Tag Archives: Plants for Native Bees

Horticulture Report: Chives

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Allium schoenoprasum

Common name:  Chives

Plant Type:  Perennial Bulb

Plant Height:  1’ – 1.5’

Plant Width:  1’ – 1.5’

Bloom Time: June – August

Flower Color: Pale Purple

Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade.

Soil Requirements: Average, Medium, Well-Drained.

Water Needs:  Medium

Fire Resistant: YES – Zone 1 – Plant 10’+ from house.

Attributes:  Showy Flower with Fragrant Leaves; Deer/Drought Tolerant; Attracts Butterflies, Bees, Pollinators; Consistent performer

Uses: Herb; Herb/Vegetable Gardens; Rock Gardens; Containers.

Note:  Self seeds unless spent flowers are deadheaded; Harvest Leaves by clipping at base of plant; Root Rot may occur in poorly drained soil. 

Native to: Temperate Northern Hemisphere

Oregon Native:   YES

 USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 8

Chives

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Board Member

Photo by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member

Horticulture Report: Dead Nettle

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Lamium species
Common name: Dead Nettle
Plant Type:  Prostrate Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  8” – 12”
Plant Width:  12” – 36”
Bloom Time:  May – June
Flower Color: Pink, White, Purple
Exposure:  Part Shade to Shade
Soil Requirements: Moist, Rich, Humus Rich, Well-Drained Soil.
Water Need:  Medium
Fire Resistant: YES; Zone 1-8 – 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Attractive Foliage; Attracts Bees; Variety of Foliage Colors & Textures; Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant.
Uses:  Spiller in Containers; Dead Bulb Foliage Cover; Groundcover.
Note: Trailing Type Growth; Cut Back or Shear to Stimulate New Growth; Roots Where Stems Touch Ground.
Native to: Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member/ Master Gardener

Photo by: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Southern Oregon Native: Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

Posted on by

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 Plant: Salmonberry

Posted on by

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)

Oregon Native:Spaeralcea munroana (Orange Globe Mallow)

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Spaeralcea munroana
Common name:  Orange Globe Mallow, Desert Mallow
Plant Type:  Perennial Subshrub
Plant Height:  8’ – 32’
Plant Width:  24”
Bloom Time:  May to August
Flower Color:  Pale Orange to Brick Red.
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates Rocky, Sandy Soil or Clay with Fast Drainage.
Water Need:  Extremely Low.
Attributes: Attracts Bees; Deer Resistant
Note:  Cut Back to Ground Yearly; Susceptible to Fungal Rust Pathogen.
Uses: Rock Gardens; Along Driveways & Walkways; Container Planting; Bee & Butterfly Gardens.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo by: Matt Lavin / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Oregon Native: Rhamnus californica (Coffeeberry)

Posted on by

Plant Name:  Rhamnus californica/Frangula californica
Common name: Coffeeberry
Plant Type: Evergreen Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 8’
Spread: 5’ – 15’
Bloom Time: Spring/Summer
Flower Color: Greenish White Flower with Red, Purple, then Black Berries over Summer.
Exposure: Sun or Shade
Soil Requirements: Not particular about soil, but good drainage.
Water Needs: Low
Attributes:  Valued by Birds; Butterflies & Moths Hosted; Deer Resistant; Bee Garden.
Note: Takes well to Pruning.
Uses: Fire Resistant Hedge.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7-10

Report by: Viki Ashford

Flower Image Credit: Evangele19 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Berry Image Credit: Brofri / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)