Tag Archives: Deciduous Shrub

Oregon Native: Red Elderberry

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Plant Name:  Sambucus racemosa
Common name: Red Elderberry

Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub or Small Tree
Plant Height: 10’ – 20’
Width:  8′-10′
Bloom Time: April – July
Flower Color: Creamy White Flowers Followed by Bright Red Berries.
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Well Draining Loamy, Silty, Nutrient Rich.
Water Needs: High Moisture
Attributes:  Nectar for Hummingbirds; Fragrant Flowers; Attracts Butterflies; Deer Resistant.
Note: Susceptible to Viral Canker, Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spot, Cane Borers.


Uses: Soil Stabilization; Wildlife Garden; Hedge.
Native to:  Most of North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 7

” Warning: Red Elderberry Fruits are not edible when raw, but when cooked they make a good jam, pie, and wine.” (Oregon State University)

Report By: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener

Photos from: Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/sambucus-nigra-subsp-cerulea

Horticulture Report: Physocarpus capitatus (Pacific/Western Ninebark)

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Plant Name: Physocarpus capitatus
Common name: Pacific/Western Ninebark
Plant Type: Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 5’ – 20’
Spread: 8’
Bloom Time: Late Spring – Late April – July
Flower Color:  White Flowers with Red Tip Stamens/Reddish to Brown Fruit
Exposure:  Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Acidic
Water Needs:  Medium – ( best with summer watering)
Attributes: Flaking/Peeling Bark; Attracts Pollinator Insects; Deer Resistant; 3″-5″ Clusters of white flowers.
Uses: Hedge, Woodland Gardens, Native Gardens, Along streams
Native to: British Columbia to California & east to Montana
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photo Credit: Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/physocarpus-capitatus

Horticulture Report: Virginia Sweetspire

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photo by: Wasowski, Sally & Andy (Wildflower.org)

Plant Name:  Itea virginica
Common name:  Virginia Sweetspire
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 3’ – 6’
Spread:  4’ – 6’
Bloom Time:  April – June.
Flower Color:  White
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade.
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Acidic,
Sandy to Loam to Clay.
Water Needs: High
Attributes: Red to Purple Leaves in Fall hanging on through Winter; Attracts Nectar Insects; Provides Bird Cover; Some Deer Resistant.
Note:  Blooms best with better fall color if planted in full sun at least part of day.
Uses:  Massed Plantings; Rain Garden; Foundation or Hedge.
Native to: Southeast North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member

Oregon Native: Oceanspray

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Plant Name:  Holodiscus discolor
Common name: Oceanspray
Plant Type:  Broadleaf Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 10’
Spread:  10’ – 15’
Bloom Time: May, June, July
Flower Color: Creamy White
Exposure:  Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist; Gravelly or Rocky Soil; Adaptable to Most Soils, but with Good Drainage.
Water Needs:  Tolerates Low to High Moisture Level.
Attributes: Fragrant Flowers; Attracts Butterflies, Hummingbirds; Host for Beneficial Insects.
Note:  Prune severely each year after flowering to maintain graceful shrub; Susceptible to Fire Blight.
Uses:  Hedge; Deer Resistant
Native to: British Columbia to California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5b – 10b

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo from: Native Plants PNW http://nativeplantspnw.com/ocean-spray-holodiscus-discolor/

Horticulture Report: Diabolo® Ninebark

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Plant Name:  Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo®’
Common name: Ninebark ‘Diabolo®’
Plant Type: Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 8’
Spread: 4’ – 8’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  Pinkish White with Purple Leaves and Reddish Fruit.
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates many soil types.
Water Needs: Dry to Medium
Attributes:  Drought Tolerant; Bird Friendly
Note:  Prune immediately after bloom.
Uses: Hedge; Exfoliating Bark provides Winter Interest; Shrub Border.
Native to: North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  2 – 7

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photo from: Monrovia  https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1926/diabolo-ninebark/

Viburnum ellipticum

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Horticulture Report

Plant Name:  Viburnum ellipticum
Common name: Oregon Viburnum
Plant type:  Deciduous Shrub
Height:  3’ – 11’
Spread: 6’ – 10’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Water Needs: Prefer semi-moist, but will tolerant dry
Attributes:  Supports Pollinators; Pest-eating insects & birds; 3-Season; Fall berries for birds. 
Interest: Showy flowers, Red leaves in fall and blue-black Berries  
Note:  Tolerates seasonal flooding & drought.  Grows along stream banks.
Uses:  As a Screen or Background Plant,  Use along high banks of creeks, margins of wet areas, and at edges of trees
Native to: Washington & Oregon west of the Cascades
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-9

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford