Firewise Plant: Geranium cinereum

Ballerina Cranesbill

Plant Name:  Geranium cinereum
Common name:  Cranesbill
Plant Type:  Semi-Evergreen Perennial
Plant Height:  4” – 6”
Plant Width:  10” – 12”
Bloom Time:  May – September
Flower Color:  Pink, White, Magenta
Exposure: Full to Part Sun
Soil Requirements: Chalk, Loam, Sand; Good Drainage.
Water Needs: Low to Average
Fire Resistant:  YES – Zone 1-8, Plant 30’+ from House.
Attributes: Deer Resistant; Attracts Butterflies.
Uses:  Ground Cover; Rock Gardens; Border Edging; Containers.
Note: Shear Plants by One-Half in Mid Summer to Encourage Bushy Growth & Repeat Blooming.
Native to: Pyrenees Mountains
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9

Today in the Garden

Today in the garden flowers are in AGC member Lynn McDonald’s October garden.

Nasturtiums, Hydrangeas, Salvia and chrysanthemums, Petunias blooming since March, Geraniums, Origanum, Asters, Tithonia, Sweet peas in October (planted in spring), Gaura, Poppies and Bachelor Buttons, Verbena and Autumn Leadwort, Orange Cosmos, Dahlias

Today in the Garden

Kalmia Mountain Laurel ‘Minuet’

Kalmia ( Mountain Laurel): Exposure: Sun to Part Sun, Needs regular weekly watering, Size: 3 ft x 3ft, Attracts butterflies,  USDA Zone: 5-9

Joanie & Paul Kintscher’s Garden, AGC Members  

Oregon Native: Amelanchier pallida

Plant Name:  Amelanchier pallida
Common name:  Pale Serviceberry
Plant type:  Deciduous Shrub
Height:  10’
Bloom Time: April – June; Fruiting – July – September
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist Soil; Tolerates Sandy/Loamy/Clay Soils.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:  Hosts Butterflies & Moths.
Note: Self Fertile; Edible Fruit, but Birds will strip plant before ripe.
Deer eat leaves & twigs, Bears eat the berries.
Uses:  Pollinator Garden, Woodland Garden, High elevation plant, Along stream beds.
Native to:  Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Additional Information: https://calscape.org/Amelanchier-pallida-()

Report by: Viki Ashford, AG Member and Master Gardener

Photo: http://www.intermountainnursery.com

Oregon Native: Ribes sanguineum (Red flowering Currant)

Plant Name:  Ribes sanguineum
Common name:  Red Flowering Currant
Plant Type:  Deciduous Multi-Stemmed Shrub
Plant Height: 8’ – 10’
Spread: 6’ – 8’
Bloom Time: Early Spring
Flower Color: Rich Red to Pink & White
Exposure: Sun
Soil Requirements:  Tolerated poor soil.
Water Needs: Drought Tolerant once established.
Attributes:  Hummingbirds attracted to flowers; Birds attracted to fruit; Host for butterflies & moths; Deer Resistant.
Note: Little pruning required; suckering will form a small patch.
Uses: Single Filler Shrub; Hedge
Native to:  British Columbia to California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 6 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo credit: Walter Siegmund / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Today in the Garden

“Some pollinators in action in my garden this week.”                                       ~Goly Ostovar, AGC Member