Other varieties display white flowers or white borders on the leaves. Plant aptenia in areas that are protected from frost. Manzanita is for those who garden for future generations. Mine, planted three years ago from four-inch pots, are now about a foot across. I'm hoping they will spread to three to four feet over the next 10 years.
Plants require loose soil and excellent drainage.
They do well under oaks, where continual leaf drop helps to aerate the soil. Look for Emerald Carpet or Monterey Carpet. Camellias come in countless heights and colors, but the low, arching forms of the sasanquas are your best bet as a water-conserving ground cover. Once they're established, sasanquas will take a fair amount of sun and drought, particularly if you plant them in loose, fertile, slightly acidic soil. From one-gallon containers, they may spread to five feet in five years.