Article by: Lynn Kunstman, Jackson County Oregon Master Gardener
Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Horticulture Report: Red Twig Dogwood
Tag Archives: Butterfly Host Plants
Horticulture Report: Sambucus nigra
Article by: Lynn Kuntsman, Jackson County Master Gardener & Wildlife Management
Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Horticulture Report: Rudbeckia hirta
Rudbeckia hirta
Black-eyed Susan ‘Prairie Sun’
Type: Herbaceous perennial – CULTIVAR
Height: 2.50 to 3.00 feet Spread: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to frost
Bloom Description: Yellow-tipped orange rays with green center disk
Sun: Full sun Water: Medium Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Annual, Naturalize
Flower: Showy, Good Cut
Attracts: Butterflies Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Clay Soil
Culture
Biennial or short-lived perennial that is winter hardy to USDA Zones 3-7. It blooms in the first year from seed planted in early spring, and is accordingly often grown as an annual. It is easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Best in moist, organically rich soils. Tolerates heat, drought and a wide range of soils except poorly-drained wet ones. For best result from seed in the St. Louis area, start seed indoors around March 1. Seed may also be sown directly in the garden at last frost date. Some varieties are available in cell/six packs from nurseries. Set out seedlings or purchased plants at last frost date. Deadhead spend flowers to encourage additional bloom and/or to prevent any unwanted self-seeding. Whether or not plants survive from one year to the next, they freely self-seed and will usually remain in the garden through self-seeding.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Ruudbeckia hirta, commonly called black-eyed Susan, is a common Missouri native wildflower which typically occurs in open woods, prairies, fields, roadsides and waste areas throughout the State. It is a coarse, hairy, somewhat weedy plant that features daisy-like flowers (to 3” across) with bright yellow to orange-yellow rays and domed, dark chocolate-brown center disks. Blooms throughout the summer atop stiff, leafy, upright stems growing 1-3’ tall. Rough, hairy, lance-shaped leaves (3-7” long). Plants of this species are sometimes commonly called gloriosa daisy, particularly the larger-flowered cultivars that come in shades of red, yellow, bronze, orange and bicolors.
Genus name honors Olof Rudbeck (1630-1702) Swedish botanist and founder of the Uppsala Botanic Garden in Sweden where Carl Linnaeus was professor of botany.
Species name of hirta means hairy in reference to the short bristles that cover the leaves and stems.
‘Prairie Sun’ grows to 3’ tall on stiff, upright, leafy stems. It produces a long summer-to-fall bloom of large, daisy-like flowers (to 5” diameter) featuring orange rays tipped with lemon yellow and greenish center disks. Flowers bloom singly atop strong, sometimes-branching stems. Rough, bright green leaves (3-7” long) in basal clumps with smaller stem leaves. ‘Prairie Sun’ is an All-America Selection winner in 2003 and a Gold Medal winner at the 2003 Fleuroselect trials in England.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Susceptible to powdery mildew. Watch for slugs and snails on young plants. Can self-seed freely. Deer tend to avoid this plant.
Garden Uses
Borders. Annual beds. Cottage gardens. Wild gardens. Meadows. Groups or mass plantings. Good cut flower.
Article by: Lynn Kunstman, Jackson County Master Gardener
Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member
Photo by: Bluestone Perennials https://www.bluestoneperennials.com
Oregon Native: Ceanothus prostratus
Plant Name: Ceanothus prostratus
Common name: Mahala Mat
Plant Type: Evergreen Groundcover/Subshrub
Plant Height: 6”
Plant Width: 8’
Bloom Time: May – July
Flower Color: Pale Purple to Pale Blue to White
Exposure: Sun
Soil Requirements: Average, Gritty Soil.
Water Need: Regular; Drought Tolerant; Dry in Summer.
Fire Resistant: YES; Plant 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Attracts Bees; Fixes Nitrogen; Host Plant to Some Butterflies; Attracts Other Insects; Deer Resistant.
Uses: Erosion Control; Bee/Bird/Butterfly Gardens.
Note: Verticillium Wilt Resistant.
Native to: California into Nevada; Pacific Northwest
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 – 9
Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener
Photo Credit: Adam Schneider, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mahala_mat.jpg
Oregon Native: Pacific Wax Myrtle
Botanical Name: Morella californica
Common Name: Pacific Wax Myrtle
Bayberry–Family Myricaceae
Plant Type: Broad leaf Evergreen
Water use: Moderate -High
Growth: moderate rate to 10-30 feet (3-10m) tall and wide
Habitat:Usually occurs in wetlands but occasionally occurs in non-wetlands.
Characters: The leaves of Pacific Wax Myrtle are a bright, glossy green with black dots, pleasantly aromatic, pointed at the tip, with occasional teeth along the margins. The flowers are tiny, but the fruit is attractive in clusters of dark purple, bumpy berries.
Native Plant: Yes
Firewise: Yes
Attributes: The leaves of Myrica californica have a spicy aroma that can be used like bay leaves to season food, hence the plant is often referred to as California Bayberry.
Uses In the Landscape: The Pacific Wax Myrtle is our best native shrub for screening. Several can be trimmed into a hedge or it can be mixed with other evergreens to create an informal screen. Wax Myrtle also is able to fix-nitrogen in association with the bacteria, making this shrub especially useful for habitat restoration in soils with low fertility
Bloom Period: May-June.
Fruit ripens November. Used by Wildlife:The fruit is eaten by many kinds of birds, most notably the “Myrtle” (Yellow-rumped) Warbler, but only in small quantities.
Use by People: Although Pacific Wax Myrtle is related to the Northern Bayberry, attempts at boiling the fruit to extract wax produces so little, to make it hardly worthwhile. A gray-brown or maroon-purple dye may be obtained from the berries. Although the wood is reported to be heavy, very hard, strong, brittle and close-grained, this species is different than the Oregon Myrtlewood, Umbellularia californica, (AKA California Bay Laurel) used for artistic endeavors found in gift shops all along the Oregon coast.
Propagation: Seeds collected in fall should be abraded or soaked in warm water to remove the waxy coating; they then require 3 months stratification at 40ºF (4ºC). Heel cuttings of half-ripe wood in July or August reportedly have fair to good success. Layering in the spring is the quickest method.
Larval Host to:
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Banded Hairstreak
Photo Credit: Megan McCarty, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
Red-banded Hairstreak
Photo Credit: John Flannery from Richmond County, North Carolina, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
http://nativeplantspnw.com/pacific-wax-myrtle-morella-californica/
Report provided by: Lynn Kunstman, Jackson County, Oregon Master Gardener and Wildlife Management
Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member
Oregon Native: Antennaria rosea (Pink Pussy Toes)
Plant Name: Antennaria rosea
Common name: Pink Pussy Toes
Plant Type: Evergreen Groundcover
Plant Height: .33’ – 1.3’
Plant Width: 8’ – 12’
Bloom Time: June – August
Flower Color: Cream to Pink to Red
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Good Draining Soil.
Water Need: Low
Firewise: Yes, 30’ from house
Attributes: Host Plant for Caterpillars & Moths; Attracts Bees & Butterflies.
Uses: Native Wildflower Groundcover; Butterfly & Pollinator Gardens; Rock Garden.
Native to: Western US, Great Plains, Alaska
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 7
Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener
Photo Credit: Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Post by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member