Hello, I have a south facing front yard in Vancouver where I have opted for kinnikinick rather than grass as a groundcover in an area adjacent to the public pedestrian sidewalk. On the boulevard there are two mature oak trees that shade a portion of this area. I did this landscaping work about five years ago. Where the kinnikinick is only minimally shaded by the oak tree, it is doing fairly well. Nearest the oak trees, the kinnikick has always "struggled", but this year after such a cold winter, the whole area nearest the tree looks dead. The oak tree drips a sticky substance all summer. I am at a loss to know whether the "dead" factors relate to lack of adequate sunshine and moisture, or the dripping of the tree? Should I replace the kinnickinick or will it recover? Should I find a different groundcover and if so, what would be recommended? I tried a few plants of Japanese spurge last summer just to see how they fared and they did survive in that spot. Thanks for any advice... Lael
Full hot sun and sandy soil for bearberry. It is a creeping manzanita. In the unsuitable parts you can produce a superficially similar appearance using bearberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri). This is easier to grow.
Thank you, Ron, for the really good suggestion. I was reluctant to tear up and redo the whole area with something entirely different (like Japanese spurge), if there was a good "blending option" for the surviving kinnickinick. The cotoneaster dammeri seems ideal. Lael
