Tag Archives: Fragrant Flowers

In Love with Lavender

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Why we Love Lavender:

  • Scent/Fragrance
  • Color
  • Easy to Grow
  • Flowers can be enjoyed fresh or dried
  • Flowers can be used in crafts, cooking & medicinally
  • Thrives in poor soil
  • Drought tolerant
  • Attracts pollinators
  • Deer and rabbit resistant

Lavender has its roots in the Mediterranean Counties. So think in terms of full, intense, hot sun and rocky stony soil that’s not especially nutrient rich, but has good drainage. Southern Oregon has ideal conditions for growing lavender.

Most garden centers offer three major species of lavender:

  • Lavandula stoechas  (aka: Spanish Lavender) – Can be recognized by it cone-like spikes, it is usually the first to bloom in late March or early April. It has a strong camphor or piney scent. This pollinator friendly is not used in cooking, crafts or in oil production, but because it is the first to bloom, it has a place in the garden; it looks nice planted in mass and provides an early food source for bees and pollinators. If pruned it may re-bloom in August or September. Not as cold hardy as English or French lavenders.
  • Lavandula angustifolia (aka: English Lavender) – English Lavender is the scent most people associate with lavender. Its colors range from white, pick, blue to deep purple. English Lavender is used for fresh cut flower, dried flowers, potpourris, cooking, and for oil distillation.  English lavender can range in size from dwarf (12 inches), semi-dwarf (20 inches) and tall (46 inches).  Plants bloom May though June and are cold hardy.  Some varieties will re-bloom if pruned after flowering.
  • Lavandula X intermedia (aka French Lavender) – French Lavender is a hybrid of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia. French Lavender blooms in mid-summer. It is one the tallest of the lavenders and its long strong stems are good for using in crafts. French lavender produces more oil than L. angustifolia, but the quality is not as fine. Plants are cold hardy.

Guide to Growing Lavender

  1. FULL SUN – 6-8 hours of sun or more. Less than six plant may become spindly and leggy and with fewer blossoms and less scent.
  2. GOOD DRAINAGE- Lavenders tolerate poor soils, but they must have good drainage.  In areas of clay amend the soil to improve drainage. Or build raised beds, or berms using compost, sand and decomposed granite to produce optimal soil for lavenders.
  3. Water Infrequently – Lavenders are drought tolerant meaning they prefer dry conditions. Once the rains ends, water once in June, then every two weeks when temperatures reach high 90s-100s. Scratch the soil’s surface, or use a water gauge to determine if the lavender needs watering.  (Note: first year water more frequently until roots are established)
  4. Pruning – Harvesting flowers is not the same a pruning. Prune lavenders at least once a year to maintain size and shape. To prune cut back about 1/3 of the plant.
  5. The best time to harvest lavender is when the bottom flowers of each stem are just beginning to open. This is when the lavender is at its most vibrant and fragrant. Cut the flowers at the base of the stems near the foliage.

Mark your calendar:
Southern Oregon Lavender Festival
June 19th, 20th, and 21st, 2020

The following are some of the Lavender varieties developed, or identified, by Oregon Lavender growers:

  • Betty’s Blue,
  • Buena Vista,
  • Melissa,
  • Premier,
  • Royal Velvet,
  • Sachet,
  • Sharon Roberts,
  • Ana Luisa,
  • Jennifer
  • Goodwin Creek

Article by: Rosenelle Florencechild, Jackson County Master Gardener, and JCMG Lavender Garden’s Manager & Head Gardener

Horticulture Report: Carpenteria californica

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Plant Name:Carpenteria californica
Common name:Bush Anemone
Plant type: Shrub
Height: 6’ – 10’
Spread: 3’ – 5’
Bloom Time:Spring/Summer
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:Tolerates a variety of soils, but prefers fast draining
Water Needs: Tolerates Low to Moderate High
Attributes:Evergreen; Deer Resistant; Fragrant Flowers; Insect Attractor
Note:Susceptible to Aphids; Prune as needed to prevent floppy branches.
Uses: Informal Hedge; Pollinator Gardens; Native Gardens, Perennial Gardens
Native to: California
Oregon Native:NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:9a

Report submitted by: Viki Ashford

Horticulture Report: Calendula Officinalis

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Calendula Officinalis
Common Name: Calendula, Pot marigold
Annual /Perennial herbaceous plants

Calendula is easy to grow by sowing seeds directly into the soil late fall or early spring.  Plant height ranges from 12- 24 inches and at maturity it produces a long secession of yellow and orange flowers from early summer into late fall.

