Category Archives: Horticulture Reports

Firewise Plant: Penstemons

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Plant Name:  Penstemon species
Common name:  Penstemon or Beardtongue
Plant Type:  Perennial
Plant Height: 4” – 48”
Plant Width:  6” – 36”
Bloom Time: June – August
Flower Color:  Pink, Purple, Blue, Red, White
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Fast Draining; Gravelly/Sandy;
Water Needs: Deep, but Infrequent Watering
Fire Resistant:  YES:  Zone 1 – Plant 30’+ from Structure
Attributes: Nectar-Rich Flowers for Pollinators;
Uses: Rock Garden; Cottage Gardens; Borders; Pollinator Gardens; Wildlife Habitat Gardens; Native plant areas; Perennial gardens. 
Note: Leave Some Seeds to Ripen When Deadheading;
Native to: Continental US
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photo by: JerryFriedman, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

Today in Two Ashland Oregon Gardens

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Tulips

Viki Ashford’s Garden: Red Tulips (above)

Carlotta Lucas’ Garden: On a snowy April day…

Charlie’s Joy Lilac
Tulips
Heartleaf Bergenia
‘Betty’ Magnolia

Hairy Manzanita

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Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos columbiana 
Common name:  Hairy Manzanita
Plant type: Shrub
Height: 3’ – 10’
Spread:  10’
Bloom Time:  March – May
Flower Color:  Pale Pink to White; Fruit is Tawny Orange to Bright Red
Exposure: Sun to Light Shade
Soil Requirements: Fast Draining; Rocky, Sandy Soil
Water Needs: Very Low
Attributes:   Evergreen; Supports Butterflies & Moths & Hummingbirds & Beneficial Insects; Distinctive Bark; Early Season Flowering for Pollinators
Firewise:  NO
Note:   Subject to Leaf Spot; Don’t Fertilize
Uses:  Pollinator Gardens, Native Gardens, Wildlife Habitat Gardens, Natural areas, Perennial gardens
Native to: Northwest California to Southwestern British Columbia
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  8b -10a

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener
Photo from Oregon State University: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/arctostaphylos-columbiana

Fire-Resistant Plant: Greenleaf Manzanita

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Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos patula
Common name:  Greenleaf Manzanita
Plant type: Shrub
Height: 3.3’ – 7’
Spread: 6’ –  9’
Bloom Time:  Winter – Spring
Flower Color: White, Pink
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Fast Draining; Slightly Acidic.
Water Needs: Low; Deep Moisture.
Attributes:   Insects Attracted to Flowers Including Native Bees; Birds Attracted to Fruits; Hosts Butterflies & Moths; Nectar Source.
Firewise: YES; One of the Few Manzanitas That Are Fire-Resistant.
Note:  Slow Growing;  Tolerates Very Cold Temperatures.
Uses:  Hedges; Bird & Hummingbird Gardens; Bee Gardens; Erosion Control.
Native to: Sierra Nevadas/North Coast Range California/Oregon/Washington; Parts of Arizona/Colorado.
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5b – 9b

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Photo courtesy of Pat Breen, Oregon State University

Firewise Plant: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Point Reyes’

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Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Point Reyes’
Common name:  Point Reyes Bearberry Manzanita
Plant type: Groundcover
Height: 12” – 18”
Spread: 1’ – 6’
Bloom Time:  Winter – Spring
Flower Color: Pink
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Well Draining; Tolerant of Most Soil Types.
Water Needs: Low to Moderate
Attributes:  Insects & Hummingbirds Attracted to Flowers; Fruit & Seed Eating Birds Attracted to Fruit ; Deer Resistant.
Firewise:  YES; Zone 5 – Plant 60’+ from House.
Note:  Prune in Early Spring as Needed to Contain Spread.
Uses:  Slope Stabilizer; Bee, Bird, Hummingbird Gardens; Lawn Substitute.
Native to: Alaska to Canada to Western United States
Oregon Native:   YES

USDA Hardiness Zone:  6 – 10

 

 

Article by Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

 

Photos by OSU https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/arctostaphylos-uva-ursi-point-reyes

Indoor Gardening

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Indoor Gardening
by member Goly Ostovar

This year I saved a few potted plants in my basement under grow lights, and they are doing well.
I continue to grow micro greens: sunflowers, peas, radishes, spinach and mixed lettuce varieties.  It has been fun and easy to go downstairs and clip fresh greens daily to enjoy with meals. The geraniums and fuchsia did very well. Also lemongrass was great to have handy for Thai cooking and the turmeric bulbs kept well, too. The Lantana had a set back with aphids and would have liked it a bit warmer, but it’s starting to come around.