Article by: Lynn Kunstman, Jackson County Oregon Master Gardener
Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Horticulture Report: Red Twig Dogwood
Tag Archives: AGC Horticulture Report
Horticulture Report: Dutchman’s Pipe
Plant Name: Aristolochia californica
Common name: Dutchman’s Pipe
Plant type: Deciduous Vine
Height: 10- 15 (up to 20 feet), plant requires a trellis, or other vertical support.
Bloom Time: Later winter/Early Spring
Flower Color: Flowers are pale Green with dark maroon veins. Flowers are shaped like curved pipes with a flared bowl.
Exposure: Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates most soils
Water Needs: Somewhat drought tolerant, but likes moisture areas; in nature is grows in moist wooded areas, alongside creeks and streams.
Attributes: 
Heart-shaped leaves on woody stems. Musty odious flowers attract carrion-feeding flies & gnats for pollination; insects eventually escape after plant attaches pollen to them. Plant is host for native Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly (Battus philenor). Aristolochia californica is the only food source of the Pipevine Swallowtail! Dutchman ’s Pipe provides habitat for other beneficial insects.
Firewise: Unable to determine
Native to: Sacramento Valley, Northern Sierra Nevada foothills, San Francisco Bay Area, Northern Inner California Coast Ranges, Southeastern Klamath Mountains
USDA Hardiness Zone: 8 -10
Report by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Photo of Flowers By: peganum from Small Dole, England – Aristolochia californica, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47474436
Photo of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar by: Joanie Kintscher, AGC Member & Past President
Firewise Plants: Heartleaf Bergenia
Plant Name: Bergenia cordifolia
Common name: Heartleaf Bergenia
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: 12” – 14”
Plant Width: 12” – 18”
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color: Pink/White
Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade.
Soil Requirements: Average, Medium, Well-Drained Soil.
Water Needs: Medium
Fire Resistant: YES – Zone 8 – Plant 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Green Leaves in Summer Change to Burgundy in the Fall; Showy Flower; Good Cut Flower; Deer Resistant; Tolerates Heavy Shade.
Uses: Groundcover; Rock Gardens; Shaded Front-of-the Border; Edger.
Note: Remove All Damaged Foliage in Late Winter/Early Spring; Remove Spent Flower Stems; Spreads Slowly by Rhizomes .
Native to: Russia
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8
Horticulture Report: Creeping Thyme
Plant Name: Thymus praecox
Common name: Creeping Thyme
Plant Type: Groundcover
Plant Height: 1” – 4”
Plant Width: 6” – 18”
Bloom Time: May – August
Flower Color: Pink White, Purple
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Average, Dry – Medium, Well-Drained; Tolerates Rocky or Poor Soil.
Water Need: Drought Tolerant Once Established
Fire Resistant: YES. Plant 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Leaves in Shades of Light to Dark Green Yellow, or Variegated; Deer Resistant; Attracts Bees/Butterflies.
Uses: Rock Walls; Between Pavers; Rock Garden; Path Edging.
Note: Cut Back Stems to Maintain Plant Appearance; Susceptible to Root Rot in Poor Draining Soils.
Native to: SW & Central Europe; Greenland; Turkey
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 10
Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member
Photo Credit: Jason Hollinger, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Horticulture Report: Sedums
Plant Name: Sedum species
Common name: Sedum or Stonecrops
Plant Type: Perennial Succulent
Plant Height: 2” – 12”; Varies Depending on Varieties: Ground Cover Level to Upright
Plant Width: 6” – 24”
Bloom Time: Summer, Fall
Flower Color: Pink, Red, White, Yellow (Depends on Variety)
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Sun
Soil Requirements: Loamy, Sandy, Well Draining.
Water Need: Low; Drought Tolerant Once Established.
Fire Resistant: YES; 10” or more from house.
Attributes: Attracts Birds/Butterflies; Foliage in Shades of Green to Blue/Chartreuse to Pink; Deer Resistant
Uses: Rock Garden; Edging; Containers, Smaller varieties ground cover.
Note: Deadhead After Flowering to Maintain Shape & Size; or Leave Attractive Seed Heads for Winter Interest; Subject to Mealybugs, Scale, Slugs/Snails, Powdery Mildew.
Native to: Eastern United States
Oregon Native: Some varieties of Sedum spathulifolium and other broadleaf stonecrop are native to Oregon
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 10
Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member
Autumn Joy Sedum and Broad-Leaf Sedum Photos by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Sedum oreganum (Yellow flowers) photo by: Stan Shebs https://calscape.org/loc-california/Sedum%20oreganum()
Horticulture Report: Sempervivum
Plant Name: Sempervivum species
Common name: Hens & Chicks
Plant Type: Succulent
Plant Height: 2” – 6”
Plant Width: 6” – 10”
Bloom Time: June – August
Flower Color: Pink
Exposure: Full to Part Sun
Soil Requirements: Well-Drained Sandy or Gravelly Soil.
Water Need: Low
Fire Resistant: YES; Grow 10’+ from house.
Attributes: Wide Variety of Foliage Colors; Deer Resistant; Year Round Interest
Uses: Rock Walls; Rock Gardens; Succulent Gardens; Edging
Note: Parent Plant Produces Flowers & Smaller Plants (or chicks); Plant Dies After Flowering Thus Offsets; >
Native to: Southern Europe/Western Asia
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 10
Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member
Photos by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member