Category Archives: Wildflowers & Native Plants

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

Oregon Native Plant: Ribes zoezlii

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Plant Name:  Ribes zoezlii
Common name:  Sierra Gooseberry
Plant Type:  Deciduous, Multi-Stem, Spiny Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 5’
Spread: 1’
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Flower Color: Burgundy and White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade.
Soil Requirements: Coarse to Medium Texture.
Water Needs: Dry to Medium Dry
Attributes:  Hosts for Numerous Butterflies & Moths; Fragrant; Showy Tubular, Fuchsia-like Flowers; Fall Color: Fruit is covered in spines, but it is edible, great for gooseberry jam.
Note: As always, get professional advice before consuming any plant or berry in the wild.
Uses: Attracts Bee, Bird and Butterflies; Hummingbird Gardens; Pollinator Gardens; Native Gardens, Woodland Gardens
Native to:  California & Oregon
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

Report: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Fruiting Photo: Dcrjsr / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Flowering Photo: USFS Region 5 / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Wildflower: Helianthus mollis

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Plant Name:  Helianthus mollis
Common name: Ashy Sunflower, Hairy Sunflower, Downy Sunflower
Plant Type:  Rhizomatous Perennial Sunflower
Plant Height: 2’ – 4’
Spread:  1’ – 3’
Bloom Time: July – September
Flower Color:  Ray & Disk Flowers are Yellow.
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements:  Average, Sandy, Poor Rocky Soil that Drains Well.
Water Needs:  Dry to Medium
Attributes: Attracts Birds & Butterflies; Tolerates Dry, Rocky Soil.
Note:  Plants spread by rhizomes & self-seeding to form colonies; Caterpillars & Beetles often chew foliage.
Uses: Showy Flower for Arrangements; Naturalized Areas, Border Gardens, Wildflower & Native Plant Gardens.
Native to:  Central & Eastern North America
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9