Tag Archives: pollinator habitats

Attracting Pollinators

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Pollinator populations have declined significantly in recent years, mainly due to habitat loss. Homeowners can help by creating pollinator-friendly gardens. Knowing plant traits such as flower color, shape and scent will guide you to which plants to choose for pollinators.

Hummingbirds are attracted to flowers of vivid shades of red, yellow, and purple with a tubular shape that they can access with their long narrow beaks.

Bees prefer purple, blue, orange, or yellow flowers with short tubes or no tubes which they can easily access.

Butterflies are drawn to white, pink, red, yellow, or purple flowers with a place they can perch while sipping on nectar.

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ANISE HYSSOP (Agastache foeniculum)
Attributes: Hyssop supports a wide range of pollinators, including hummingbirds, honey bees, bumble

bees, carpenter bees, butterflies and night flying moths.
Bloom time: June until first frost
Exposure: Full sun
Habit: Upright habit with flower spikes blooming throughout summer.
Height/Spread: 2 to 4 feet tall, 1 to 3 feet wide
Flower color: Varieties available are purple, lavender, red, pink, orange-yellow
USDA Zones: 5-9, for most varieties
Native: North America
Firewise: Yes
Important Note on fire resistant plants: It’s crucial to remember that fire resistance can vary within the same plant species depending on local conditions and specific varieties and some plants considered fire-resistant, may produce flammable dry material that can negate their fire resistance. 

Photo from University of Wisconsin Horticulture Extension: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/anise-hyssop-agastache-foeniculum/

Posted by: Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Fire-wise & Native Plant: Red Osier Dogwood

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Plant Name: Cornus sericea
Common name: Red Osier Dogwood, Red Twig Dogwood
Plant type: Deciduous, Multi-Stem Shrub
Height: 6’ -9’
Spread: 7’ – 10’
Bloom Time: May, June
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade

Soil Requirements: Organically Rich
Water Needs: Medium to Wet
Attributes: Showy Flower; Good Fall Color; Winter Interest; Tolerates Deer; Clay & Wet Soil; Birds Attracted to White Fruits (Drupes); Attracts Waterfowl, Marsh & Shorebirds; Larval Host for Butterflies; Flowers Fragrant; Attracts Bees.

Note: Remove 20-25% of the oldest stems in early spring of each year to stimulate growth of new stems which will display the best color. Can be suckering; Susceptible to Leaf & Twig Blight, Powdery Mildew, Canker & Leaf Spot; Occasional Pests are Scale & Leaf Miners.

Uses: Hedge, Rain Garden; Wet Habitats; Pollinator Garden
Firewise: YES
Native To: North America except Deep South
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 2a – 7b

 

Report by Viki Ashford & Carlotta Lucas, AGC Members

Photos by: Matt Lavin – Wikmedia Commons  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornus_sericea_-_red_osier_dogwood_-_53024871939.jpg

Fire-wise Plant: Western redbud

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Plant Name: Cercis occidentalis
Common name: Western redbud
Plant type: Deciduous Tree or Shrub
Height: 10’ – 20’
Spread:  10’ – 15’
Bloom Time:  February – April
Flower Color:  Magenta or Bright Pink; Fall Color
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Drainage Fast to Slow; Clay, Loam, Sand
Water Needs:  Low; Drought Tolerant
Attributes:  Very Showy Flowering; Deer Resistant; Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Moths, Native Pollinators; Four Season Interest; Pest & Disease Resistant;
Note: Flowers are popular with a variety of native bees, including leafcutter bees; Responds well to Pruning including occasional hard pruning
Uses: Bank Stabilization; Beds & Borders; Small Gardens
Firewise: YES
Native To:  California, Southwest, Arizona, Rocky Mountains, Utah
Oregon Native: NO
USDA Hardiness Zone:  6 – 9

Article by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo Credit: LaurentianShield, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Horticulture Report – Fire-wise & Native Flower

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Plant Name: Brodiaea elegans
Common name: Elegant Cluster Lily/Harvest Brodiaea
Plant type: Perennial Herbaceous; Grows from a Corm
Height: 2’
Spread:  6”
Bloom Time:  Spring – Summer
Flower Color: Pale Purple/Purple/White
Exposure:  Full Sun to Partial Shade
Soil Requirements:  Does well in Clay Soil; Medium to Slow Drainage
Water Needs:  Low to Very Low
Attributes:  Supports Butterflies; Drought Tolerant
Note: Plant in Groups; Insect Pollinated
Uses: Containers; Beds & Borders; Rock Garden
Firewise: YES
Native To:  Mountain Ranges of California & Oregon
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a – 10b

Photo Credit: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Com