Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

Horticulture Report: Spaeralcea ambigua (Apricot Mallow)

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Plant Name: Spaeralcea ambigua
Common name:  Apricot Mallow, Desert Globemallow
Plant Type:  Perennial Shrub
Plant Height:  3’ – 5’
Plant Width:  2’ – 4’
Bloom Time:  Spring
Flower Color:  Apricot or Dark Orange
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements:  Grows well in most well-draining soils.
Water Needs: Extremely Low
Attributes: Attracts Bees and Butterflies. Adored by Hummingbirds!
Note:  Good Pruning after bloom keeps plant from becoming woody; Easily Reseeds.
Uses: Xeriscape “Gardens; Cottage & Mediterranean Gardens; Rock Gardens.
Native to:  Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 10

Report: Viki Ashford, AGC member

Today in the Garden

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I am not sure how I even noticed this little one, down so low.
I call it, “awaiting lunch at the Marigold Cafe “

Photo by: Lynn McDonald, AGC Member

The goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia) sits on top of flowers with their first two pairs of legs spread, using those legs to grab and eat insects that come to the flowers.

Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern)

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Plant Name:  Osmunda cinnamomea
Common name: Cinnamon Fern
Plant Type:  Perennial Herbaceous Fern
Plant Height: 2’ – 3’
Spread: 2’ – 3’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  Cinnamon-Colored Sporangia; Cinnamon Fronds occur in groups; Fertile Fronds appear first as Silvery Fiddleheads which turn Upper Portion from Green to Chocolate Brown; Sterile Fronds bend outwards enclosing Cinnamon Fronds.
Exposure:  Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates Various Calcareous/Acidic Soils.
Water Needs: Medium High
Attributes: Attracts Birds looking for nesting material of Fiddleheads; Contrasting Fertile & Infertile Fronds Make Dramatic Accent.; Deer Resistant.
Note: Can grow in Full Sun if Constantly Standing in Water.
Uses: Bogs, Ponds, Water Gardens; Shaded Borders
Native to:  Eastern North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

 Photo by David J. Stang – source: David Stang. First published at ZipcodeZoo.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61095231

Horticulture Report: Interrupted Fern

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Plant Name:  Osmunda claytoniana
Common name: Interrupted Fern
Plant Type:  Fern
Plant Height: 2’ – 3’
spread: 2’ – 3’
Bloom Time: June
Flower Color:  Brown Spores
Exposure:  Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Requirements: Moist, Rich, Humusy, Acid Soil
Water Needs: Medium to Wet
Attributes: Distinct Interruptions in Center of Fronds Caused by Fertile leaflets. The Spore Bearding Fronds are Different from the Sterile Fronds.
Uses: Shaded Border; Along Ponds & Streams
Native to:  Midwest to Eastern North America
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photo by: Circeus Wiki Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Osmunda_claytoniana_JSG.jpg#file

Oregon Native Plant: Ribes zoezlii

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Plant Name:  Ribes zoezlii
Common name:  Sierra Gooseberry
Plant Type:  Deciduous, Multi-Stem, Spiny Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 5’
Spread: 1’
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Flower Color: Burgundy and White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade.
Soil Requirements: Coarse to Medium Texture.
Water Needs: Dry to Medium Dry
Attributes:  Hosts for Numerous Butterflies & Moths; Fragrant; Showy Tubular, Fuchsia-like Flowers; Fall Color: Fruit is covered in spines, but it is edible, great for gooseberry jam.
Note: As always, get professional advice before consuming any plant or berry in the wild.
Uses: Attracts Bee, Bird and Butterflies; Hummingbird Gardens; Pollinator Gardens; Native Gardens, Woodland Gardens
Native to:  California & Oregon
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

Report: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Fruiting Photo: Dcrjsr / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Flowering Photo: USFS Region 5 / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)