Tag Archives: Native Plants

Horticulture Report: Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon)

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Plant Name:  Penstemon strictus
Common name: Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Plant Type:  Evergreen Perennial
Plant Height: 1’ – 4’
Spread: 3’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  Royal Blue to Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Dry, Light, Well-Drained Soil, but will tolerate Heavy Soil.
Water Needs: Low
Attributes: Supports Native Bees; Attracts Birds & Hummingbirds.
Note:  Spreads by Stolons.
Uses: Native Gardens
Native to: California, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah.
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Jerry Friedman / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Oregon Native Plant: Western Sword Fern

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Plant Name:  Polystichum munitum
Common name: Western Sword Fern
Plant Type:  Evergreen Fern
Plant Height: 1.5’ – 5.5’
Spread: 2’ – 3’
Bloom Time: N/A
Flower Color:  N/A
Exposure: Full Shade to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates variety of soils with adequate moisture.
Water Needs: Weekly deep watering; drought tolerant once established.
Attributes:  Fronds live 1.5 – 2.5 years; hosts butterflies & moths; Deer Resistant.
Note: Cut back dead fronds.
Uses: Ground Cover; Beds & Borders; Woodland Garden.
Native to: Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  6 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member, Master Gardener

Photo Credit: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_sword_fern_(Polystichum_munitum)-_Flickr-_brewbooks.jpg

Oregon Native Plant: Black Chokecherry

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Plant Name:  Prunus virginiana melanocarpa
Common name: Black Chokecherry
Plant Type: Perennial Shrub or Small Tree
Plant Height: 3’ – 12’
Spread: 13.5’
Bloom Time: May to Early July
Flower Color:  White followed by Fleshy Drupes of Dark Red to Black
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Moist
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Larval Host to Some Moths; Native Bees & Butterflies.
Uses: Bird Garden, Native Garden, Pollinator Garden
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

Photographer: Reveal, James L. https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=73181

Native Plants: Western Joe Pye Weed

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Plant Name: Ageratina occidentials ( Aster Family)
Common names: Western Snakeroot, Western Joe Pye Weed

This low subshrub, which rarely grows taller than 2 ft., is covered with short, broad, pointed, bright green aromatic leaves topped by masses of red-purple flower heads.

Plant Characteristics: Perennial Herb
Size: 1-3 ft.
Bloom Color: Red, Purple
Bloom Time: July, Aug , Sep
Light Requirement: Sun
Water use: medium – high
Propagation Description: Propagate by division or seed
Note Seed Treatment: Stratify
Native to: Western United States
Native Habitat: Open, rocky places; 6500-11,000 ft.
Host plant to: Hitched Arches Moth (Melanchra adjuncta)

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/

Horticulture Report: Mountain Mint

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Plant Name: Pycnanthemum muticum
Common name: Mountain Mint
Plant Type: Perennial
Plant Height: 1’ – 3’
Spread: 1’ – 3’
Bloom Time: July – September
Flower Color:  Pink, White, Red, Purple, Blue
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Fertile, Well-Drained.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Attracts Butterflies & Bees, Wasps; Drought Tolerant; Spearmint Aroma.
Note:  Aggressively Spreads by Rhizomes.
Uses: Naturalize in Native Plant Gardens, Cottage Gardens; Border Perimeter’ Vertical Structure in Winter Garden.
Native to: Midwest to South to Eastern North America & California
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo from: The Day –Green and Growing: Some native plants get aggressive, and that’s why we love them Author: Kathy Connolly https://www.theday.com/storyimage/NL/20190718/NWS01/190719660/EP/1/1/EP-190719660.jpg&MaxW=800&q=62

Oregon Native: Oceanspray

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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/