Category Archives: Oregon Native Plants

Fire-wise & Native: Fernbush Desert Sweet

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Plant Name: Chamaebatiaria millefoloim

Common name: Fernbush Desert Sweet

Plant type: Deciduous Shrub

Height: 3’ – 7’

Spread: 5’ – 6’

Bloom Time: Mid to Late Summer

Flower Color: White

Exposure: Full Sun to Part Sun

Soil Requirements: Well-Drained; Clay, Gravel, Loam, Sandy

Water Needs: Drought Resistant; Moderate Watering Until Established

Attributes: Sweetly Aromatic; Leaves are Fern-like Appearance; Showy Flowers; Fruiting in the fall, persistent in winter; Attracts Native Pollinators; Mature Stems Exhibit Cinnamon Sheen; Fast Growing; Attracts Caterpillars; Butterflies; Deer Tolerant

Note: Tolerates Shearing; Pruning Well; Shear in Early Winter; Routine Pruning to Remove Aging, Interior Branches, Increase Foliage Density
Uses: Hedge Border; Mixed Bed or Border; Foundation Plant

Firewise: YES, (check your local Firewise information for how far to plant from a structure)

Native To: East of Cascades; Sierra Nevada to Southern CA, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Northern AZ, New Mexico

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4b – 10

 

 

Report by Viki Ashford, AGC member

Photo from Oregon State University    https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/chamaebatiaria-millefolium

Horticulture Report: Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrone)

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        Oregon State University

Oregon Native & Firewise Plant   
Plant Name:  Arbutus menziesii
Common name: Pacific madrone
Plant type: Broadleaf Evergreen Tree
Height: 20’ – 65’
Spread:   5’ – 25’
Bloom Time:  Flowers in Spring; Berries in Fall
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Shade to Partial Shade; North Facing Slope

Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Soil Requirements: Fast to Medium Drainage; Tolerates Heavy Soil
Water Needs: Dry to Medium
Attributes:  Peeling Bark; Red Berries; Robins, Starlings, Band-tailed Pigeons Feed on Berries; Supports Bats, Butterflies, Caterpillars,                           Moths; Host to Brown Elfin Butterfly; Nectar for Hummingbirds; Winter Interest; Drought Tolerant
Note:  Slow Growing; Large Tree; Messy in the Garden due to Bark & Leaf Shedding; Pests are Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden Oak Death), Madrone Canker, Aphids, Leaf Miners
Uses:  Bank Stabilization; Hedge; Bird Gardens; Mixed Borders
Firewise:  YES
Native to: Pacific Northwest & California
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Oregon Native & Firewise Plant: Narrowleaf Milkweed

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Plant Name:  Asclepias fascicularis   
Common name: Narrowleaf Milkweed
Plant type: Deciduous Flowering Perennial
Height: 3’
Spread:  8” – 10”
Bloom Time:  Summer to Fall
Flower Color: Lavender, Pink, Greenish White
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Good Drainage; Dry to Moist Soil; Grows in Clay Soil
Water Needs:  Low

Attributes:  Attracts Monarch Butterflies; Host Caterpillars; Attracts Native Bees, Bumble Bees; Predatory Insects; Monarch Butterflies lay eggs & larvae feed & mature into chrysalis; Deer Resistant; Drought Tolerant
Note: Open Seed Pods spill Plentiful Silky Hairs; Somewhat Toxic; Spreads by Rhizomes
Uses:  Native Gardens; Pollinator Gardens; Rock Gardens
Firewise:  YES
Native to: Western United States
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6a – 10b

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Horticulture Report: Asclepias speciosa  (Showy Milkweed) 

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Oregon Native & Firewise Plant
Plant Name:  Asclepias speciosa

Common name: Showy Milkweed
Plant type: Deciduous Herbaceous Perennial
Height: 6’
Spread:  4’
Bloom Time:  May – September
Flower Color: Pink, White, Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Well Drained
Water Needs:  Medium; Drought Tolerant
Attributes:  Attracts Hummingbirds, Monarch Butterflies, Birds; Adult Monarchs feed on Flower Nectar and Caterpillars Eat Leaves; Deer Resistant; Monarch Larval Host
Note: Spread by Underground Rhizomes
Uses:  Butterfly Garden; Borders; Rock Gardens; Native Gardens
Firewise:  YES
Native to: Midwest to West USA, & Canada
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Vicki Watkins USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Horticulture Report: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

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Oregon Native & Firewise
Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos nevadensis       

                Pinemat Manzanita

Common name: Pinemat Manzanita
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 1’ – 2’
Spread:   3’ – 5’
Bloom Time:  Spring, Summer, Winter
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Partial Shade
Soil Requirements: Acidic Soil; Fast Draining
Water Needs: Low; Don’t Irrigate Once Established

Attributes:  Supports Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Hummingbirds; Pollen & Nectar for Native Bees; Nectar for Hummingbirds
Note:  Not easily established at low elevations
Uses:  Soil Stabilization; Ground Cover; Lawn Alternative; Rock Garden    

Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Firewise:  YES
Native to: Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5b – 9a

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photos from Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/arctostaphylos-nevadensis

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