Tag Archives: Fragrant Flowers

Southern Oregon Native: Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Common name:  Blue Blossom Wild Lilac
Plant Type:  Evergreen Groundcover or Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 12’; Creeping Blue Blossom grows slowly 2’ – 3’ high & 15’ wide. 
Plant Width:  5’ – 6’
Bloom Time:  April – June
Flower Color: White, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates Clay or Sand, but Needs Good Drainage
Water Need:  Low
Firewise: Very Flammable; within Defensible Space, keep individual plants trimmed back with no dead material & separate plants. 
Attributes: Attracts, Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Parasitoid/Predatory Insects; Pleasant Fragrance; Shade Tolerant; Nitrogen Fixer.
Uses:  Ground Cover; Hedge; Bee/Bird/Butterfly Gardens.
Note:  Do Not Fertilize; Tip Pruning maintains compact shape; Remove Leafless Interior Branches to Encourage New Growth; Prune in Dry Season.
Native to:  California & SW Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Hedwig Storch CC BY-SA 3.0 – NC State Extension website https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ceanothus-thyrsiflorus/

Posted by: Carlotta Lucas

Oregon Native: Mountain Spirea

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Spiraea splendens
Common name:  Mountain Spirea/Rose Meadowsweet
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height:  1.5’ – 3’
Plant Width:  1.5’ – 3’
Bloom Time: June to August
Flower Color: Rose Pink
Exposure:  Sun to Light Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates a Variety of Soils, but Well-Drained.
Water Need:  Low
Attributes: Yellow Fall Color; Fragrant Flowers; Hosts Butterflies & Moths; Good for Pollinators.
Uses: Butterfly Garden; Small Space Shrub.
Native to:  British Columbia to California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

City of Ashland Firewise Plant: Plants may be planted within 5 feet of a building.

Report by AGC Members: Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas

Photo by: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Native: Red Elderberry

Posted on by

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

Oregon Native Plant: Ribes zoezlii

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Ribes zoezlii
Common name:  Sierra Gooseberry
Plant Type:  Deciduous, Multi-Stem, Spiny Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 5’
Spread: 1’
Bloom Time: Late Spring
Flower Color: Burgundy and White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade.
Soil Requirements: Coarse to Medium Texture.
Water Needs: Dry to Medium Dry
Attributes:  Hosts for Numerous Butterflies & Moths; Fragrant; Showy Tubular, Fuchsia-like Flowers; Fall Color: Fruit is covered in spines, but it is edible, great for gooseberry jam.
Note: As always, get professional advice before consuming any plant or berry in the wild.
Uses: Attracts Bee, Bird and Butterflies; Hummingbird Gardens; Pollinator Gardens; Native Gardens, Woodland Gardens
Native to:  California & Oregon
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

Report: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Fruiting Photo: Dcrjsr / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Flowering Photo: USFS Region 5 / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Oregon Native: Oceanspray

Posted on by

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/

Oregon Native: Black Hawthorn

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Crataegus douglasii
Common Name:  Black Hawthorn
Plant Type:  Much-Branched Shrub or Small Tree
Plant Height:  6’ – 30’
Spread:  10’ – 25’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  White followed by Blue-Black Berries
Exposure:  Sun – Part Shade – Shade
Soil Requirements: Moist
Water Needs: High
Attributes: Showy Fruits,  A few Birds consume Berries; Attracts Butterflies; Fragrant Flowers; Autumn Foliage; Drought Tolerant.
Note:   Prune in winter or early spring; Susceptible to: Rust, Fireblight, Powdery Mildew, Borers, Leafminers, & Scale.  Cons: Has Prickles & Thorns; Messy Fruits; Suckers Form Thickets. 
Uses: Hedge
Native to:  Alaska to Northern California, Rockies
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo from: Oregon State University Department of Horticulture https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/crataegus-douglasii