Horticulture Report: Mountain Mint

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

Sisyrinchium palmifolium (Palm-Leaf Yellow-Eyed Grass)

Plant Name: Sisyrinchium palmifolium
Common name: Palm-Leaf Yellow-Eyed Grass
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Height: Floral Stem 18-24” with 3-5 Flowers each, Leaf 20-24”
Spread: 8-12” Clump  
Bloom Time: May- June 
Flower Color: Bright yellow with a tinge of orange in the throat.
Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil Requirements: Well-drained; Rich
Water Needs:  Moist in the spring; Tolerates dry Conditions summer & fall.  
Attributes:  Bright Yellow Flowers; Hardy Perennial; Deer Resistant; Attracts Bees; Carefree; Blue-green Semi-Evergreen Foliage; Siberian Iris-like leaves
Note: Similar to West coast Native: Blue-eyed Grass (sisyrinchium augustiifolium) and California Native Yellow-Eyed Grass (sisyrinchium californicum).
Uses:  Cut Flowers; Deer Resistant Gardens; Perennial Gardens; Borders, Low-water gardens.       
Native to: South America: Argentina, Brazil, And Uruguay
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a-9b

Report and Photo by: Gena Goddard, AGC Member & Oregon State Flower Judge

Oregon Native Plant: Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow)

Plant Name:  Achillea millefolium
Common name:  Common Yarrow
Plant Type:  Perennial
Plant Height:  3’
Spread: 2-3′
Bloom Time: April – September
Flower Color:  Yellowish White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Dry
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes:  Use in Fresh or Dried Arrangements with pleasing Fragrance; Value to native bees. Attracts butterflies.
Note:  A complex of both native and introduced plants and their hybrids.
Uses:  In fresh or dried arrangements; pleasant fragrance.
Native to:  North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9

Report submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photo by: (c) Steve Guttman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/24013640@N02/3683708823

Horticulture Report:Phlox stolonifera (Creeping Phlox)

Plant Name: Phlox stolonifera
Common name: Creeping Phlox
Plant Type: Semi-Evergreen Perennial
Plant Height: 6″ – 12″
Spread: 9″ – 18″
Bloom Time: May – September
Flower Color: Lavender, Blue, or White
Exposure: Part Shade to Shade
Soil Requirements: Humus Rich, Moist Soil
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Deer Tolerant
Note: Slugs a problem in Moist Soil; Spread by Stolons
Uses: Ground Cover; Cover for Early Spring Bulbs; Border Fronts; Rock Gardens.
Native to: Southeastern US
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

Report by Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: Michael Wolf / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Horticulture Report: Agastache foeniculum

Plant Name:  Agastache foeniculum
Common name: Anise Hyssop
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  2’ – 4’
Spread:  1.5’ – 3’
Bloom Time: June – September
Flower Color:  Lavender to Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Well-Drained
Water Needs:  Dry to Medium
Attributes:  Deer Resistant; Drought Tolerant; Attracts Butterflies & Hummingbirds; Fragrant; Good Nectar Plant for Bees
Note:  Deadhead spent flowers to promote additional bloom.  Spreads by rhizomes & easily self-seeds.
Watch for Rust, Powdery Mildew, & Leaf Spot.
Uses: Herb; Naturalized Gardens; Good Cut or Dried Flower; Back of the Border Gardens.
Native to:  Northern North America
Oregon Native:  Native to Washington, but NOT Oregon
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 -8

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford