Tag Archives: plants for birds

Backyard Birds: Chestnut-backed Chickadee

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Chestnut-backed Chickadees:  These birds frequent backyard bird feeders regularly where they eat black oil sunflower seed, hulled sunflowers seeds, suet, nyjar seeds and some fruit, but 65% of their diet is made up of insects and other arthropods, including aphids, caterpillars, spiders, leafhoppers, tiny scale insects and wasps. Chestnut-back Chickadees are found up and down the West Coast and in the Pacific Northwest. Their habitat is dense wet coniferous forests of Douglas firs, Monterey pine, Ponderosa pine, Sugar pines, White firs, Incense-cedar and Redwoods. But, while these social noisy little birds prefer dark wet forests they have moved into cities where they utilize stands of willows and alder trees along streams, madrone trees, shrubbery along the edges of oak woodlands and ornamental shrubs in parks and gardens.

Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/species/chickadees-and-nuthatches

Article by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Horticulture Report: Sambucus nigra

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Article by: Lynn Kuntsman, Jackson County Master Gardener & Wildlife Management

Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Firewise Plant: Evening Primrose

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Plant Name:  Oenothera species

Common name:  Evening Primrose
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial or Biennial
Plant Height: 2’ – 6’
Plant Width:  1’ – 2’
Bloom Time: Spring, Summer, Fall
Flower Color:  Yellow or Pink or White
Exposure:  Sun to Shade
Soil Requirements: Rocky or Sandy Soil; Well-Drained
Water Needs: Low to Medium
Fire Resistant: YES; Zone 8 – Plant 30’+ from Structure
Attributes: Attract Moths; Birds Eat Seeds; Attracts Hummingbirds; Fragrant Flowers; Deer Resistant; Drought Tolerant
Uses: Full Sun Ground cover; Rock Gardens; Erosion Control; Native Plant Gardens
Note: Flowers Open in the Evening
Native to: Eastern North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

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

Southern Oregon Native: Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

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Plant Name:  Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Common name:  Blue Blossom Wild Lilac
Plant Type:  Evergreen Groundcover or Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 12’; Creeping Blue Blossom grows slowly 2’ – 3’ high & 15’ wide. 
Plant Width:  5’ – 6’
Bloom Time:  April – June
Flower Color: White, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates Clay or Sand, but Needs Good Drainage
Water Need:  Low
Firewise: Very Flammable; within Defensible Space, keep individual plants trimmed back with no dead material & separate plants. 
Attributes: Attracts, Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Parasitoid/Predatory Insects; Pleasant Fragrance; Shade Tolerant; Nitrogen Fixer.
Uses:  Ground Cover; Hedge; Bee/Bird/Butterfly Gardens.
Note:  Do Not Fertilize; Tip Pruning maintains compact shape; Remove Leafless Interior Branches to Encourage New Growth; Prune in Dry Season.
Native to:  California & SW Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Hedwig Storch CC BY-SA 3.0 – NC State Extension website https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ceanothus-thyrsiflorus/

Posted by: Carlotta Lucas

Oregon Native: Cornus sericea ( Red Twig Dogwood)

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Plant Name:  Cornus sericea
Common name:  Red Twig Dogwood
Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub
Plant Height:  6’ – 9’
Plant Width:  8’ – 12’
Bloom Time:  May – June
Flower Color: White
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates Clay Soil; Organically Rich, Fertile, Moist Soil.
Water Need: Medium to Wet
Attributes: Showy Flowers; Good Fall Color; Attracts/Hosts Birds/Butterflies; Winter Interest; Deer Resistant;
Larval Host to Spring Azure.
Firewise: Score 5, Plant 60 feet from structures
Uses: Hedge; Rain Garden; Shrub Border; Bird/Butterfly Gardens.
Note:  Suckering Roots; Remove 20-25% of oldest stems in spring to stimulate new, best color growth; Susceptible to Leaf & Twig Blight/Canker & Leaf Spot.
Native to:  North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford and Carlotta Lucas

Photo one by: Smith, R.W.