In AGC member Carlotta Lucas’ Garden
Fall Flowers
Tag Archives: plants
Firewise Plant: Blue Flax
Plant Name: Linum perenne
Common name: Blue Flax
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial Wildflower
Plant Height: 12” – 20”
Plant Width: 12” – 14”
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color: Light Blue or White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade.
Soil Requirements: Well-Drained; Loamy or Sandy.
Water Needs: Medium
Fire Resistant: YES; Zone 1 – Plant 30+ feet from Structure.
Attributes: Showy Flowers; Drought Tolerant; Deer Resistant.
Uses: Mass Plantings; Meadows; Rock Gardens; Border Fronts.
Note: Self-sows; Remove Spent Blossoms for Longer Blooming; Flowers Open for Only One Day.
Native to: Asia, Europe
Oregon Native: NO
Submit by: Viki Ashford
Horticulture Report: Rock Rose
Plant Name: Helianthemum nummularium
Common name: Sun Rose or Rock Rose
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: 8” – 10”
Plant Width: 12” – 16”
Bloom Time: June – August
Flower Color: Red, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Multicolored
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Dry, Alkaline, Rocky, Sandy Soil;
Water Needs: Dry; Low
Fire Resistant: YES – Zone 1: Plant 30+ feet from Structure
Attributes: Mounding Growth Habit; Drought Tolerant; Evergreen with Grey-Green Foliage; Attracts Bees/Butterflies.
Uses: Rock Gardens; Edging Plant; Ground cover; Border Front.
Note: Shear Plants after flowering to encourage additional growth; each flower opens for only one day.
Native to: Europe; Asia Minor
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 7
Horticulture Report: Armeria maritima (Sea Thrift)
Plant Name
: Armeria maritima
Common name: Sea Thrift
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: .5’ – 1’
Plant Width: .5’ – 1’
Bloom Time: April – May
Flower Color: Pink to White
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements: Infertile, Well-Drained Soil.
Water Needs: Low
Fire Resistant: YES; Zone 8 = Plant 30’+ from house.
Attributes: Showy Flowers; Drought Tolerant; Deer Tolerant; Attracts Bees; Butterflies.
Uses: Ground Cover; Edging/Border Fronts; Rock Gardens; Containers.
Note: Deadhead to Encourage More Blooms.
Native to: Northern Hemisphere
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 8
Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Board Member
Photo by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member
Horticulture Report: Sedges
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)
Report by: Viki Ashford, and Carlotta Lucas, both AGC Board Members
Photos by Monrovia Nursery: https://www.monrovia.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=carex
Today in the Garden
Madia elegans: Elegant tar weed. This is blooming right now. It is a sun-loving native annual that self-sows widely. Drought and deer tolerant. Blooms morning and evening, but closes up during the middle of the day. See the bumble bee getting pollen off the flowers. The plant is about 3′ high and 1 1/2′ high.
Epilobium canum, or California Fuchsia. It used to be called Zauschneria californica. It is a later blooming perennial. It is drought and deer resistant. This one is right near an alley and a driveway, and is fine with hot, dry soil. Hummingbirds love it. I plant it with dark blue Bachelors’ Buttons, annuals which seed around.
Gaillardia , or Blanket Flower. It is a long-blooming perennial with interesting round seed heads. If some of the seed heads are left on, it will self-sow. This particular plant is probably a hybrid, called Gaillardia x grandlora ‘Goblin’, which is a more compact cultivar. The native is Gaillardia aristata. It is drought tolerant and deer resistant.
Praying Mantis on Verbena, previously seen eating a bee from the head down. After crawling up on this bloom, she crawled down on the stem and basically disappeared, lurking until another insect came along.
Photos and article by Sherri Morgan, AGC Vice President