Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

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

June 28, 2020 Today in the Garden

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Himalayan Cinquefoil, Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Daylily, Geranium macrorrhizum

Photos by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Horticulture Report: Jeffersonia diphylla (Twinleaf)

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Plant Name:  Jeffersonia diphylla 

Photo by James Henderson, University of Tennessee Herbarium

Common name: Twinleaf
Plant Type:  Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: .75’ – 1.5’
Spread: .5’ – .75’
Bloom Time:  March – May
Flower Color:  White
Exposure:  Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Humusy,
Well-Drained.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Showy Flower & Fruit; Tolerates Heavy Shade; Interesting fruit after flowering.
Note: Susceptible to Slugs & Snails.
Uses:  Shade Garden; Native Plant Garden; Ground Cover; Shady Rock Gardens.
Native to:   Eastern North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 7

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Horticulture Report: Virginia Sweetspire

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photo by: Wasowski, Sally & Andy (Wildflower.org)

Plant Name:  Itea virginica
Common name:  Virginia Sweetspire
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 3’ – 6’
Spread:  4’ – 6’
Bloom Time:  April – June.
Flower Color:  White
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade.
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Acidic,
Sandy to Loam to Clay.
Water Needs: High
Attributes: Red to Purple Leaves in Fall hanging on through Winter; Attracts Nectar Insects; Provides Bird Cover; Some Deer Resistant.
Note:  Blooms best with better fall color if planted in full sun at least part of day.
Uses:  Massed Plantings; Rain Garden; Foundation or Hedge.
Native to: Southeast North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member