Author Archives: Ashland Garden Club

Horticulture Report: Dead Nettle

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Plant Name:  Lamium species
Common name: Dead Nettle
Plant Type:  Prostrate Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  8” – 12”
Plant Width:  12” – 36”
Bloom Time:  May – June
Flower Color: Pink, White, Purple
Exposure:  Part Shade to Shade
Soil Requirements: Moist, Rich, Humus Rich, Well-Drained Soil.
Water Need:  Medium
Fire Resistant: YES; Zone 1-8 – 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Attractive Foliage; Attracts Bees; Variety of Foliage Colors & Textures; Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant.
Uses:  Spiller in Containers; Dead Bulb Foliage Cover; Groundcover.
Note: Trailing Type Growth; Cut Back or Shear to Stimulate New Growth; Roots Where Stems Touch Ground.
Native to: Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member/ Master Gardener

Photo by: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Native: Calycanthus occidentalis

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Plant Name:  Calycanthus occidentalis
Common name:  California or Western Sweetshrub or Spice Bush
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height:  3’ – 13’
Plant Width:  3’ – 13’
Bloom Time: Late Spring – Early Autumn
Flower Color: Dark Red to Burgundy to Purplish Brown
Exposure:  Part Shade to Full Sun; Will Tolerate Full Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates a Wide Variety of Soil.
Water Need:  Med to High
Attributes: Pollinated by Beetles; Hosts Butterflies & Moths; Deer Resistant; Yellow Fall Color.
Firewise: Yes
Uses: Hedge, Butterfly Garden; Shrub Border; Foundation Plant; Woodland Garden.
Note:  Bark has strong Camphor smell when scraped; Strongly Scented Flowers; Prune Immediate after Flowering; Flowers only last a day or two.
Native to:  Western US
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member/ Master Gardener

Horticulture Report: Sedums

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Plant Name:  Sedum species
Common name:  Sedum or Stonecrops
Plant Type:  Perennial Succulent
Plant Height:  2” – 12”; Varies Depending on Varieties:  Ground Cover Level to Upright
Plant Width:  6” – 24”
Bloom Time:  Summer, Fall
Flower Color: Pink, Red, White, Yellow (Depends on Variety)
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Sun
Soil Requirements: Loamy, Sandy, Well Draining.
Water Need:  Low; Drought Tolerant Once Established.
Fire Resistant: YES; 10” or more from house.
Attributes: Attracts Birds/Butterflies; Foliage in Shades of Green to Blue/Chartreuse to Pink; Deer Resistant
Uses: Rock Garden; Edging; Containers, Smaller varieties ground cover.
Note: Deadhead After Flowering to Maintain Shape & Size; or Leave Attractive Seed Heads for Winter Interest; Subject to Mealybugs, Scale, Slugs/Snails, Powdery Mildew.
Native to: Eastern United States
Oregon Native:  Some varieties of Sedum spathulifolium and other broadleaf stonecrop are native to Oregon
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Autumn Joy Sedum and Broad-Leaf Sedum Photos by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Sedum oreganum (Yellow flowers) photo by: Stan Shebs https://calscape.org/loc-california/Sedum%20oreganum()

Horticulture Report: Snow-in-Summer

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Plant Name:  Cerastium tomentosum
Common name: Snow-in-Summer
Plant Type:  Herbaceous Perennial Evergreen Groundcover
Plant Height:  6” – 12”
Plant Width:  2’ – 3’
Bloom Time:  Summer
Flower Color:  White
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Sandy, Well-Draining Soil
Water Need:  Dry
Fire Resistant: YES; Plant 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Fast Growing; Silvery-Gray, Wooly Foliage; Deer Resistant; Showy Flowers; Drought Tolerant
Uses:  Rock Gardens; Border Edging; Cottage Garden; Bulb Cover; Hanging Basket.
Note: Spreads by Runners; Shear off flowers after bloom; Plants are Short-Lived
Native to: Italy; Sicily
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 7

Report by: Viki Ashford

Heron2 CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Native: Siskiyou Iris

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Plant Name:  Iris bracteata
Common name:  Siskiyou Iris
Plant Type:  Perennial
Plant Height:  1’ 
Bloom Time: Spring &  Summer
Flower Color: Golden Yellow to Creamy White
Exposure:  Sun to Shade
Soil Requirements:  Prefers Sandy or Loamy Soil
Water Need:  Low to Medium
Attributes: Deer Resistant
Uses: Wildflower Gardens, Perennial Beds, Native Gardens, Woodland Gardens 
Note:  In the wild it grows in sunny to shady areas in dry pine forests or in sunny in meadow openings.
Native to:  California & Oregon
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member/ Master Gardener

Photo by John McRae, U.S. Forest Service https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/iris/Pacific_Coast/iris_bracteata.shtml