Subshrubs

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Subshrubs have the unique characteristics of both herbaceous and woody plants. Their bases are woody but they produce new herbaceous growth during the primary growing season. Many herbs fall into the subshrub category, such as:

SunsetHyssop (Agastache rupestris)
Form: Vase shaped plant maturing to 2 feet high by 1.5 feet wide
Exposure: Full sun
Color: Flowers vibrant pink, purple and orange
Bloom Time: Long bloom season summer to fall
Attributes: Fragrant, Attracts Bees & Butterflies, Ornamental, Medicinal, Culinary
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4b-9


English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Form: Upright clumping growth habit, 1.5 feet tall by 2 feet wide
Exposure: Plant in full sun to partial sun in evenly moist and rich soil
Color: Green-gray to green–purple foliage in the summer, silver-green to gray-bronzed in the winter. Flowers blue-purple, lavender, violet-blue, or white-pink, depending upon cultivar Bloom Time: varies with cultivar
Attributes: Semi- evergreen, Fragrant, Ornamental, Medicinal, Culinary
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9

Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Form: Woody Stems, 3′ tall and wide,
short lived, needs replacing every 3- 4 years
Exposure: Full Sun
 Color: Grayish foliage – Flowers blue to purplish   Bloom Time: May- July

Attributes: Water Conserving Evergreen, Fragrant, Ornamental, Medicinal, Culinary
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-9

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Form: Woody base with upright stems 3 to 4.5 feet tall
Exposure: Full sun, hardy, drought tolerant
Color: Grayish-white stems, silver-gray foliage with small tubular deep blue or lavender flowers
Bloom Time: July – September
Attributes: Pungent fragrance, attracts butterflies, Ornamental, Culinary, Medicinal, deer-resistant
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Deerwood (Lotus scoparius) (California Broom)
Form: Woody base with arching airy branches, grows to 3 feet
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
Color: Flowers begin as yellow, turning to orange
Bloom Time: April-June
Attributes: California native, feeds numerous wildlife: hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and deer. Bees relish this plant! Nitrogen fixing capabilities
USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-10

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)
Form: Tall straight clusters of silvery-green branches, foliage spirally arranged, grows 3 feet tall by 2 feet wide.
Exposure: Full sun to partial shade, drought tolerant
Color: Greenish-grey foliage clad with silky-silvery “hairs”, small yellow tubular flowers
Bloom Time: June-October
Attributes: Companion plant to suppress weeds – roots secretes substances which inhibit the growth of surrounding plants. Ornamental, Culinary, Medicinal
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Pruning Subshrubs
Subshrubs are not pruned like softer herbaceous herbs, such as germander, marjoram, oregano, and winter savory, or even other woody plants. Subshrubs are never pruned during the cool fluctuating temperatures of fall and winter and you never cut them to the ground. Subshrubs should be pruned in early spring once signs of new growth appear and then only to remove dead and broken wood. In some cases, pruning can wait until after the first bloom, but technically you should avoid pruning subshrubs because doing so could be harmful to the plant.

by Carlotta Lucas

Happy Soil

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Happy Soil
by Denny Morelli
(Notes from a recent talk at Medford Garden Club)

You can’t have good results in your garden if you don’t start with good soil. Top soils are made up of different components including plant and animal residue, moisture, air space and live soil dwelling organisms.

The best thing you can do for your garden is compost, compost and more compost.

Organic content provides food for growing plants, food for bacteria, fungi, earthworms and other beneficial organisms. A total organic content should be at least 6% of the top 4” – 6 “of top soil. It also provides a reservoir for moisture. Organic content also provides temperature stability and weed control.

This water reservoir prevents the tendency of over watering in the summer and the leaching out nutrients in rainy weather. Over watering can be a serious problem as it flushes out nutrients and increases pollution levels in our streams.

The timing and rate of releasing nutrients is important. Organic material helps to control the amount of fertilizer available at any given time. Air space created by the channels made by various organisms provides space for oxygen, moisture and plant roots. Do not rototill. Tilling the soil collapses this delicate structure. It is better to put a layer of 2” – 4” of compost on top early in the spring to let the nutrients sink in.

One problem in planting is that plants are usually planted too deep. Dig the hole, add some compost and plant the plant so it is higher than ground level, creating a small rounded berm. In time it will sink to the level of the ground.

Be careful where you buy compost. Most box store compost may be over a year old and have little nutrients left. Denny’s commercial formula is 40% forest material, including rotted wood, leave, moss and humus; 50% pasture material, including shredded alfalfa, grass and cover crops; 10% dairy goat & chicken manure; and nutrient supplements e.g. seed meal, kelp meal, high protein livestock feed, goat mils and trace elements. Do not use walnut leaves for mulch.