Calendulas are considered annuals, but in USDA zones 8-10, they are categorized as short-lived perennials. When grown in full sun they will often produce flowers well into December; in zone 8 they have been known to flower throughout January, and then start blooming again in earnest by February.   Calendulas vivid orange daisy-like flowers brighten up a garden every day, but on a dark and cloudy day they are indeed a welcomed sight.

Calendula Officinalis has many uses, not only are they a delightful garden and cut flower, but its leaves are very fragrant, and the flowers are edible!  Traditionally, calendula flowers have been used in German, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, a few of their uses include; tea infusions, flavoring stews, soups, and egg dishes, substitution for saffron, and to color butter and cheeses.  Consequently, cooking with calendula developed its common name:  Pot Marigold.  Calendula flowers can be eaten raw too, use them in salads, for decorating baked goods, and as a nifty drink embellishment.  Freeze flowers in water in ice-cube trays, then add cubes to drinks, serving pitchers or punch bowls. It’s best to grow them organically when using for consumption.

For centuries calendula has been used for herbal remedies, and for natural dyes.  Currently, flowers are used commercially worldwide as herbal teas, ointments, tinctures, and oils for homeopathic remedies.  Historically, flowers were once widely used to dye fabrics, producing beautiful yellow, orange and brown colors. Presently, fabric-crafters and artisans still use calendula flowers for its fine natural-dyeing characteristics.

Grow some Calendulas, you will not be disappointed.

USDA Zones: 2 to 11
Water: Medium
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Rabbit, Black Walnut
Garden uses: Beds, Borders, Cottage gardens, Cutting gardens, Pollinator gardens, Pots/containers

submitted by: Carlotta Lucas

Horticulture Report: Smilacina racemosa

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Plant Name: Smilacina racemosa
Common name: False Solomon’s Seal
Plant type: Perennial, Wildflower
Height: 3’
Spread: 2’
Bloom Time:Mid Spring
Flower: Color White
Exposure: Light to Deep Shade
Soil Requirements: Deep, humus-rich, acid soils
Water Needs: Average to Moist
Attributes: Attracts Bee/Butterfly; Fragrant Flowers followed by Red Berries, Birds and small mammals eat these berries, Easy care, Drought Tolerant, Graceful arching stems
Uses: Woodland Gardens; Native Gardens
Native to: Pacific Northwest
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9

born1945_Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

Horticulture Report: Lewis’ Mock Orange

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Plant Name:  Philadelphus lewisii
Common name:  Lewis’ Mock Orange
Plant type:       Deciduous Shrub
Height: 5’ – 10’
Spread:   6’
Bloom Time: Late May- July
Flower Color:  White with Yellow Anthers
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Thrives in most garden soil
Water Needs: Low Moisture
Attributes:   Showy Fragrant Flowers; Broadly arching; Attracts Butterflies & bees; Deer Resistant; Use as a Hedge
Note:   Prune after bloom
Uses:  Hedge, Native Garden, Pollinator Garden, Cottage Garden, Perennial Garden
Native to: British Columbia to Northern California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9  ( Blizzard Mock Orange hardiness 2B-3)

Submitted by: Viki Ashford, Ashland Garden Club

Abyssinian gladiolus

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Gladiolus Murielae, common names Abyssinian gladiolus, or Fragrant gladiolus.  Formerly placed in the Acidanthera genus so it’s often sold as ‘Acidanthera Bicolor’.

Native to eastern Africa, from Ethiopia to Malawi.

USDA Hardiness Zones 7-10.  But, it is best to dig corms and store to winter over or protect potted corms in a garage or heated greenhouse.

Soil: Well-drained, humus soil, medium moisture. Adapts to a wide range of soils except heavy clay.

Exposure: Full sun. Protected from strong winds.

 

Submission & photo by: Carlotta Lucas