur'
Bronze Mat Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Rosy Dawn'
Arctostaphylos edmundsii 'Rosy Dawn'
'Rosy Dawn' Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos edmundsii parvifolia var.
Arctostaphylos edmundsii parvifolia var.
Bronze Mat Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos glandulosa
Arctostaphylos glandulosa
Eastwood Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos glauca
Arctostaphylos glauca
Bigberry Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos glauca
Arctostaphylos glauca
Bigberry Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos glutinosa
Arctostaphylos glutinosa
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Buxifolia'
Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Buxifolia'
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Ken Taylor'
Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Ken Taylor'
Monterey Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Monterey Carpet'
Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Monterey Carpet'
'Monterey Carpet' Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Sunset'
Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Sunset'
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Wayside'
Arctostaphylos hookeri 'Wayside'
'Wayside' Monterey Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hookeri franciscana ssp.
Arctostaphylos hookeri franciscana ssp.
Franciscan Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hookeri ravenii ssp.
Arctostaphylos hookeri ravenii ssp.
Presidio Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos hooveri
Arctostaphylos hooveri
Hoover's Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos imbricata
Arctostaphylos imbricata
San Bruno Mt. Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos insularis
Arctostaphylos insularis
Island Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos insularis 'Canyon Sparkles'
Arctostaphylos insularis 'Canyon Sparkles'
Island Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos manzanita
Arctostaphylos manzanita
Common Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos manzanita
Arctostaphylos manzanita
Parry Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos manzanita 'Hood Mountain'
Arctostaphylos manzanita 'Hood Mountain'
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos manzanita 'St. Helena'
Arctostaphylos manzanita 'St. Helena'
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos montaraensis
Arctostaphylos montaraensis
Montara Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos morroensis
Arctostaphylos morroensis
Morro Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos morroensis 'Hazard Canyon'
Arctostaphylos morroensis 'Hazard Canyon'
Morro Bay Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos myrtifolia
Arctostaphylos myrtifolia
Ione Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos nevadensis
Arctostaphylos nevadensis
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos nummularia
Arctostaphylos nummularia
Fort Bragg Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos nummularia
Arctostaphylos nummularia
Glossyleaf Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos nummularia
Arctostaphylos nummularia
Glossyleaf Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos nummularia 'Small Change'
Arctostaphylos nummularia 'Small Change'
Ft. Bragg Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos obispoensis
Arctostaphylos obispoensis
Bishop Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos ohloneana
Arctostaphylos ohloneana
Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos otayensis
Arctostaphylos otayensis
Otay Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos pajaroensis
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis
Pajaro Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos pajaroensis 'Myrtle Wolf'
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis 'Myrtle Wolf'
Pajaro Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

Arctostaphylos pajaroensis 'Paradise'
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis 'Paradise'
Pajaro Manzanita

Botanic Name

size

exposure

water

1 gal

$1

2 gal

$2

4"

$4

5 gal

$5

15 gal

$15

24" box

$24

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