Tag Archives: Butterfly Gardens

Fire-wise & Native Plant: Western Clarkia

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Plant Name: Clarkia purpurea

Common name: Western Clarkia

Plant type: Annual Wildflower

Height: 3’

Spread: 1’

Bloom Time: April – July

Flower Color: Pink, Purple, Deep Wine Red

Exposure: Full Sun

Soil Requirements: Drainage can be Fast, Medium, or Slow

Water Needs: Low

 

Attributes: Supports Bats, Bees, Caterpillars, Butterflies; Conspicuous Flower; Slug Resistant

Uses: Containers; Bedding Plants

 

Firewise: YES

Native To: Western North America

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 6b – 10b

 

 

Report by Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

 

Photo by: John Doyen, Calscape.org

Fire-wise & Native: Clarkia Amoena

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Plant Name: Clarkia amoena

Common name: Farewell to Spring (Godetia)

Plant type: Annual

Height: 2’ – 3’

Spread: .75’ – 1’

 

Bloom Time: June – August

Flower Color: Shades of Pinkto Purple

Exposure: Full Sun – Part Shade

Soil Requirements: Drainage fast, medium or slow; tolerates clay or sandy soil. Minimum fertilizer needed.

Water Needs: Low, but soil should be moist until flowering, then it can be dry.

 

Attributes: Attracts Bees & Butterflies; Deer Resistant; Supports Bats & Caterpillars; Conspicuous Flower, Self-seeding: pinch out the central leader to encourage branching and heavy bloom. Do not thin seedlings as crowding encourages blooming

 

Note: Susceptible to powdery mildew, Verticillium wilt, Stem rot and Leaf spot.

Watch for aphids and mites.

 

Uses: Native Plant &; Cut Flower Gardens; Containers; Beds, Borders, Cottage Gardens

Firewise: YES

Native To: Western North America

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 8b – 10b

 

Report by Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

Photo by: Stephen Lea. Wikipedia

 

Horticulture Report: Asclepias speciosa  (Showy Milkweed) 

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Oregon Native & Firewise Plant
Plant Name:  Asclepias speciosa

Common name: Showy Milkweed
Plant type: Deciduous Herbaceous Perennial
Height: 6’
Spread:  4’
Bloom Time:  May – September
Flower Color: Pink, White, Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Well Drained
Water Needs:  Medium; Drought Tolerant
Attributes:  Attracts Hummingbirds, Monarch Butterflies, Birds; Adult Monarchs feed on Flower Nectar and Caterpillars Eat Leaves; Deer Resistant; Monarch Larval Host
Note: Spread by Underground Rhizomes
Uses:  Butterfly Garden; Borders; Rock Gardens; Native Gardens
Firewise:  YES
Native to: Midwest to West USA, & Canada
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Vicki Watkins USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Horticulture Report: Indian Hemp Dogbane

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Native Firewise Plant-

Plant Name:  Apocynum cannabinum

Common name: Indian Hemp Dogbane

Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial

Height: 3’ – 7’

Spread:   1.5’ – 2.5’
Bloom Time:  July – August

Flower Color:  Cream/White
Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade

Soil Requirements: Moist Sandy to Gravelly

Water Needs: Low to Moderate

Attributes:  Pollinated by Bees, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Flies, Beetles, Wasps, & Moths; Flowers are Hermaphrodite; Supports Bats, Butterflies, Caterpillars; Drought Tolerant

Note: All parts of the plant are Poisonous; it Contains a milky latex which may cause Skin Blisters; Invasive via spreading roots;

Uses:  Rain Gardens; Woodland Gardens; Butterfly Garden; Native Plant Garden; Erosion Control

Native to: NE United States & Canada

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Thayne Tuason, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia

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