Tag Archives: plants for birds

Horticulture Report: Phuopsis stylosa

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Botanical Name: Phuopsis stylosa

Common Name Creeping Crosswort; Caucasian Crosswort

Plant Type: Perennial

Height: 8-inches Spread: 1-2 feet

Flowers: Globular clusters of fragrant tiny pink flowers

Bloom time: June- August ( can re-bloom if flowers are trimmed after blooming)

Attributes: Bright green aromatic narrow-leaf foliage; Soft in appearance; Rapid but low spread, not aggressive; Forms a “loose” semi-evergreen mat; Low maintenance.  

Uses: Perennial gardens; Rock gardens; Borders; Containers; Provides birds with nesting material; Provides texture in a layered garden; Mass plantings; Ground-cover; Slopes; Attracts Bees, Butterflies & Birds

Exposure: Full sun to partial shade

Soil requirements: Rich/Average/Moist well-drained

Water requirements: Moderate, Semi-drought tolerant once established

Firewise: Yes- foliage has high moisture retention and no flammable oils

Native to: Caucasus, Asia Minor, and Iran

Hardiness: USDA Zones 5–9.

Article by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC President

Oregon Native & Firewise: Amelancier alnifolia

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Oregon Native Firewise Plant

Amelancier alnifolia

Plant Name: Amelancier alnifolia
Common name: Pacific serviceberry
Plant type: Deciduous Shrub/Tree
Height: 15’ – 30’
Spread:   15’ – 20’
Bloom Time:  Spring
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Sun or Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Good Drainage; Sandy or Loamy
Water Needs: Irrigate 1x/Month after establishment

Attributes:  Easily Pruned to More Erect Form or Flatter, Rounder, Open Shape; Food Source Birds; Attracts Bats, Caterpillars, Larval Host for some Butterflies; Berries for Mammals; Shelter for Animals; Fragrant Flowers; Flavorful Edible Fruit used fresh or in baked goods

Note: Fruits in Summer; Fall Color Foliage; Root Suckering is Common; Diseases/Insects:  Rust, Leaf Spot, FireBlight, Powdery Mildew; Aphids, Thrips, Mites,

Uses:  Hedge; Pollinator Garden; Shrub Border; Woodland Gardens; Naturalized Areas
Native to: Some Canadian Provinces; Midwest to West United States
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2 – 7

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