Plant Name: Nigella damascena
Common Name: Love-in-a- Mist
Plant type: Annual Flower
Height: 1.5-2.5 ft
Spread: 1-1.5 ft
Bloom Time: May-August
Flower Color: Blue with cultivars available in White, Purple, Pink, Rose
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Average well-drained soil
Water Needs: Medium, but constant water
Attributes: Showy Flowers, Attractive egg-shaped Seed Pods, Self-seeds, Lacy Leaves,
Note: Flowers best in cooler locations, Flowers may decline in hot temperatures
Uses: Cut Flower Garden, Containers, Mixed Beds, Borders, Cottage Garden, Pollinator Garden
Native to: Southern Europe, northern Africa
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
Category Archives: Horticulture Reports
Horticulture Report: Ginkgo biloba ‘Marieken’
Plant Name: Ginkgo biloba -‘Marieken’
Common Name: Maidenhair Tree – Dwarf
Plant type: Deciduous Conifer
Height: 2-3 feet
Spread: 2-6 feet
Foliage: Green
Golden Yellow in the Fall)
Bloom: April
Flowers: Insignificant
Exposure: Full Sun -Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Prefers average well-drained soil but tolerates clay
Water Needs: Medium, even moisture needed
Attributes: Scalloped Leaves, Fall Color, Dwarf Tree,
Low-Spreading, Male Tree(fruitless), Cascading
Note: Tolerates Deer, Clay Soil, Air Pollution, Saline Conditions & Heat
Uses: Container Plant, Patio Plant, Small garden areas, Bonsai, Rock Garden
Native to: Cultivar originated as witch’s broom found in 1995 by Piet Vergeldt in Kronenburger Park, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3a-10b
Available at Portland Nursery, Portland Oregon
Crepe Myrtle
Plant Name: Lagerstroemia
Common Name: Crepe Myrtle
Plant type: Deciduous Ornamental Tree
Height: Large trees 20 ft & up,Small trees 10 -20 ft,
Shrubs 5-10 ft, Dwarf shrubs 2-3 ft
Bloom Time: Late Summer
Flower Color: White, Pink, Red, Purple
Exposure: Full Sun (afternoon shade in hot summer areas)
Soil Requirements: Well Drained Acidic Soil
Water Needs: Moist
Attributes: Very Showy Flowers, Fall Leaf Color
Note: Blooms on new growth. Prune late winter or early spring before leaves form. Lightly fertilize with balanced fertilizer 10-10-10 in the spring, do not over fertilize.
Uses: Accent Tree, Ornamental, Shrubs & small trees in perennial beds, small shrubs as border planting
Native to: China
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-9
Horticulture Report: Centranthus ruber
Plant Name: Centranthus ruber
Common Name: Jupiter’s Beard ( aka: Red Valerian)
Plant type: Perennial
Height: 1 ft – 3 ft
Spread: 1 ft – 2 ft
Bloom Time: May
Flower Color: ‘Ruber’ – Pale to Deep Rosy Red, ‘Albus’- White
Exposure: Full Sun, Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Well Drained Soil- Prefers Alkaline Soil
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Attracts Butterflies & other insects,
Showy Flowers, Good Cut Flower, Fragrant leaves.
Note: Easy to grow, Self-seeds freely, Reported as “suspected” on the Oregon invasive plant list!
Uses: Containers, Rock Garden, Mixed Flower Bed
Native to: Europe, Northern Africa, Asia Minor
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-8
What Makes Plants Happy?
Interesting article last month in the New York Times.
Article by Margaret Roach.
Horticulture Report:Rock Rose
Plant Name: Helianthemum 
Common name: Rock Rose
Plant type: Evergreen, or Semi-evergreen, Shrubby Perennial
Height: 6-12 inches
Spread: 1-3 feet
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color: Various – White, Yellow, Red, Pink, Scarlet, Orange.
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Well Drained Rocky to Sandy Soil.
Water Needs: Low
Attributes: Good in Alpine & Rock Gardens, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Evergreen Good accent plant with texture & form, Gray Foliage & Dark Green Foliage.
Uses: Attracts Butterflies, Rock gardens, Container, Ground Cover, Xeriscape Gardens.
USDA Zone: 5-8 (check cultivar)