Tag Archives: Plants for Beneficial Insects

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

Firewise Plant: Aurinia saxatilis (Basket-of-Gold)

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Plant Name:  Aurinia saxatilis
0Common name:  Basket-of-Gold
Plant Type:  Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  8” – 18”
Plant Width:  1’ – 2’
Bloom Time: April – May
Flower Color:  Gold to Light Yellow
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Average to Sandy, Well-Drained Soil; Intolerant of Clay Soil.
Water Needs: Low
Fire Resistant:  YES; Zone 8 = 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Attracts Butterflies; Deer Resistant; Showy Flower; Drought Tolerant; Nectar Source for Beneficial Insects.
Uses:  Rock Gardens; Ground Cover; Border Fronts.
Note:  Prune After Flowering to Maintain Shape; Possible Aphid Problem.
Native to: Central & Southeastern Europe
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 7

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member/ Master Gardener

Photo credit: Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Horticulture Report: Sedges

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Plant Name:  Carex species: There are more than 1,500 species of these perennials.

Common name:  Sedges

Plant Type:  Deciduous or Evergreen Perennials

Plant Height:  12” – 4’

Plant Width:  10” – 12”

Bloom Time:  Varies

Flower Color:  Stems & Panicles of flower heads in short spikes. Provides Interesting Foliage and Movement.

Exposure: Part Shade to Full Shade, some varieties will take Full Sun, (check specific plant’s preference)

Soil Requirements: Carex grow in soils ranging from 5.5 to 7.5 on the pH scale. Most average garden soils fall between a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0.

Water Needs:  Some like Wetter Sites, Some Drier Conditions. Check variety for water needs.    

Fire Resistant:  YES;  Zone 1 – 8;   Plant 30’+ from house

Attributes: Deer Resistant, Provides 3- seasons of Interest, Easy to grow, Low maintenance; Wide Range of Colorful Grass-like Foliage; Adds Drama to a Landscape, Adds Texture, Host plants for butterflies and skippers.  Beneficial to pollinators by providing cover in the winter. Excellent seed source for birds. Provides Texture and Movement in a landscape.       

Uses:  Carex species to suit just about any situation. Mass plantings, Ground Cover, Container Plantings, Rockery gardens, Lining Sidewalks, Edging Flowerbeds, and more. 

Note: May be Susceptible to Rust, Smut, Leaf Spot, Aphids.

Native to: Found Worldwide

Oregon Native:  NO

 USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9, check variety for hardiness in your zone. 

  • Carex buchananaii
  • Carex glauca
  • Carex morrowii (variegated)
Carex Albula

Report by: Viki Ashford, and Carlotta Lucas, both AGC Board Members

Photos by Monrovia Nursery: https://www.monrovia.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=carex

Squash Bees are in Oregon!

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Few insects can digest the pollen of squash plants. But where squash plants go, squash bees have followed. Now, they’ve made it from Mexico and the Inter-mountains West all the way to Oregon. Learn about the journey of these special bees and their kinship to this family of plants.

Oregon State University https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/pollinators/great-oregon-squash-bee-hunt

Journey of the Squash Bee:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAQVNl0C-H0

Rogue Valley’s Bee Girl Website: https://www.beegirl.org/blog/squashbee

Squash Bee Peponapis pruinosa ~ Photo USDA ARS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Oregon Native Plant: Salmonberry

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Plant Name:  Rubus spectabilis
Common name:  Salmonberry
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height: 3’ – 10’
Spread:  3’ – 6’
Bloom Time: March – June; Fruit June to August.
Flower Color: Red or Rose; Fruit Color is Yellow, Orange, or Red
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerant of Sandy or Clay Soil with Various Soil Drainage.
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Attributes:  Nectar for Bees, Butterflies, Other Insect, Hummingbirds; Deer Resistant.
Note: Biennial Stems: The 1st year only leaves; 2nd year develop lateral shoots which bear fruit.
Uses: Thickets for Birds; Bank Stabilization from Deep Rhizomatous Root Growth.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member, Master Gardener

Berry with leaf – Photo by: Margalob / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Flower – Photo by :Walter Siegmund / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Solidago rugosa

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Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’, is a late-blooming Goldenrod that is attractive to smaller insects.  This is a perennial that is 3′ high by 2′ wide.  The tiny blossoms open on top of the curving leaf stems, and burst into gold about mid-September, bringing some late interest to a Fall garden, and also providing food for tiny pollinators.  It’s sturdy and easy care. 
Prune it down in early Spring, and feed it before growth starts. 
It needs full sun and moderate water.  The myth that Goldenrod pollen causes hay fever is just that, a myth. I have been enjoying this striking plant in my South facing garden.  
Sherri Morgan, AGC Member