Tag Archives: Plants for Native Bees

Horticulture Report: Phacelia tanacetifolia

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Plant Name:  Phacelia tanacetifolia
Common name: Lacy Phacelia, Fiddleneck
Plant Type:  Annual
Plant Height: 1’ -3’
Spread: 1.5’
Bloom Time: March – May
Flower Color:  Lavender Blue
Exposure:  Sun
Soil Requirements:  Rocky, Sandy, Dry Soil.
Water Needs:  Medium
Attributes: Value to Bumble, Honey, & Native Bees; Good Insectary Plant; Deer Resistant; Drought Tolerant; Attracts Butterflies
Note:  May produce skin irritation.
Uses: Bee & Butterfly Gardens; Cover Crop & Nitrogen Fixer; Water-wise gardens; Mediterranean-style Gardens, Cottage Garden, Container Gardening, Wildflower Gardens, Natural areas, Pollinator gardens
Native to: California & Southwest US
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  1 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Zanchetta Fabio (faxstaff) / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)

Horticulture Report: Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon)

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Plant Name:  Penstemon strictus
Common name: Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Plant Type:  Evergreen Perennial
Plant Height: 1’ – 4’
Spread: 3’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  Royal Blue to Purple
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Dry, Light, Well-Drained Soil, but will tolerate Heavy Soil.
Water Needs: Low
Attributes: Supports Native Bees; Attracts Birds & Hummingbirds.
Note:  Spreads by Stolons.
Uses: Native Gardens
Native to: California, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah.
Oregon Native:   NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo Credit: Jerry Friedman / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Oregon Native Plant: Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow)

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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

Oregon Native Plant: Ceanothus cuneatus (Buckbush)

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High risk plant for wildfire, so not a good choice for homes in wildfire  regions!

Plant Name:  Ceanothus cuneatus
Common name:  Buckbrush
Plant Type:  Native, Perennial, Evergreen Shrub
Plant Height:  3.3’ – 11.5’
Spread:  2.5’ – 3.5’
Bloom Time: February – April
Flower Color:  Creamy White to Pale Blue to Lavendar
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Tolerates Sand, Clay, & Serpentine, but needs fast drainage.
Water Needs:  Very Low Moisture.
Attributes:  Pollen/Nectar for Native Bees; Host for some Butterflies; Drought Tolerant; Deer Tolerant.
Note:  Mature Plants are highly flammable.
Uses:  Fragrant Flowers; Hedge/Screen or Small Tree.
Native to:  Western States to Baja CA
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  7b – 10b

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo by: Eric in SF [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Oregon Native Plant: Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Yellow Rabbitbush)

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Plant Name:  Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus
Common name: Yellow Rabbitbrush
Plant Type:  Shrub
Plant Height:  8” – 39”
Bloom Time: August – October
Flower Color:  Yellow
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Course to Medium; Well-Drained.
Water Needs:  Low
Habitat: Dessert and semi-dessert
Attributes:  Drought Tolerant; Provides Cover & Nesting Habitat for Small Birds; Fall Forage for Some Butterflies; Pollen/Nectar for Native Bees; Provides Cover for Rabbits.
Note:  Spring Forage for Deer.
Uses: Restoration & Re-vegetation Plantings; Drought-Tolerant Plantings; Native Gardens; Low Maintenance Gardens; Rock Gardens.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  5b – 8b

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Taken By: Matt Lavin, Bozeman Montana, USA https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chrysothamnus_viscidiflorus_(3939348143).jpg

Oregon Native: Callirhoe involucrate (Purple Poppy Mallow)

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Plant Name:  Callirhoe involucrate
Common name:  Purple Poppy Mallow
Plant Type:  Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height:  .5’ – 1’
Spread:  .5’ – 3’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  Magenta
Exposure:  Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Shallow, Rocky
Attributes:  Showy Flower; Drought Tolerant; Nectar for Bees; Attracts Butterflies.
Note:  Grows well from seed & may self-show.  Long tap root makes transplanting difficult.
Uses:  Semi-Evergreen Ground Cover; Rock Gardens; Native Plant Gardens.
Native to:  Central United States
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  4 – 8

Report by: Viki Ashford

Photo by: Stan Shebs Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Callirhoe_involucrata_group.jpg