Oregon Native: Rough Fruit Berry

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Plant Name:  Rubus lasiococcus
Common name:  Rough Fruit Berry, Dwarf Bramble
Plant Type:  Perennial Subshrub/Groundcover
Plant Height: Few Inches
Spread: Small Vine
Bloom Time: June to August
Flower Color: White; small red fruit
Exposure: Sun
Water Needs:  Moist
Attributes: Attracts Bumble & Native Bees; Hummingbirds, & Moths
HOST for: White-lined sphinx, Alfalfa Looper Moth, Elegant Sheep Moth, Red-humped Caterpillar, Lappet Moth, Fingered Dagger Moth, Lunate Zale Moth.

Note: Trailing Vine, Thornless, Freely Rooting.
Uses: Fruit
Native to:  British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-7

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener                            and Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Photo by: Walter Siegmund / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Oregon Native: Red Elderberry

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Plant Name:  Sambucus racemosa
Common name: Red Elderberry

Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub or Small Tree
Plant Height: 10’ – 20’
Width:  8′-10′
Bloom Time: April – July
Flower Color: Creamy White Flowers Followed by Bright Red Berries.
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Well Draining Loamy, Silty, Nutrient Rich.
Water Needs: High Moisture
Attributes:  Nectar for Hummingbirds; Fragrant Flowers; Attracts Butterflies; Deer Resistant.
Note: Susceptible to Viral Canker, Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spot, Cane Borers.


Uses: Soil Stabilization; Wildlife Garden; Hedge.
Native to:  Most of North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 7

” Warning: Red Elderberry Fruits are not edible when raw, but when cooked they make a good jam, pie, and wine.” (Oregon State University)

Report By: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener

Photos from: Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/sambucus-nigra-subsp-cerulea

Walk Ashland: “Water is Life” – Mosaic Art on the Bandersnatch Trail

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Karen Rycheck’s amazing artistic journey.  Honoring watershed animals.  Artist: Karen Rycheck.
Ashland Public Art series.
Click link to see all 29 photos: 
“Water is Life” – Mosaic Art on the Bandersnatch Trail

Article/ Photos by Peter Finkle, AGC member

Salamander on level 2 of Water is Life. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Today in the Garden; Gaillardia x grandiflora

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Here’s a new favorite for a sunny spot:  Long-blooming, pollinator friendly and brightly colored, Gaillardia x grandiflora has been blooming in my West-facing garden since June, and is still putting out new buds.  It’s a hybrid on a Western native, Gaillardia aristata.  The common name is Blanket Flower.  The colors often remind me of the state flag of Arizona:  yellow, scarlet, bronze. The flowers are 2-3 “ across, and the seed heads are attractive, too. Gaillardia is easy to grow and to maintain.  I just prune off the dried seed heads when they look tatty.  Another option, though, is to leave at least some in place at the end of the season, because these plants reseed, so you can have more for free next Spring.  There are several cultivars available.  I have the original, which is about 24” x 24”.  I also have the dwarf form, called ‘Goblin’, which is about  1 foot high and wide.  Needs full sun, moderate water and  fast drainage.

~Sherri Morgan, AGC Member

Today in the Garden

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I found a surprise in my garden today. This white flower appears to be a begonia, but I don’t recall planting it. Friends and neighbors do give me plants which often need help, so perhaps this one came to me as a sad root in a pot without an identity. It’s a lovely surprise on this smokey October day. I really like the happy ball-shaped yellow centers. I felt like it was a gift from the garden fairies when I saw it. ~Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Oregon Native: Blackcap Raspberry

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Plant Name:  Rubus leucodermis
Common name: Whitebark Raspberry or Blackcap Raspberry
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub-Vine, Arching or Trailing
Plant Height: 1’ – 6.6’
Spread: 3’
Bloom Time: Spring; Fruit Ripens July – Aug
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerant of Sand, Loam, & Clay.
Water Needs:  Moderate to High
Attributes: Host to some Butterflies & Moths.
Note: Thorny Shoots; Crown is Perennial, Canes are Biennal; First Year Stems (Primocanes) are non-flowering; Flowers form on 2ne Year Lateral Stems (Floricanes).
Uses: Bird Gardens; Fruit Gardens.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: To Zone 5

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Photo by: Aleazrocha / Public domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rubusleucodermis2.jpg