Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

Horticulture Report: Asarum caudatum, aka: Western Wild Ginger

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Native Firewise Plant

Photo Credit: Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Plant Name:  Asarum caudatum

Common name: Western Wild Ginger

Plant type: Evergreen Herbaceous Perennial

Height: 1’

Spread:  6” – 1’6”
Bloom Time:  Spring

Flower Color: Brown Purple to Green Yellow

Exposure:  Full Shade

Soil Requirements: Good Drainage; High Organic Matter; Acidic

Water Needs:  Regular Water

Photo Credit: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Attributes:  Ginger Aroma when Leaves Rubbed; Winter Interest;    Showy Flowers; Attracts Ants as Pollinators

Note:  Spreads by Rhizomes; Flowers are Unique Shape, but Hidden under Leaves

Uses:  Containers; Groundcover; Lawn Alternative; Rock Gardens;    Borders

Firewise:  YES

Native to: Western North America

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 – 10

 

 

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Oregon Native & Firewise: Amelancier alnifolia

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Oregon Native Firewise Plant

Amelancier alnifolia

Plant Name: Amelancier alnifolia
Common name: Pacific serviceberry
Plant type: Deciduous Shrub/Tree
Height: 15’ – 30’
Spread:   15’ – 20’
Bloom Time:  Spring
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Sun or Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Good Drainage; Sandy or Loamy
Water Needs: Irrigate 1x/Month after establishment

Attributes:  Easily Pruned to More Erect Form or Flatter, Rounder, Open Shape; Food Source Birds; Attracts Bats, Caterpillars, Larval Host for some Butterflies; Berries for Mammals; Shelter for Animals; Fragrant Flowers; Flavorful Edible Fruit used fresh or in baked goods

Note: Fruits in Summer; Fall Color Foliage; Root Suckering is Common; Diseases/Insects:  Rust, Leaf Spot, FireBlight, Powdery Mildew; Aphids, Thrips, Mites,

Uses:  Hedge; Pollinator Garden; Shrub Border; Woodland Gardens; Naturalized Areas
Native to: Some Canadian Provinces; Midwest to West United States
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 – 7

Horticulture Report: Indian Hemp Dogbane

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Native Firewise Plant-

Plant Name:  Apocynum cannabinum

Common name: Indian Hemp Dogbane

Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial

Height: 3’ – 7’

Spread:   1.5’ – 2.5’
Bloom Time:  July – August

Flower Color:  Cream/White
Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade

Soil Requirements: Moist Sandy to Gravelly

Water Needs: Low to Moderate

Attributes:  Pollinated by Bees, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Flies, Beetles, Wasps, & Moths; Flowers are Hermaphrodite; Supports Bats, Butterflies, Caterpillars; Drought Tolerant

Note: All parts of the plant are Poisonous; it Contains a milky latex which may cause Skin Blisters; Invasive via spreading roots;

Uses:  Rain Gardens; Woodland Gardens; Butterfly Garden; Native Plant Garden; Erosion Control

Native to: NE United States & Canada

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Thayne Tuason, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia

Horticulture Report: Antennaria microphylla

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Native & Firewise Plant

<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antennaria_microphylla_(3997484407).jpg">Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons

Antennaria microphylla,           Little Leaf Pussytoes

Plant Name: Antennaria microphylla

Common name: Little Leaf Pussytoes

Plant type: Deciduous Perennial Herb

Height: 4” – 2’

Spread:   Low Growing, Tight Groundcover

Bloom Time:  April – August

Flower Color:  White/Pink

Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade

Soil Requirements: Loamy or Clay Soil

Water Needs: Moderate

Attributes:  Attracts Hummingbirds, Butterflies, Birds, Bees

Uses:  Groundcover; Low Borders; Rock Gardens

Native to: Midwest to West

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Photo Credit: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/lic

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Horticulture Report – Western columbine

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Native & Firewise Plant

Plant Name:  Aquilegia formosa

Photo by: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Common name: Western columbine
Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial
Height: 2’ – 3’
Spread:   1’
Bloom Time:  Late Spring to August
Flower Color:  Red, Yellow
Exposure: Full Sun to Deep Shade
Soil Requirements: Good Drainage, Organic Material
Water Needs: Low to Moderate; irrigate once a month once established
Attributes:  Nectar in Flower Blooms are appealing to Hummingbirds;
Seed Heads provide Bird Food; Deer Resistant; Supports Bats, Birds, Butterflies, Caterpillars
Note:  Self-sows, but Deadheading controls spread
Uses:  Containers; Native Plant Gardens; Pollinator Garden; Rock Garden
Firewise:  YES
Native to: Lower 48 state, Alaska, Canada
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

DIY: Seedling Mix

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Seed starting mix is known as a soil-less mix , and unlike garden soil or potting soil, it is a sterile pathogen free growing mix. This is important because pathogens can kill seedlings while they are germinating, so growing seeds in a soil-less mixture increases their survival rate.  After your seeds have germinated and grown two true leaves, then they can be transplanted into containers filled with potting soil. 

DIY Seedling Mix recipe:

4 parts screened (mature) compost
1 part perlite
1 part vermiculite
2 parts coir (coconut fiber)

 

Use hands, or trowel to mix until ingredients are well combined.

Wet the seedling mix only until you can form a loose ball (water should not be dripping from the mixture)

Fill pots, or trays, with seedling mix

Plant seeds to the depth shown on the seed packet, cover seeds with seedling mix, then use a spray bottle to gently water the seeds.

Label your pots or trays with seed variety.

Article and photos by Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member