Fertilizers for home gardeners include fish emulsion, which works very fast but needs to be applied often; and Dr Earth, which takes a month to do any good. Be sure to look at the label; a lot of compost has too much magnesium. In the heat of the summer a layer of alfalfa, purchased at a feed store, protects the ground. Denny sells his compost from his farm. Read more here: http://www.ccountry.net/~compost/

Other good sources of compost are Hilton Landscape Central Point and the Grange Coop, who has an excellent compost called Green Planet Compost.

by Emilie Vest

Wildfire: Reducing Risk

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Before summer, homeowners should remove fire hazards and reduce fuel from around their homes. The City of Ashland Oregon is currently helping homeowners with this task by offering grants to city residents to modify and/or remove fire-hazard vegetation near their homes. To participate, residents must first obtain a Wildfire Safety Home Assessment, this assessment includes site-specific recommendations for creating a defensible space around a structure. Read more here: Ashland- Oregon Wildfire News

Planting fire resistant plants around your house may reduce your fire risk during a wildfire, so the OSU Extension Service has provided a list of fire resistant plants for Oregon homeowners. Read OSU’s plant list here: Fire Resistant Plants for Home Landscapes

Below are a few of the plants you will find on their list:

Penstemon
species

Stachys byzantina
Lamb’s Ear

Philadelphus coronarius
Mock Orange

Pachistima myositis
Oregon Boxwood

Spring: Fertilizing Trees & Shrubs

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Spring is a good time to fertilize young trees and shrubs
By Judy Scott, judy.scott@oregonstate.edu
Source: Ross Penhallegon, ross.penhallegon@oregonstate.edu

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Trees and shrubs often are forgotten when it comes time to fertilize the yard in the spring. Young trees, especially those with a trunk diameter of less than six inches, can benefit from regular applications of fertilizer.

“When young trees soak up nitrogen fertilizer, they grow quickly, develop a dense canopy and stay green into the fall,” said Ross Penhallegon, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. “It might not be necessary, however, to fertilize large, established trees or shrubs in or near lawns or groundcovers that are fertilized regularly.”

Tree root systems extend for a long distance and they absorb nutrients when the area around them is fertilized. Additionally, as trees mature, their roots develop associations with fungi called mycorrhizae. These beneficial fungi help the tree utilize minerals and elements in the soil.

Before you fertilize, take a look at your trees and ask these questions to help you decide if your trees need additional nutrients:

  • How much annual growth do you see? Most young trees average about 12 to 18 inches of new shoot growth each year; older trees have less.
  • Is your tree growing less than expected?
  • Has the color, size or amount of foliage changed over the past few years?
  • Has the tree recently had disease or insect problems?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the tree might benefit from fertilization.

  • Another way to determine fertilizer needs is to do a soil test.

“The best time to fertilize is in the spring,” Penhallegon said. “If you fertilize in the fall, you run the risk of shocking the plant into becoming metabolically active right when cold weather hits.” Plus, a lot of the fertilizer will leach into the groundwater due to the excessive rain.

Most woody plants begin the new year’s growth with elements stored from the year before. An application of fertilizer in the spring gives an additional boost to this new growth.

Garden references vary about how much fertilizer to apply to trees and shrubs. Penhallegon has a general rule for fertilizing trees and shrubs – use 1/4 to 1/2 pound of nitrogen per inch of diameter for trees six inches or more in diameter at breast height. Use 1/4-pound actual nitrogen per inch on smaller trees. This is roughly two to four pounds of complete fertilizer per inch diameter on the larger trees and half that dosage on smaller trees. In most cases use the lesser amount.

“As time goes on, you will be able to tell by the condition of tree or shrub, whether or not it needs more fertilizer,” Penhallegon said. “Typically, healthy trees and shrubs have 12 to 18 inches of branch growth per year. Their leaf color should be dark green, with lighter green on new growth.”

Apply the fertilizer along the drip line of the tree, the area with the majority of the roots. If the fertilizer is applied to the soil surface only, much can be washed away or will not filter into the soil to the root zone. Water the fertilizer or allow the rain to keep the fertilizer from washing away.

For quicker absorption, use a punch or probe to make holes 12 to 18 inches deep, and then fill the holes with fertilizer. Then, be sure to water deeply.

Another way to fertilize is to “pepper” the ground with fertilizer as you walk around the drip-line of the tree. This method should also provide an adequate amount of fertilizer. Apply fertilizer in this manner right before it rains, so it will be washed into the root zone. Or water the fertilized area for an hour after application.

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This article is online at: http://bit.ly/OSU_Gardening1534

For more information, see the two-page publication “Fertilizing Shade and Ornamental Trees” at http://bit.ly/OSUESfs103 or visit OSU Extension on-line publications and video catalog at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog. The catalog shows which publications are available online and which can be ordered as printed publications.

