Category Archives: Wildflowers & Native Plants

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

Oregon Native: Mountain Snowberry

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Plant Name:  Symphoricarpos oreophilus
Common name:  Mountain Snowberry
Plant Type:  Perennial Shrub
Plant Height:  3’ – 6’
Bloom Time: May – August
Flower Color: Pink
Exposure:  Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moderate to Well-Drained
Water Need:  Low
Fire Resistance: Zone 1, code 8, plant 30 feet from home
Attributes: Aromatic Blooms; Fruit for Birds;
Uses: Erosion Control; Ground Cover; Understory;
Note:  Spreads from Root System; Fruit & Leaves Mildly Toxic to Children
Native to:  Western/Central North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4a-10b

Report by Viki Ashford

Photo by: Wasowski, Sally and Andy, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYOR2

Oregon Native Wildflower: Anemone drammondii

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Plant Name:  Anemone drammondii
Common name:  Drummond’s Anemone
Plant type:  Perennial Wildflower
Height:  9.5”
Bloom Time: June – August
Flower Color:  White tinged with Blue
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Rocky, Scree Soil; Well-drained.
Water Needs: Low
Attributes:  Attracts Insect Pollinators
Note: Plant at Deciduous Stage; Tap Root
Uses:  Wildflower Gardens; Rock Gardens.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  2a-8b

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member and Master Gardener

Photo by: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons