Horticulture Report: Coffeeberry

Plant Name: Rhamnus californica ‘Eve Case’
Common name: Coffeeberry
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 6’ – 8’
Spread: 6’ – 8’
Bloom Time: Spring
Flower Color: Greenish White
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Soil Requirements: Will grow in most soils
Water Needs: Low Water Needs; Drought Tolerant
Attributes: It has dark green leaves on reddish stems. After flowering, berries follow that are first green then red and finally black when ripe. Fast growing shrub. Fairly deer resistant.
Note: High summer heat may cause fronds to brown by mid to late summer, particularly if good soil moisture is not maintained and/or plants are grown in too much sun.
Uses: Attracts Pollinators; Larval food source for Swallowtail Butterfly
Native to: North America
Oregon Native: NO- Native to California
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-10

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo /upload.wikimedia.org: Taken by Brofri [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Fall Color: Pineapple Sage!

Common Name: Pineapple Sage
Botanical Name: Salvia Elegans
Plant Type: Perennial (An annual in colder zones)
Height: 3- 4 ft
Width: 3-4 ft
Exposure: Full sun
Blooms: Scarlet-red exotic-looking tubular flowers
Bloom time: September to frost
Water Needs: Once establish needs only occasional watering
Attributes: Showy flowers, attracts hummingbirds. Culinary herb has a slight pineapple or citrus taste. Deer resistant! Easy Care, Waterwise plant
Uses: Culinary herb garden, Border gardens, Perennial gardens, Containers, Mass plantings, Poolside, Rock Gardens, Showy flowers.
USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10

Horticultural Report

Plant Name:  Anaphalis margaritacea
Common name:  Pearly Everlasting
Plant type:Herbaceous perennial
Height: 1-3 feet
Spread:   1-2 feet
Bloom Time:  July- September

Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to part Shade

Soil Requirements: well drained
Water Needs: drought tolerant
Attributes: Native wildflower, Easy to grow, Low maintenance, Showy white flowers, Blooms in clusters, Attracts butterflies.
Note:  Tolerates nutrient poor soils, Grows in sandy soil, Gravelly soils, Spreads.
Uses:  Native gardens, Pollinator gardens, Wildflower gardens, Dry meadow and Perennial garden.
Native to: USA

USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8

Salvia

Salvia guaranitica ‘Purpurea’

Common name: Anise-Scented Saliva

Family: Lamiaceae

USDA Zone : 7-10

Deep purple flowers nestled in a black calyx atop 3′ black stalks with lush green foliage.  Attracts bees and butterflies. Deer-proof plant. Showy Flowers.  Great for container growing.  Full sun to part shade. Medium moisture. Blooms mid-summer until frost. 

Submission and Photo by: Carlotta Lucas

Sweet Mock Orange

Plant Name:  Philadelphus Coronarius
Common name:  Sweet Mock Orange, Sweet Syringa
Plant type: Deciduous shrub
Height: 3-10 ft (depends on variety)
Spread:   3-6 ft
Bloom Time:  Mid to Late Spring
Flower Color:  White, Creamy White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates a range of soils including clay, but prefers moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:   Very fragment flowers, Attracts pollinators (especially butterflies), Deer resistant
Note:   Prune to control height, popular ornamental shrub
Uses: Woodlands, Foundation plantings, Shrub borders, Cottage garden, Hedge, Sitting garden, Sunny edges, English garden,
Native to: Northern Asia and Japan, Western United States, Southern Atlantic coast of USA and Mexico
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-9 (depends on variety)

There are many hybrid varieties of Philadelphus Coronarius, below are few of the popular ones:

Philadelphus x lemoinei Hybrids   Hardiness zone 4-8
‘Avalanche’ – Low-growing 3.5′ tall, Arching branches. Very fragrant single flowers about 1″ across.
‘Belle Etoile’ – 6′ tall, Single white flowers with a dark center blotch.
‘Innocence’ – Very fragrant, 8′ tall, single white blooms,  slightly variegated leaves.

Philadelphus x virginalis Hybrids:  Hardiness zone 5-9 ( unless noted otherwise)
‘Philadelphus pallidus’ 6’ tall, snow-white double flowers, rich green color leaves
‘Minnesota Snowflake’ – Popular selection, 6′ tall, double, pure white blooms, very fragrant 2″ wide flowers
‘Virginal’ – An old-fashioned cultivar,10’tall, double blooms with intense fragrance.
‘Natchez’ – One of the best. 10’tall, Covered with 2″ white fragrant blooms in May. Hardiness zone 4-7

Dwarf  Hybrids
‘Miniature Snowflake’ – 4′ tall, double white flowers, fragrant, dark green foliage. Hardiness zone 4-7
‘Manteau d’Hermine’ –  Compact 2-3’ tall, profuse heavily perfumed blooms. Hardiness zone 5-9
‘Illuminati Tiny Tower’– Narrow upright shrub 3-4’ tall. Space-saving, fragrant flowers Hardiness zone 4-7

Attracting Pollinators: Part 3

Food:  A pollinator garden, with carefully chosen plants, will provide pollen and nectar for pollinators, but you can also supplement with special feeders for birds, hummingbirds, and even butterflies with Butterfly Feeders.

Water:  Birds, bees, butterflies, all living creatures need water!

 Make a Butterflies mud puddle!
For butterflies:  Butterflies are attracted to water along the edge of rivers and creeks, which provides them with salt and nutrients. You can create a “mud puddle” watering station for them. Use a shallow dish such as a plastic or terracotta plant saucer in a sunny area of your garden that is protected from the wind. Fill the bottom of the pan with sand, gravel, and a few small stones, add water to the dampen sand.

Bees: Bees drink water, but they also gather up to a gallon of water a day in hot weather to create “air conditioning” to cool the hive. Bees can drown while gathering water, so it’s important to provide them an escape; this can be done by adding pebbles, rocks, wood, or other types of “bee rafts” into a dish of water, birdbath or bucket of water. Bee rafts can be anything that floats like wine corks, small pieces of wood even packing peanuts.

Birds: provide a bird bath, a dish of water, install a water garden or a fountain.

Submitted by: Carlotta Lucas