Tag Archives: Oregon Native Plants

Horticulture Report – Fire-wise & Native Flower

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Plant Name: Brodiaea coronaria
Common name: Crown Brodiaea
Plant type: Deciduous Perennial Herb
Height: 10” – 24”
Spread:  1’
Bloom Time:  April – July
Flower Color: Blue, Lavender, Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements; Well-drained; Clay to Sandy Loam
Water Needs:  Low;
Attributes:  Attracts Butterflies; Nectar Source for Adult Butterflies; Bees & other Insect Pollinators
Uses: Rock Garden; Meadowscapes
Firewise: YES
Native To:  Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a – 10a

 

 

 

Photo Credit: “Brodiaea coronaria” by davidbroadland is marked with CC0 1.0.

Horticulture Report: Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrone)

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        Oregon State University

Oregon Native & Firewise Plant   
Plant Name:  Arbutus menziesii
Common name: Pacific madrone
Plant type: Broadleaf Evergreen Tree
Height: 20’ – 65’
Spread:   5’ – 25’
Bloom Time:  Flowers in Spring; Berries in Fall
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Shade to Partial Shade; North Facing Slope

Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Soil Requirements: Fast to Medium Drainage; Tolerates Heavy Soil
Water Needs: Dry to Medium
Attributes:  Peeling Bark; Red Berries; Robins, Starlings, Band-tailed Pigeons Feed on Berries; Supports Bats, Butterflies, Caterpillars,                           Moths; Host to Brown Elfin Butterfly; Nectar for Hummingbirds; Winter Interest; Drought Tolerant
Note:  Slow Growing; Large Tree; Messy in the Garden due to Bark & Leaf Shedding; Pests are Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden Oak Death), Madrone Canker, Aphids, Leaf Miners
Uses:  Bank Stabilization; Hedge; Bird Gardens; Mixed Borders
Firewise:  YES
Native to: Pacific Northwest & California
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Oregon Native & Firewise Plant: Narrowleaf Milkweed

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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

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Horticulture Report: Asclepias speciosa  (Showy Milkweed) 

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Oregon Native & Firewise Plant
Plant Name:  Asclepias speciosa

Common name: Showy Milkweed
Plant type: Deciduous Herbaceous Perennial
Height: 6’
Spread:  4’
Bloom Time:  May – September
Flower Color: Pink, White, Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Well Drained
Water Needs:  Medium; Drought Tolerant
Attributes:  Attracts Hummingbirds, Monarch Butterflies, Birds; Adult Monarchs feed on Flower Nectar and Caterpillars Eat Leaves; Deer Resistant; Monarch Larval Host
Note: Spread by Underground Rhizomes
Uses:  Butterfly Garden; Borders; Rock Gardens; Native Gardens
Firewise:  YES
Native to: Midwest to West USA, & Canada
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Vicki Watkins USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Horticulture Report: Arctostaphylos nevadensis

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Oregon Native & Firewise
Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos nevadensis       

                Pinemat Manzanita

Common name: Pinemat Manzanita
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 1’ – 2’
Spread:   3’ – 5’
Bloom Time:  Spring, Summer, Winter
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Partial Shade
Soil Requirements: Acidic Soil; Fast Draining
Water Needs: Low; Don’t Irrigate Once Established

Attributes:  Supports Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Hummingbirds; Pollen & Nectar for Native Bees; Nectar for Hummingbirds
Note:  Not easily established at low elevations
Uses:  Soil Stabilization; Ground Cover; Lawn Alternative; Rock Garden    

Arctostaphylos nevadensis

Firewise:  YES
Native to: Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5b – 9a

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photos from Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/arctostaphylos-nevadensis

Horticulture Report: Asarum caudatum, aka: Western Wild Ginger

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Native Firewise Plant

Photo Credit: Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Plant Name:  Asarum caudatum

Common name: Western Wild Ginger

Plant type: Evergreen Herbaceous Perennial

Height: 1’

Spread:  6” – 1’6”
Bloom Time:  Spring

Flower Color: Brown Purple to Green Yellow

Exposure:  Full Shade

Soil Requirements: Good Drainage; High Organic Matter; Acidic

Water Needs:  Regular Water

Photo Credit: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Attributes:  Ginger Aroma when Leaves Rubbed; Winter Interest;    Showy Flowers; Attracts Ants as Pollinators

Note:  Spreads by Rhizomes; Flowers are Unique Shape, but Hidden under Leaves

Uses:  Containers; Groundcover; Lawn Alternative; Rock Gardens;    Borders

Firewise:  YES

Native to: Western North America

Oregon Native: YES

USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 – 10

 

 

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member