Tag Archives: Oregon Native Plants

Horticulture Report: Whiteleaf Manzanita

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Plant Name: Arctostaphylos viscida
Common name: Whiteleaf Manzanita
Plant type: Evergreen Shrub
Height: 8’ – 16′
Spread: 12’
Bloom Time: January – April
Flower Color: White to Pale Pink – Shiny Red Fruit
Exposure:Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates a variety of soils from clay to decomposed granite.
Water Needs: Very low; Water no more than 2 times a month once established.
Attributes: Showy red bark; Flowers attracts hummingbirds & insects; Birds & some Mammals are attracted to fruit; Host to some butterflies & moths.
Firewise: NO; Zone 3 – 70’ – 100’ +
Note: Not very garden tolerant, Native habitat is oak & pine forests and chaparrals.
Uses: Native Gardens, Bird Gardens, Bee Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens;
Native to: California & Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a – 9b

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo from: Las Pilitas Nursery, Santa Margarita, CA; website: https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/83–arctostaphylos-viscida-ssp-viscida

Horticulture Report: Dutchman’s Pipe

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Plant Name:  Aristolochia californica

Common name:  Dutchman’s Pipe

Plant type:  Deciduous Vine

Height:  10- 15 (up to 20 feet), plant requires a trellis, or other vertical support.

Bloom Time:  Later winter/Early Spring  

Flower Color:  Flowers are pale Green with dark maroon veins. Flowers are shaped like curved pipes with a flared bowl.

Exposure:  Part Shade

Soil Requirements: Tolerates most soils   

Water Needs:  Somewhat drought tolerant, but likes moisture areas; in nature is grows in moist wooded areas, alongside creeks and streams.

Attributes: Heart-shaped leaves on woody stems. Musty odious flowers attract carrion-feeding flies & gnats for pollination; insects eventually escape after plant attaches pollen to them. Plant is host for native Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly (Battus philenor). Aristolochia californica is the only food source of the Pipevine Swallowtail!  Dutchman ’s Pipe provides habitat for other beneficial insects.

Firewise:  Unable to determine

Native to: Sacramento Valley, Northern Sierra Nevada foothills, San Francisco Bay Area, Northern Inner California Coast Ranges, Southeastern Klamath Mountains

USDA Hardiness Zone: 8 -10

Report by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Photo of Flowers By: peganum from Small Dole, England – Aristolochia californica, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47474436

Photo of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar by: Joanie Kintscher, AGC Member & Past President

Hairy Manzanita

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Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos columbiana 
Common name:  Hairy Manzanita
Plant type: Shrub
Height: 3’ – 10’
Spread:  10’
Bloom Time:  March – May
Flower Color:  Pale Pink to White; Fruit is Tawny Orange to Bright Red
Exposure: Sun to Light Shade
Soil Requirements: Fast Draining; Rocky, Sandy Soil
Water Needs: Very Low
Attributes:   Evergreen; Supports Butterflies & Moths & Hummingbirds & Beneficial Insects; Distinctive Bark; Early Season Flowering for Pollinators
Firewise:  NO
Note:   Subject to Leaf Spot; Don’t Fertilize
Uses:  Pollinator Gardens, Native Gardens, Wildlife Habitat Gardens, Natural areas, Perennial gardens
Native to: Northwest California to Southwestern British Columbia
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  8b -10a

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener
Photo from Oregon State University: https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/arctostaphylos-columbiana

Fire-Resistant Plant: Greenleaf Manzanita

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Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos patula
Common name:  Greenleaf Manzanita
Plant type: Shrub
Height: 3.3’ – 7’
Spread: 6’ –  9’
Bloom Time:  Winter – Spring
Flower Color: White, Pink
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Fast Draining; Slightly Acidic.
Water Needs: Low; Deep Moisture.
Attributes:   Insects Attracted to Flowers Including Native Bees; Birds Attracted to Fruits; Hosts Butterflies & Moths; Nectar Source.
Firewise: YES; One of the Few Manzanitas That Are Fire-Resistant.
Note:  Slow Growing;  Tolerates Very Cold Temperatures.
Uses:  Hedges; Bird & Hummingbird Gardens; Bee Gardens; Erosion Control.
Native to: Sierra Nevadas/North Coast Range California/Oregon/Washington; Parts of Arizona/Colorado.
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5b – 9b

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Photo courtesy of Pat Breen, Oregon State University

Firewise Plant: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Point Reyes’

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Plant Name:  Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Point Reyes’
Common name:  Point Reyes Bearberry Manzanita
Plant type: Groundcover
Height: 12” – 18”
Spread: 1’ – 6’
Bloom Time:  Winter – Spring
Flower Color: Pink
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Well Draining; Tolerant of Most Soil Types.
Water Needs: Low to Moderate
Attributes:  Insects & Hummingbirds Attracted to Flowers; Fruit & Seed Eating Birds Attracted to Fruit ; Deer Resistant.
Firewise:  YES; Zone 5 – Plant 60’+ from House.
Note:  Prune in Early Spring as Needed to Contain Spread.
Uses:  Slope Stabilizer; Bee, Bird, Hummingbird Gardens; Lawn Substitute.
Native to: Alaska to Canada to Western United States
Oregon Native:   YES

USDA Hardiness Zone:  6 – 10

 

 

Article by Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

 

Photos by OSU https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/arctostaphylos-uva-ursi-point-reyes