Fire-wise & Native Plant: Western Clarkia

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Plant Name: Clarkia purpurea

Common name: Western Clarkia

Plant type: Annual Wildflower

Height: 3’

Spread: 1’

Bloom Time: April – July

Flower Color: Pink, Purple, Deep Wine Red

Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Requirements: Drainage can be Fast, Medium, or Slow

Water Needs: Low

 

Attributes: Supports Bats, Bees, Caterpillars, Butterflies; Conspicuous Flower; Slug Resistant

Uses: Containers; Bedding Plants

 

Firewise: YES

Native To: Western North America

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 6b – 10b

 

 

Report by Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

 

Photo by: John Doyen, Calscape.org

Fire-wise & Native: Clarkia Amoena

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Plant Name: Clarkia amoena

Common name: Farewell to Spring (Godetia)

Plant type: Annual

Height: 2’ – 3’

Spread: .75’ – 1’

 

Bloom Time: June – August

Flower Color: Shades of Pinkto Purple

Exposure: Full Sun – Part Shade

Soil Requirements: Drainage fast, medium or slow; tolerates clay or sandy soil. Minimum fertilizer needed.

Water Needs: Low, but soil should be moist until flowering, then it can be dry.

 

Attributes: Attracts Bees & Butterflies; Deer Resistant; Supports Bats & Caterpillars; Conspicuous Flower, Self-seeding: pinch out the central leader to encourage branching and heavy bloom. Do not thin seedlings as crowding encourages blooming

 

Note: Susceptible to powdery mildew, Verticillium wilt, Stem rot and Leaf spot.

Watch for aphids and mites.

 

Uses: Native Plant &; Cut Flower Gardens; Containers; Beds, Borders, Cottage Gardens

Firewise: YES

Native To: Western North America

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 8b – 10b

 

Report by Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

Photo by: Stephen Lea. Wikipedia

 

March – Gardening Tasks

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March Garden Tasks (Rogue Valley, Oregon)  

 

Vegetable Gardens

Seeds to direct Sow in mid to late March:  Peas, radishes, spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula, chard, carrots, beets, and parsnips. Also Plant:  Onion sets, and perennial roots like asparagus, artichokes, and rhubarb.

 

Seeds to start indoors for May Transplanting:

  • Tomatoes & Peppers:Essential to start NOW for transplanting in mid-to-late May.
  • Brassicas:Broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
  • Herbs:Basil, parsley and cilantro
  • Other vegetables :Celery, eggplants, and leeks
  • Potatoes:Buy seed potatoes, sprout (“chit”) them in a cool, dark place, then plant.

 

Fruit & Berry Crops

  • Planting:March is ideal for planting fruit trees, strawberries, and cane-berries (raspberries and blackberries).
  • Pruning:Finish pruning fruit trees (apples, pears, cherries, peaches) before buds swell.
  • Fertilizing:Feed raspberries and blueberries with organic, acidic fertilizer.

 

Flower Beds & Landscaping

  • Clean & Mulch:Clear away dead foliage, apply compost, and mulch beds to suppress weeds.
  • Divide Perennials:Divide and transplant summer-blooming perennials.
  • Bulbs:Plant dahlia, lily, and gladiola tubers.
  • Pruning:Prune winter-flowering shrubs after they bloom and ornamental grasses.

 

Maintenance & Pests

  • Slug Control:Actively monitor and manage slugs using baits like Sluggo or traps, as they love new spring growth.
  • Soil Care:Avoid walking on or tilling heavy, wet, or saturated soil to prevent compaction.
  • Fertilizing:Apply fertilizer to evergreen shrubs (rhododendrons, azaleas) and roses.
  • Lawns:Sharpen mower blades and set the mower height to 1.5–2.5 inches. Apply Lime to increase alkalinity, boost nutrient uptake.   Treat lawn for moss with ferrous sulfate (iron sulfate).

Attracting Pollinators

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Pollinator populations have declined significantly in recent years, mainly due to habitat loss. Homeowners can help by creating pollinator-friendly gardens. Knowing plant traits such as flower color, shape and scent will guide you to which plants to choose for pollinators.

Hummingbirds are attracted to flowers of vivid shades of red, yellow, and purple with a tubular shape that they can access with their long narrow beaks.

Bees prefer purple, blue, orange, or yellow flowers with short tubes or no tubes which they can easily access.

Butterflies are drawn to white, pink, red, yellow, or purple flowers with a place they can perch while sipping on nectar.

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ANISE HYSSOP (Agastache foeniculum)
Attributes: Hyssop supports a wide range of pollinators, including hummingbirds, honey bees, bumble

bees, carpenter bees, butterflies and night flying moths.
Bloom time: June until first frost
Exposure: Full sun
Habit: Upright habit with flower spikes blooming throughout summer.
Height/Spread: 2 to 4 feet tall, 1 to 3 feet wide
Flower color: Varieties available are purple, lavender, red, pink, orange-yellow
USDA Zones: 5-9, for most varieties
Native: North America
Firewise: Yes
Important Note on fire resistant plants: It’s crucial to remember that fire resistance can vary within the same plant species depending on local conditions and specific varieties and some plants considered fire-resistant, may produce flammable dry material that can negate their fire resistance. 

Photo from University of Wisconsin Horticulture Extension: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/anise-hyssop-agastache-foeniculum/

Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Fire-wise Native Plant: Green Rabbitbrush

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Plant Name: Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus

Common names: Green Rabbitbrush, Yellow Rabbitbush

Plant type: Evergreen to Deciduous Shrub

Height: 1’ – 4’

Spread: 3’

Bloom Time: August – October

Flower Color: Yellow

Exposure: Sun

Soil Requirements: Dry, Well-Drained, Medium to Coarse Textured Soil

Water Needs: Low

 

Attributes: Adapted to Drought; Larval Host and Nectar Source to Sagebrush Checkerspot; Attracts Native Bees & Butterflies; Provides Cover & Nesting Habitat for Birds & Rodents

 

Note: susceptible to infestations of the larvae of hairy yellow-marked buprestid (Acamaeodera pulchella) which bore tunnels through the stems resulting in plant death

 

Uses: Rapidly establishes in disturbed open sites, including burned sites, rockslides, flood washes.  A valuable shrub for re-vegetating damaged land, such as overgrazed rangeland and abandoned mining areas.

 

Firewise: YES

Native To: British Columbia to Southeastern CA East to North Dakota to Texas

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5b – 8b

 

 

Report by: Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

Sagebrush Checkerspot  photo by: Scott Paige, Pacific Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons