Author Archives: AGC

Fire-wise Plant: Western redbud

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Plant Name: Cercis occidentalis
Common name: Western redbud
Plant type: Deciduous Tree or Shrub
Height: 10’ – 20’
Spread:  10’ – 15’
Bloom Time:  February – April
Flower Color:  Magenta or Bright Pink; Fall Color
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Drainage Fast to Slow; Clay, Loam, Sand
Water Needs:  Low; Drought Tolerant
Attributes:  Very Showy Flowering; Deer Resistant; Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Moths, Native Pollinators; Four Season Interest; Pest & Disease Resistant;
Note: Flowers are popular with a variety of native bees, including leafcutter bees; Responds well to Pruning including occasional hard pruning
Uses: Bank Stabilization; Beds & Borders; Small Gardens
Firewise: YES
Native To:  California, Southwest, Arizona, Rocky Mountains, Utah
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  6 – 9

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: LaurentianShield, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Native & Fire-wise: Cusick’s camas

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Plant Name: Camassia cusickii
Common name: Cusick’s camas
Plant type: Bulb
Height: 2’ – 2.5’
Spread:  .75’ – 1’
Bloom Time:  May/June
Flower Color:  Blue
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, fertile, acidic, humusy, well-drained soils; Tolerates Clay Soil.
Water Needs:  Medium to Wet; Tolerates Summer Drought, but keep Moist during Growing Season.
Attributes:  Showy Flowers; Cut Flowers; Deer Resistant; No serious Diseases or Insects; Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds.
Note: Plant bulbs 4” deep and 4-6″ apart in the fall.
Uses: Naturalize; Plant along Pond edges; Woodland Garden.
Fire-wise: YES
Native To:  Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

Fall Seed Collecting 

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Collecting Seeds: Collect seeds that are open-pollinated varieties, which means the seeds being saved will produce plants with the same characteristics as the parent.

Annual flowers: Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Cosmos, Calendula, Snapdragons, Amaranth, Sunflower, Morning glory, Zinnias

Perennial flowers: Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan), Echinacea purpurea (Coneflower), Coreopsis (Tickseed), Digitalis (Foxglove), Centranthus ruber (Red valerian), Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William), Aquilegia (Columbine). Continue reading →

Oregon State Master Gardeners Survey

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Garden Future type in red and blue

Garden Future is a statewide project of the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program. We’re gathering stories, ideas, and local wisdom from gardeners like you—and sharing them back as practical tips, inspiring examples, and resources to help your garden thrive, no matter the weather.

By joining the conversation, you’ll:

  • Discover how other gardeners across Oregon are adapting to changing climates.
  • Learn proven practices for gardening in extreme weather.
  • Help shape future resources for your community.

Across Oregon, gardeners are seeing the seasons shift—hotter summers, wetter winters, unpredictable frosts. Together, we can adapt.Garden Future connects gardeners to share what’s working, learn from each other, and grow resilience in a changing climate.

Take Master Gardeners 3-question survey to tell Oregon State University Extension Services:

  1. What changes you’ve noticed in your garden.
  2. What changes you’ve made.
  3. What you’d like help learning.

SURVEY LINK https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bvBkua43yiW6ZOC

Your answers shape statewide resources and connect you with other gardeners’ solutions. Share your garden story!

Fire-wise & Native: Port Orford Cedar

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Plant Name: Chamaecyparis lawsoniana

Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (A. Murray) Parl.) Photo by Gary A. Monroe, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database 

Common name: Port Orford Cedar

Plant type: Conifer Evergreen Tree (not a true cedar)

Height: 110’ – 180’ (Note: this is a huge tree. It’s not recommended for residential landscapes) *See uses below.

Spread: 30’ – 60’

Bloom Time: Cones, Not Flowers

Flower Color: Inconspicuous; Female Cone Green to Blue-Green Ripening to Brown; Male Cones Dark Brown to Red

Exposure: Sun or Partial Shade

Soil Requirements: Well-Drained, Moist; High Organic Matter

Water Needs: High to Moderate

Attributes: Male Pollen Cones on Tips of Branchlets; Winter Interest; Deer Resistant; Nesting Places for Wildlife; Wildlife Food Source;

Note: Short Ascending Branches, Drooping at Tips; Narrow, Pyramidal, Buttressed Trunk;Being Attacked by a Root Rot Fungus, Phytophthora lateralis, Which is Devastating the Species in the US; Phytophthora lateralis is a fungus which has spread through the native range of this tree at a rapid rate. It causes an often-fatal root rot disease which poses a significant threat to the survival of the species; Dead Branches may be Pruned, but do not cut into Living Wood. Prune in Winter when Wood Boring Insects are Less active

*Uses: Huge tree that is infrequently grown in landscapes.! A large number of compact to dwarf cultivars of this species are available in commerce for ornamental plantings; Hedge

Firewise: Considered a Firewise plant but do not plant a Port Orford Cedar within 50 feet of your house or outbuildings.

Native To: Coast of Southwestern OR, Siskiyou Mountains, Mount Shasta

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 8

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC member

https://calscape.org/plant/Chamaecyparis-lawsoniana-%28Port-Orford-Cedar%29/gallery#