Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

Horticulture Report: Physocarpus capitatus (Pacific/Western Ninebark)

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Plant Name: Physocarpus capitatus
Common name: Pacific/Western Ninebark
Plant Type: Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 5’ – 20’
Spread: 8’
Bloom Time: Late Spring – Late April – July
Flower Color:  White Flowers with Red Tip Stamens/Reddish to Brown Fruit
Exposure:  Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Acidic
Water Needs:  Medium – ( best with summer watering)
Attributes: Flaking/Peeling Bark; Attracts Pollinator Insects; Deer Resistant; 3″-5″ Clusters of white flowers.
Uses: Hedge, Woodland Gardens, Native Gardens, Along streams
Native to: British Columbia to California & east to Montana
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photo Credit: Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/physocarpus-capitatus

Oregon Native Plant: Western Sword Fern

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Plant Name:  Polystichum munitum
Common name: Western Sword Fern
Plant Type:  Evergreen Fern
Plant Height: 1.5’ – 5.5’
Spread: 2’ – 3’
Bloom Time: N/A
Flower Color:  N/A
Exposure: Full Shade to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates variety of soils with adequate moisture.
Water Needs: Weekly deep watering; drought tolerant once established.
Attributes:  Fronds live 1.5 – 2.5 years; hosts butterflies & moths; Deer Resistant.
Note: Cut back dead fronds.
Uses: Ground Cover; Beds & Borders; Woodland Garden.
Native to: Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  6 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member, Master Gardener

Photo Credit: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_sword_fern_(Polystichum_munitum)-_Flickr-_brewbooks.jpg

Oregon Native Plant: Black Chokecherry

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Plant Name:  Prunus virginiana melanocarpa
Common name: Black Chokecherry
Plant Type: Perennial Shrub or Small Tree
Plant Height: 3’ – 12’
Spread: 13.5’
Bloom Time: May to Early July
Flower Color:  White followed by Fleshy Drupes of Dark Red to Black
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Moist
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Larval Host to Some Moths; Native Bees & Butterflies.
Uses: Bird Garden, Native Garden, Pollinator Garden
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photographer: Reveal, James L. https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=73181

Horticulture Report: Christmas Fern

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Plant Name:  Polystichum acrostichoides Common name: Christmas Fern Plant Type: Evergreen Fern Plant Height: 1’ – 2’ Spread: 1’ – 2’ Bloom Time: N/A Flower Color:  N/A Exposure:  Part Shade to Full Shade Soil Requirements:  Organically Rich, Well-Drained; does not tolerate clay soil. Water Needs: Dry to Medium Attributes:  Winter Interest; Deer Resistant; Young fiddleheads are silvery & scaled in spring. Note: Plant Rhizomes at angle to avoid crown rot. Uses: Borders; Ground Cover, but plant next to each other as does not spread; massing on slopes to control erosion. Native to: Eastern North America Oregon Native:  NO USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 9 Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener Photo credit: Wiki Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christmas_Fern_(6928030406).jpg Author: Virginia State Parks staff / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Horticulture Report: Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)

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Plant Name: Phlox divaricata
Common name: Wild Sweet William/Woodland Phlox
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: .75’ – 1’
Spread: .75’ – 1’
Bloom Time: April – May
Flower Color: Rose/Lavender or Violet/Blue
Exposure:Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Requirements:Medium, Humus, Well-Drained Soil; Drought Tolerant.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Showy, Fragrant Flower; Attracts Butterflies & Hummingbirds; Deer Resistant.
Note:Powdery Mildew can be a problem; Cut back stems after bloom. Roots at Nodes to Form Mat Foliage.
Uses: Evergreen Ground Cover; Rock Gardens; Border Front & Cover for Early Spring Bulbs.
Native to: Eastern North America
Oregon Native:NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8

Report: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo: The Missouri Botanical Gardens http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/phlox_divaricata

Horticulture Report: Mountain Mint

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Plant Name: Pycnanthemum muticum
Common name: Mountain Mint
Plant Type: Perennial
Plant Height: 1’ – 3’
Spread: 1’ – 3’
Bloom Time: July – September
Flower Color:  Pink, White, Red, Purple, Blue
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Fertile, Well-Drained.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Attracts Butterflies & Bees, Wasps; Drought Tolerant; Spearmint Aroma.
Note:  Aggressively Spreads by Rhizomes.
Uses: Naturalize in Native Plant Gardens, Cottage Gardens; Border Perimeter’ Vertical Structure in Winter Garden.
Native to: Midwest to South to Eastern North America & California
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo from: The Day –Green and Growing: Some native plants get aggressive, and that’s why we love them Author: Kathy Connolly https://www.theday.com/storyimage/NL/20190718/NWS01/190719660/EP/1/1/EP-190719660.jpg&MaxW=800&q=62