Tag Archives: Native garden plant

Fire-wise & Native Plant: Red Osier Dogwood

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Plant Name: Cornus sericea
Common name: Red Osier Dogwood, Red Twig Dogwood
Plant type: Deciduous, Multi-Stem Shrub
Height: 6’ -9’
Spread: 7’ – 10’
Bloom Time: May, June
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade

Soil Requirements: Organically Rich
Water Needs: Medium to Wet
Attributes: Showy Flower; Good Fall Color; Winter Interest; Tolerates Deer; Clay & Wet Soil; Birds Attracted to White Fruits (Drupes); Attracts Waterfowl, Marsh & Shorebirds; Larval Host for Butterflies; Flowers Fragrant; Attracts Bees.

Note: Remove 20-25% of the oldest stems in early spring of each year to stimulate growth of new stems which will display the best color. Can be suckering; Susceptible to Leaf & Twig Blight, Powdery Mildew, Canker & Leaf Spot; Occasional Pests are Scale & Leaf Miners.

Uses: Hedge, Rain Garden; Wet Habitats; Pollinator Garden
Firewise: YES
Native To: North America except Deep South
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2a – 7b

 

Report by Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

Photos by: Matt Lavin – Wikmedia Commons  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornus_sericea_-_red_osier_dogwood_-_53024871939.jpg

Native & Fire-wise: Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany

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Plant Name: Cercocarpas ledifolius

Common name: Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany

Plant type: Densely Branching Evergreen Shrub or Tree

Height: 7’ – 33’

Spread:  5’ – 10’
Bloom Time:  December – April

Flower Color:  Cream, White, Yellow

Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade

Soil Requirements:  Medium to Fast Soil Drainage; Rocky Soil.

Water Needs:  Low to Very Low; Drought Adapted.

Attributes:  Spicy Aroma; White Bark; Leaves Green on Top & Silvery Underneath; short, spiral, silver-haired seed plumes are eye-catching; Attracts Butterflies & Birds.

Note: Nitrogen Fixing; Resistant to Disease & Insects.

Uses: Hedge; Rock Garden; Erosion Control.

Fire-wise: YES

Native To:  Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Montana, Colorado

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone:  5b – 9a

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/cercocarpus-ledifolius

Native & Fire-wise: Cusick’s camas

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Plant Name: Camassia cusickii
Common name: Cusick’s camas
Plant type: Bulb
Height: 2’ – 2.5’
Spread:  .75’ – 1’
Bloom Time:  May/June
Flower Color:  Blue
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, fertile, acidic, humusy, well-drained soils; Tolerates Clay Soil.
Water Needs:  Medium to Wet; Tolerates Summer Drought, but keep Moist during Growing Season.
Attributes:  Showy Flowers; Cut Flowers; Deer Resistant; No serious Diseases or Insects; Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds.
Note: Plant bulbs 4” deep and 4-6″ apart in the fall.
Uses: Naturalize; Plant along Pond edges; Woodland Garden.
Fire-wise: YES
Native To:  Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Kurt Stüber [1], CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Native & Firewise Plant

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Plant Name:  Asclepias fascicularis

Common name: Narrowleaf Milkweed

Plant type: Deciduous Flowering Perennial

Height: 3’

Spread:  8” – 10”
Bloom Time:  Summer to Fall

Flower Color: Lavender, Pink, Greenish White

Exposure:  Full Sun

Soil Requirements: Good Drainage; Dry to Moist Soil; Grows in Clay Soil

Water Needs:  Low

Attributes:  Attracts Monarch Butterflies; Host Caterpillars; Attracts Native Bees, Bumble Bees; Predatory Insects; Monarch Butterflies lay eggs & larvae feed & mature into chrysalis; Deer Resistant; Drought Tolerant

Note: Open Seed Pods spill Plentiful Silky Hairs; Somewhat Toxic; Spreads by Rhizomes

Uses:  Native Gardens; Pollinator Gardens; Rock Gardens

Firewise:  YES

Native to: Western United States

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 6a – 10b

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo credit Björn S…Wiki commons

Fire-wise & Native: Fernbush Desert Sweet

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Plant Name: Chamaebatiaria millefoloim

Common name: Fernbush Desert Sweet

Plant type: Deciduous Shrub

Height: 3’ – 7’

Spread: 5’ – 6’

Bloom Time: Mid to Late Summer

Flower Color: White

Exposure: Full Sun to Part Sun

Soil Requirements: Well-Drained; Clay, Gravel, Loam, Sandy

Water Needs: Drought Resistant; Moderate Watering Until Established

Attributes: Sweetly Aromatic; Leaves are Fern-like Appearance; Showy Flowers; Fruiting in the fall, persistent in winter; Attracts Native Pollinators; Mature Stems Exhibit Cinnamon Sheen; Fast Growing; Attracts Caterpillars; Butterflies; Deer Tolerant

Note: Tolerates Shearing; Pruning Well; Shear in Early Winter; Routine Pruning to Remove Aging, Interior Branches, Increase Foliage Density
Uses: Hedge Border; Mixed Bed or Border; Foundation Plant

Firewise: YES, (check your local Firewise information for how far to plant from a structure)

Native To: East of Cascades; Sierra Nevada to Southern CA, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Northern AZ, New Mexico

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 4b – 10

 

 

Report by Viki Ashford, AGC member

Photo from Oregon State University    https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/chamaebatiaria-millefolium

Horticulture Report – Fire-wise & Native Flower

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Plant Name: Brodiaea elegans
Common name: Elegant Cluster Lily/Harvest Brodiaea
Plant type: Perennial Herbaceous; Grows from a Corm
Height: 2’
Spread:  6”
Bloom Time:  Spring – Summer
Flower Color: Pale Purple/Purple/White
Exposure:  Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil Requirements:  Does well in Clay Soil; Medium to Slow Drainage
Water Needs:  Low to Very Low
Attributes:  Supports Butterflies; Drought Tolerant
Note: Plant in Groups; Insect Pollinated
Uses: Containers; Beds & Borders; Rock Garden
Firewise: YES
Native To:  Mountain Ranges of California & Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a – 10b

Photo Credit: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Com