Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

Today In the Garden: Witch Hazel ‘Diane’

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Plant Name:  Amamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’
Common Name: Witch Hazel ‘Diane’
Plant Type: deciduous shrub or small tree
Height: 8 – 10 feet
Spread: 6 – 8 feet
Bloom Time: Mid to Late Winter – February and March
Flower Color: Red – Orange Red
Flowers: Spider-like clusters
Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Sun
Soil Requirement: Moderately fertile, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil; tolerates clay soil.
Water Needs: Medium to Moist
Attributes:Striking fall color; Showy Flowers; Winter Interest; Deer Tolerant
Uses: Forrest margins, along stream banks, Screen or tall hedge, naturalized landscapes, cottage gardens, shrub borders, woodland gardens, specimen plant.
Note: Protect from strong winter winds, deep freezing may damage the early blooms.
Native to:Diane is a hybrid, but common witch hazel is native to eastern North America.
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-8

Report and Photos by: Carlotta Lucas

Horticulture Report: Smilacina racemosa

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Plant Name: Smilacina racemosa
Common name: False Solomon’s Seal
Plant type: Perennial, Wildflower
Height: 3’
Spread: 2’
Bloom Time:Mid Spring
Flower: Color White
Exposure: Light to Deep Shade
Soil Requirements: Deep, humus-rich, acid soils
Water Needs: Average to Moist
Attributes: Attracts Bee/Butterfly; Fragrant Flowers followed by Red Berries, Birds and small mammals eat these berries, Easy care, Drought Tolerant, Graceful arching stems
Uses: Woodland Gardens; Native Gardens
Native to: Pacific Northwest
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9

born1945_Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

Horticulture Report: Alpine Geranium

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Plant Name:  Erodium reichardii
Common name:  Alpine Geranium
Plant type: Perennial Herb
Height:  6”
Spread:  12”-14”
Bloom Time:  Spring to early summer
Flower Color:  Pale Pink with Deep Pink Veining
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Gritty, well-drained Soil
Water Needs: Drought Tolerant
Attributes:   Attracts Bee; Deer Resistant; Long Blooming
Note:   Propagate by Seedlings or Divisions
Uses:  Ground cover; Rock Gardens; Pollinator Gardens, Perennial Gardens, Cottage Gardens
Native to: Mediterranean
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7 – 10

Submitted by: Viki Ashford, Ashland Garden Club

Photo by: C T Johansson [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]  Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Native Plant: Aralia californica

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Plant Name: Aralia californica
Common name:Spikenard, Elk’s Clover, Western Aralia
Plant type:Perennial Herb
Height: 3’ – 9’
Spread: 10’
Bloom Time:June – September
Flower Color:Greenish White flowers, (Dark Purple Berries in the fall)
Exposure: Part to Full Shade
Soil Requirements:Medium drainage; moist
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Attributes:Attracts beneficial insects; yellow autumn foliage; deer resistant
Note: Ginseng family
Uses: Shade Gardens, Fall color, Deer-Resistant gardens,
Native to: California and Oregon
Oregon Native:YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photos from: Klamath- Siskiyou Native Seeds https://klamathsiskiyouseeds.com/2016/02/19/western-aralia-aralia-californica/

Oregon Native Plant: Dryopteris arguta (Coastal Wood Fern)

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Plant Name:  Dryopteris arguta
Common name:  Coastal Wood Fern or Shield Fern
Plant type:  Fern
Height:  2’
Spread: 1’ – 3’
Bloom Time: NA
Flower Color:  NA
Exposure: Full sun, Partial Sun, Full Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates Clay.
Water Needs:  Low
Attributes:  Deer Resistant; Host plant for Orange Tortrix Moths; Drought Tolerant; Evergreen.
Uses:  Ground Cover; Native Gardens;  Pollinator Garden; Naturalizing; Woodland Gardens; Shade Gardens; Border Planting; Slope Planting;
Native to: Pacific Northwest
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7 – 9

Report submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photo Resource: John Rusk from Berkeley, CA, United States of America [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

NOTE:

Orange Tortrix Moths: The larvae of the Orange Tortrix feed primarily on blackberry, dewberry, raspberry, and grapes. They feed on any tender, exposed vine tissue, weeds, and in grapes on the vine. They enter the shoot clusters at bloom time and make webbed nests among the berries. They injure leaves and berry stems as well. In addition to this physical injury, they vector in disease organisms that introduce rot.

Nandina Berries Kill Birds

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Audubon Society Arkansas – Article by Jerry W. Davis, Certified Wildlife Biologist, Hot Springs, AR.

“When dozens of Cedar Waxwings were found dead in Thomas County, Georgia, researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, found the cause to be Nandina berries. All the birds had intact Nandina berries in their crops. There was hemorrhaging in the heart, lungs, trachea, abdominal cavity and other organs.”

“Nandina berries contain cyanide and other alkaloids that produce highly toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) which is extremely poisonous to all animals. Sudden death may be the only sign of cyanide poisoning and death usually comes in minutes to an hour. “

Read Full Article here: https://ar.audubon.org/news/nandina-berries-kill-birds

NOTE: Advise is to remove Nandina plants from your landscape, or at least, remove all the berries.