Planting: FEBRUARY & MARCH

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FEBRUARY AND MARCH Planting: from Crockett’s Victory Garden

Vegetables:
You can start your seeds of: BROCCOLI, CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER
Sow seeds in potting soil; 18 seeds will give you plenty!
Set trays, or 4″ pots, in the bright warmth of your greenhouse or hotbed.
When seedlings are 1″, transfer to individual pots.
Towards the END of the March, move them into a cold frame or protected area to harden off where they will grow more slowly. They will be ready for the open garden in APRIL.As soon as your ground can be worked, plant peas and radishes directly into the garden.Beets are one of the few root vegetables that can be successfully transplanted, so plant them in your greenhouses now. They can be transplanted into the garden in APRIL.

Flowers:
Group1:
Impatiens, Lobelia, Petunias, Scarlet Sage, Verbena, Fibrous-rooted Begonia, Ice Plant, need 7-9 weeks from seeding indoors to planting in the garden.

Group 2:
Ageratum, Sweet Alyssum, Globe Amaranth, China Asters, Bells of Ireland, Blue Lace Flower, Cosmos (yellow and orange type), Dusty Miller, Lupine, Flowering Tobacco, China Pink, Portulaca, annual Phlox, Snapdragon, Stocks and Strawflowern, require a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks indoors before to planting in the garden.

Group 3:
Sweet Alyssum, Globe Amaranth, Balloon Vine, Calendula, Celosia, annual Chrysanthemum, Clarkia, Cornflowers, Cosmos, Chinese Forget-me-not, Godetia, Marigold, Pincushion Flowers, Zinnia and Sunflowers, need 4-6 weeks from starting indoors to planting in the garden.

I’m sure there’s more…..
Happy Planting
Melody Jones

Horticulture Report- Feb 2012 Part II

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Deer Proof Plants: The following are summaries of perennials from the book
50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, bulbs and shrubs that Deer Don’t Eat
by Ruth Clausen( May 31, 2011)

Perennials Part 2

LADY’S MANTLE (Alchemilla mollis) This plant has a softly hairy scalloped leaf which looks good all season.The hairy leaves deter the deer.Lady’s Mantle thrives in part sun or light shade and tolerate heat if kept moist.It enhances plants like grape hyacinths, daffodils and other deer resistant spring bulbs. The sprays of yellowish green flowers are good fillers for garden arrangements and can also be used later for dried arrangements.

LENTEN ROSE(Helleborus orientalis) Part of the popularity of this plant is due to its deer resistance but also because of its enchanting early blooms which make long lasting cut flowers.The flowers are cup shaped in white, pink or purple.It is great with spring bulbs like narcissus, snowdrops and the white Mt. Hood daffodil. Plant helleborus in light shade about 15-18 inches apart in humus rich, slightly acid soil and keep well watered.The plants bulk up but do not spread.They are greedy feeders so in the fall mulch with decomposed leaves or compost.

LONGSPUR BARRENWORT(Epimedium grandiflorum) Barrenwort or Bishops hat was used medicinally and contain some anthocyanins as the related berberis have so the deer do not touch it.They do best in acid humus rich soil in shaded woodlands but theycan be colonized under the shade of deciduous trees and shrubs..It only grows 8-15 inches high.

PEONY (paeonia officinalis) These plants are very tough and easy to grow when given full sun and lots of moisture retaining organic material. The cultivars abound in all colors except blue and have different bloom time flower shapes and sizes. Plant the crowns 2-3 feet apart and no more than 2 inches below the soil surface since deep planting inhibits blooming. They are usually planted bare- root in the fall.

SIBERIAN BUGLOSS (Brunnera macrophylla) This plant also known as perennial forget me not comes from Siberia and is perfect for gardens exposed to cold winters It has airy sprays of blue forget me not flowers which fade in the summer and then the heart shaped emerald leaves become 6-8- wide and thrive in light shade with moist soils. It grows to 1-2 feet tall and as wide. The deer do not like its rough texture.

YARROW (Achillea millefolium) Yarrow has many cultivars with butterfly attracting flowers in shades of pink. crimson ,lilac, orange, yellow, and red. Deer find the acrid aroma of the foliage distasteful. Yarrow does best in poor soil with good drainage. ( spreads)

 

SWEET BOX (Sarcococca hookeriana humilis) Native to China this evergreen shrub thrives in the shade. Low growing about 1-2 feet high, it has dark green narrow pointed leaves with tiny fragrant white flowers in the spring followed by glossy blue-black fruit. It is an easy care plant that spreads by underground runners to 8 feet or more.

By Mary Ann Wallace and Gena Goddard