Epilobium canum, also known as California fuchsia. Blooms summer-fall. Likes: Full sun, well-draining soil, it’s a drought-tolerant water-wise plant. California native plant. Photo by Viki Ashford, AGC Member
Today in the Garden
Category Archives: Horticulture Reports
Scabiosa ( Pincushion Flowers)
Plant Name: Scabiosa
Common name: Pincushion
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: 1’ – 1.5’
Plant Width: 1’ – 1.5’
Bloom Time: April to Frost
Flower Color: Lavender Blue
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Average, Medium, Well-Drained.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Showy Flower; Attracts Butterflies; Deer Resistant; Drought Tolerant
Note: Remove Spent Flowers to Encourage More Bloom; Watch for Aphids, White Flies, Powdery Mildew. 80 species of annuals, biennials and perennials primarily from the Mediterranean region
Uses: Massing in Border Fronts; Cottage Garden, Perennial Gardens, Cut flowers, Mediterranean Garden
Native to: Mediterranean, Africa, Asia
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9
Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener
Photo by: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Plant Name: Sanguinaria canadensis
Common name: Bloodroot
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: 6” – 9”
Plant Width: 3” – 6”
Bloom Time: March to April
Flower Color: White Flower with Yellow Stamens.
Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Requirements: Moist, Humusy, Well-Drained.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Showy Flower, but Short Lived, & Close at Night; Tolerates Drought & Dry Soil; Early Spring Bee & Fly Pollinator.
Note: Goes Dormant in Mid to Late Summer; All Parts of Plant Exude Orange-Red Sap when Cut; Poisonous Characteristics.
Uses: Naturalize; Rock & Wildflower Gardens.
Native to: Eastern & Central North America
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8
Report by: Viki Ashford AGC Member, Master Gardener
Photo from: UpstateNYer / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Today in the Garden; Gaillardia x grandiflora
Here’s a new favorite for a sunny spot: Long-blooming, pollinator friendly and brightly colored, Gaillardia x grandiflora has been blooming in my West-facing garden since June, and is still putting out new buds. It’s a hybrid on a Western native, Gaillardia aristata. The common name is Blanket Flower. The colors often remind me of the state flag of Arizona: yellow, scarlet, bronze. The flowers are 2-3 “ across, and the seed heads are attractive, too. Gaillardia is easy to grow and to maintain. I just prune off the dried seed heads when they look tatty. Another option, though, is to leave at least some in place at the end of the season, because these plants reseed, so you can have more for free next Spring. There are several cultivars available. I have the original, which is about 24” x 24”. I also have the dwarf form, called ‘Goblin’, which is about 1 foot high and wide. Needs full sun, moderate water and fast drainage.
~Sherri Morgan, AGC Member
Today in the Garden
I found a surprise in my garden today. This white flower appears to be a begonia, but I don’t recall planting it. Friends and neighbors do give me plants which often need help, so perhaps this one came to me as a sad root in a pot without an identity. It’s a lovely surprise on this smokey October day. I really like the happy ball-shaped yellow centers. I felt like it was a gift from the garden fairies when I saw it. ~Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Solidago rugosa
Prune it down in early Spring, and feed it before growth starts.
It needs full sun and moderate water. The myth that Goldenrod pollen causes hay fever is just that, a myth. I have been enjoying this striking plant in my South facing garden.
Sherri Morgan, AGC Member