Tag Archives: Attracts Bees

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

Garden Poster

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The Untended Garden in March!

Excuse the weeds, but the bumbles bees like them.

~Garden and Poster by Goly Ostovar, AGC Member

Horticulture Report: Polygala fruticosa

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Plant Name:  Polygala fruticosa
Common name: Dwarf Sweet-Pea Bush
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 3 feet
Spread:   3 feet
Bloom Time:  Spring-Summer
Flower Color: Vibrant, purple-magenta, pea-like flowers
Sun Exposure:Full Sun to Part Sun (4-6 hours)
Soil Requirements: Well-drained, humus-rich soil
Water Needs: Moderate
Attributes:   Green-Gray Foliage, Attracts Pollinators, Nectar-rich flowers
Firewise:  Status unknown
Note:  Only Hardy above 20 o, NOT a perennial in areas where temperatures drops below 20o, but in Zone 8A it will typically recover.
Uses:  Flowers for Cutting, Long Bloom Season, Repeat Flowering, Showy Flowers, Container Plant, Perennial Garden, Cottage Garden,  Wildlife & Pollinator Gardens
Native to: South Africa
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9-10

Photo by: Joanie Kintscher, Past President AGC

Report by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member

Firewise Plant: Muscari armeniacum Grape Hyacinth

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Plant Name:  Muscari armeniacum
Common name:  Grape Hyacinth
Plant Type: Bulbous Perennial
Plant Height: .5’ – .75’
Plant Width:  .25’ – .50’
Bloom Time: April
Flower Color:  Royal Blue with thin White Rim
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Well Drained; Sandy; Loam
Water Needs: Medium
Fire Resistant:  YES; Zone 10 – Plant 10’+ from structure.
Attributes: Showy Flower; Fragrant; Good Cut Flower; Deer Resistant; Tolerates Clay Soil; Attracts Bees/Butterflies.
Uses: Mass in Open Areas; Around Shrubs; Under Deciduous Trees; Rock Gardens; Front of the Border; Container Plant.
Note:  Reduce Watering After Foliage Begins to Die Back.
Native to: Western Asia, Southeastern Europe
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Photo by (c)2008 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), GFDL 1.2 http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html, via Wikimedia Commons