Fall Color: Pineapple Sage!

Common Name: Pineapple Sage
Botanical Name: Salvia Elegans
Plant Type: Perennial (An annual in colder zones)
Height: 3- 4 ft
Width: 3-4 ft
Exposure: Full sun
Blooms: Scarlet-red exotic-looking tubular flowers
Bloom time: September to frost
Water Needs: Once establish needs only occasional watering
Attributes: Showy flowers, attracts hummingbirds. Culinary herb has a slight pineapple or citrus taste. Deer resistant! Easy Care, Waterwise plant
Uses: Culinary herb garden, Border gardens, Perennial gardens, Containers, Mass plantings, Poolside, Rock Gardens, Showy flowers.
USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10

Horticultural Report

Plant Name:  Anaphalis margaritacea
Common name:  Pearly Everlasting
Plant type:Herbaceous perennial
Height: 1-3 feet
Spread:   1-2 feet
Bloom Time:  July- September

Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to part Shade

Soil Requirements: well drained
Water Needs: drought tolerant
Attributes: Native wildflower, Easy to grow, Low maintenance, Showy white flowers, Blooms in clusters, Attracts butterflies.
Note:  Tolerates nutrient poor soils, Grows in sandy soil, Gravelly soils, Spreads.
Uses:  Native gardens, Pollinator gardens, Wildflower gardens, Dry meadow and Perennial garden.
Native to: USA

USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8

Dahlias

Plant name: Dahlia
Plant type: Tuberous flowers; biennial tubers are planted in the spring
Height: Large: 3-4 feet, Medium: 1-2 feet, Small: 10-20 inches
Spread: Varies with variety
Bloom Time:  Summer, fall
Flower Color:  Orange, Pick, Purple, Red, White, Yellow, and Multi-color
Exposure: Full Sun. (6-8 hours of morning sun is best)
Soil Requirements: Sandy Loam
Water Needs: Moist to Moderate
Attributes:   Large flamboyant flowers

Notes:  Will not tolerate frost. Not suited for hot/humid climates.
Tubers struggle in cold soil, plant after ground temperatures reach 60o F
Tubers typically dug in the fall, stored for winter, replanted in late spring. Uses: Display Gardens, Cut flowers, Late-season color, To “wow” your neighbors & friends!
Native to: South America Andes
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-10

Horticultural Report: Mountain Laurel

Photo by: Carlotta Lucas, Ashland OR

Plant Name:Kalmia latifolia,
Common name: Mountain Laurel
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 3-15 ft (depends on variety)
Spread:3-15 ft (depends on variety)
Bloom Time:May to June
Flower Color:Rose, White, has purple markings
Exposure:Full Sun – Part Shade (Morning sun with afternoon shade is best)
Soil Requirements: Acid loving plant
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:Excellent Showy Flowers, Multi-stemmed evergreen shrub, Year-round interest
Note: These shallow rooted plants are best in moist, cool, rich, acidic, well-drained humus soil
Uses: ;Compliments rhododendrons and azaleas.Use as border shrub, Woodland gardens Cottage gardens, Wild areas, Hedges, Foundation plants
Native to: Eastern USA
USDA Hardiness Zone:4-9

‘Christmas Bells’

Sandersonia aurantiaca

Sandersonia aurantiaca, a member of the Colchicaceae family, is a native grassland plant in the eastern areas of South Africa.  It’s often called ‘Christmas bells’ because in the southern hemisphere it blooms in December. Sometimes it is also referred to as Chinese Lanterns.  Highly prized for a long-lasting cut flower, New Zealand cultivates them for the cut flower industry.