Tag Archives: Attracts Birds

Horticulture Report: Rock Cress

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Plant Name:  Aubrieta deltoidei
Common name: Rock Cress
Plant Type:  Evergreen Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  .5’ – .75’
Plant Width:  1’ – 2’
Bloom Time:  Late Spring – Early Summer
Flower Color:  Purple-Red
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Well-Drained;
Water Need:  Low
Fire Resistant: YES; 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Deer Resistant; Attracts Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds;
Uses:  Rock Gardens; Front of Border; Containers.
Note: Cut Back After Flowering, Not in Fall; Short Lived; Divide Every 1 – 3 Years;
Native to: Eastern Europe
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 -8

Purple Rock Cress

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Eli+, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Clemson Variegated Silverberry

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Plant Name:  Elaeagnus pungens ‘Clemson Variegated’
Common name:  ‘Clemson Variegated’ Silverberry; Thorny Olive; Silver Thorn
Plant Type:  Evergreen Shrub
Plant Height:  6’ – 10’
Plant Width:  6’ – 10’
Bloom Time:  October – November
Flower Color:  White Flowers followed by Red Fruit
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates Wide Range of Soils with Good Drainage.
Water Need:  Regular
Firewise: Medium Flammability
Attributes: Deer Resistant; Fragrant, Showy Flowers; Attracts Songbirds & Bees; Drought Resistant; Winter Interest; Variegated Leaves of Green, Gold, Yellow
Uses:  Background Plant; Wind Break; Screen.
Note:  Thorns
Native to:  China & Japan
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7 – 11

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photo from: Oregon State University Dept. of Horticulture https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/node/2132

Posted by: Carlotta Lucas

Oregon Native: Western Serviceberry

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Plant Name:  Amelenchier alnifolia
Common name:  Saskatoon/Western Serviceberry
Plant Type:  Perennial Shrub
Plant Height:  3’ – 18’
Plant Width:  6’ – 8’
Bloom Time:  April – June
Flower Color: White Flowers Followed by Blue Berries
Exposure:  Full Sun to Shade
Soil Requirements:  Well-Drained; Tolerant of Sand, Loam, Clay.
Water Need: Medium
Fire Resistance: Zone 2 – Resistant Code 5 (plant 60 ft from home)
Attributes: Fall Color; Some Drought Tolerance; Attracts Birds/Butterflies; Larval Host for Some Butterflies; Value to Native Bees.
Uses:  Ornamental Shrub; Hedge; Native Gardens; Foundation Planting.
Note:  Prone to Root Sucker; Prune to an Open Form for Light & Air Circulation to reduce chance of Disease.
Native to:  North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  2 – 7

Report by: Viki Ashford and Carlotta Lucas

Photo by: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Crabapples Add Winter Interest

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Crabapples are an excellent choice for creating winter interest in a landscape and their small fruits are a desirable food source for birds. Crabapples have a reputation of being messy, but if you purchase trees with “persistent” fruit, then the fruits stays on the tree longer, making less of a mess on the ground and leaving more fruit on the tree for birds. Persistent fruits also provide longer winter interest with red, pink, orange or yellow fruits hanging on trees.

Crabapple blossoms come in white, light pink, deep pink and rose-colored, which attracts butterflies and bees in the spring.  Some varieties have fragrant flowers and some have purple foliage.  Crabapples come in various sizes to accommodate small, medium or large yards.  In this first posting I am listing three dwarf varieties for small spaces and ones with excellent to good disease resistance; there are many more. (*chart)

Hardiness Zones 4-8.  Sun Exposure:  Full Sun 6+ hours, Part Sun 4-6 hours, Full Shade up to 4 hours.  Note: Where fire blight is a concern, avoid spring pruning (when bacterium can enter fresh open cuts).

Dwarf Crabapples

Lollipop Crabapple:  10 ft H x 10 ft W; Neat formal compact dwarf tree with rounded head, fine texture with small leaves and dense growth habit and symmetrical form. Foliage: Green. Flowers: White with yellow stamens. Fruit: Bright red, 3/8-inch. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew & Cedar Apple Rust. Good: Fire Blight & Scab.

Sargent Crabapple: 8 ft H x12ft W; Natural forming dwarf tree with horizontal spreading branches. Foliage: Dark Green. Flowers: Profuse ½-inch white fragrant flowers. Fruit: 1/4-inch Bright Red, Profuse, Persistent. Disease resistant ratings- Excellent: Mildew, Cedar Apple Rust, Fire Blight & Scab.

Pink Princess Crabapple: 8 ft h x 12 ft W; Natural dwarf tree with low spreading branches. Foliage: Purple turning to Bronze-Green. Flowers: Rose Pink. Fruit: Deep Red, ¼ -inch. Disease resistant ratings-Excellent: Cedar Apple Rust, Mildew, Fire Blight & Scab.

Article by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

*Chart by: J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co https://www.jfschmidt.com/pdfs/JFS_CRAB_CHART.pdf

Oregon Native:Utah Serviceberry

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Plant Name:  Amelanchier utahensis
Common name:  Utah Serviceberry
Plant type:  Deciduous Shrub
Height:  3’ – 15’
Spread: 10′-15′
Bloom Time: April – June
Flower Color:  White/Pink
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates most soils, but well-drained.
Water Needs:  Low – Medium
Attributes:  Browse Food for Birds & Wildlife; Hosts Butterflies & Moths; Attracts Pollinators.
Note:  Berries eaten by Birds; Deep Root System; Plant is Self-Fertile.
Uses: Accent Shrub; Windbreak Hedge
Native to:  Western United States
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5 – 8
Fire Resistance Score: 5 (Zone 2: plant 60 ft away from house)

Report by: Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas

Photo by: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Native: Thimbleberry

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Plant Name:  Rubus parviflorus

Common name:  Thimbleberry
Plant Type:  Perennial Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 8.2’
Spread: 4’ – 8’
Bloom Time: Spring; Fruit Mid to Late Summer.
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Fertile, Fast Drainage; Slightly Acidic.
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Firewise:  Yes    *Please Note: Firewise does not mean Fire Proof!
Attributes:  Hosts several Butterflies & Moths; Attracts Birds
Note: Thornless. If Fruit is priority:  Remove fruited canes immediately after harvest; leave non-fruiting canes to overwinter.  Possible Problems:  Leaf spot, anthracnose, botrytis, powdery mildew, root rots, verticillium wilt, raspberry mosaic, cane borers & crown borers, aphids.
Uses:  Bird Garden, Native Garden, Hedge.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member and Master Gardener

Photos from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflowers website taken by Terry Glase

For more information on Thimbleberries: https://calscape.org/Rubus-parviflorus-(Western-Thimbleberry)