Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

Annual Flower: Apricotta Cosmos 

Posted on by

Apricotta Cosmos 

  • Annual Flower: 85 days.
  • Flower color: pink lemonade; abundant large blooms.
  • Plant in Full Sun
  • Sprouts in 7-14 Days
  • Plant Height: 3.5 foot
  • Ideal Temperature: 65-85 Degrees F
  • Plant Spacing: 10”
  • NOT Frost Hardy
  • Attracts a variety of pollinators
  • Uses: Cut flowers, Pollinator garden, Color spots in the garden

Growing Tips: Sow in place in mid-spring. Plants require full sun, fairly warm temps, moderate moisture. Removing spent blooms prolongs the blooming season. Appicotta Cosmos is the winner of the Fleuroselect Novelty Award for its unusual color and sturdy stems.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds https://www.rareseeds.com/cosmos-apricotta

Organic & Native: What, Why & How

Posted on by

January 2023 Presentation by:  Kristina Lefever, AGC Member & President Pollinator Project Rogue Valley

https://www.pollinatorprojectroguevalley.org/

Continue reading →

Hellebore for Winter Flowers

Posted on by

Plant Name: Helleborus orientalis (Lenten rose)                                      
Plant type: Evergreen perennial
Height:   12” – 15”
Bloom Time: February to April
Flower Color:  Varies  – Purple, Whitish Yellow, Whitish Green,  Pink, Burgundy
Exposure: Full Sun in Winter,  Dappled shade in spring, summer, and fall
Soil Requirements:  Well drained loamy soil; Amend soil with organic matter

Water Needs:  Medium
Attributes:  Late Winter Bloomer, Deer Resistant , Waterwise plant, Long Blooming Season, Flowers have nodding habit.

Firewise status: unknown
Note:   Mulch to maintain summer moisture, Monitor for aphids in the spring and treat accordingly. Hellebores provide a variety of bees with nectar and pollen at a time when few other plants are blooming.

Uses: Borders, Containers, Mass Plantings, Woodland Garden, Cut Flowers, Winter Flowers, Pollinator Gardens, Bee Habitat.
USDA Zone: 2-10

 

Horticulture Report: Whiteleaf Manzanita

Posted on by

Plant Name: Arctostaphylos viscida
Common name: Whiteleaf Manzanita
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 8’ – 16′
Spread: 12’
Bloom Time: January – April
Flower Color: White to Pale Pink – Shiny Red Fruit
Exposure:Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates a variety of soils from clay to decomposed granite.
Water Needs: Very low; Water no more than 2 times a month once established.
Attributes: Showy red bark; Flowers attracts hummingbirds & insects; Birds & some Mammals are attracted to fruit; Host to some butterflies & moths.
Firewise: NO; Zone 3 – 70’ – 100’ +
Note: Not very garden tolerant, Native habitat is oak & pine forests and chaparrals.
Uses: Native Gardens, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens;
Native to: California & Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a – 9b

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo from: Las Pilitas Nursery, Santa Margarita, CA; website: https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/83–arctostaphylos-viscida-ssp-viscida