Tag Archives: Pollinator Plants

Oregon Native: Thimbleberry

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Plant Name:  Rubus parviflorus

Common name:  Thimbleberry
Plant Type:  Perennial Shrub
Plant Height: 4’ – 8.2’
Spread: 4’ – 8’
Bloom Time: Spring; Fruit Mid to Late Summer.
Flower Color: White
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Fertile, Fast Drainage; Slightly Acidic.
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Firewise:  Yes    *Please Note: Firewise does not mean Fire Proof!
Attributes:  Hosts several Butterflies & Moths; Attracts Birds
Note: Thornless. If Fruit is priority:  Remove fruited canes immediately after harvest; leave non-fruiting canes to overwinter.  Possible Problems:  Leaf spot, anthracnose, botrytis, powdery mildew, root rots, verticillium wilt, raspberry mosaic, cane borers & crown borers, aphids.
Uses:  Bird Garden, Native Garden, Hedge.
Native to:  Western North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member and Master Gardener

Photos from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflowers website taken by Terry Glase

For more information on Thimbleberries: https://calscape.org/Rubus-parviflorus-(Western-Thimbleberry)

Oregon Native: Rough Fruit Berry

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Plant Name:  Rubus lasiococcus
Common name:  Rough Fruit Berry, Dwarf Bramble
Plant Type:  Perennial Subshrub/Groundcover
Plant Height: Few Inches
Spread: Small Vine
Bloom Time: June to August
Flower Color: White; small red fruit
Exposure: Sun
Water Needs:  Moist
Attributes: Attracts Bumble & Native Bees; Hummingbirds, & Moths
HOST for: White-lined sphinx, Alfalfa Looper Moth, Elegant Sheep Moth, Red-humped Caterpillar, Lappet Moth, Fingered Dagger Moth, Lunate Zale Moth.

Note: Trailing Vine, Thornless, Freely Rooting.
Uses: Fruit
Native to:  British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-7

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener                            and Carlotta Lucas, AGC Member

Photo by: Walter Siegmund / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Oregon Native: Red Elderberry

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Plant Name:  Sambucus racemosa
Common name: Red Elderberry

Plant Type:  Deciduous Shrub or Small Tree
Plant Height: 10’ – 20’
Width:  8′-10′
Bloom Time: April – July
Flower Color: Creamy White Flowers Followed by Bright Red Berries.
Exposure: Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Well Draining Loamy, Silty, Nutrient Rich.
Water Needs: High Moisture
Attributes:  Nectar for Hummingbirds; Fragrant Flowers; Attracts Butterflies; Deer Resistant.
Note: Susceptible to Viral Canker, Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spot, Cane Borers.


Uses: Soil Stabilization; Wildlife Garden; Hedge.
Native to:  Most of North America
Oregon Native: YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 7

” Warning: Red Elderberry Fruits are not edible when raw, but when cooked they make a good jam, pie, and wine.” (Oregon State University)

Report By: Viki Ashford, AGC member & Master Gardener

Photos from: Oregon State University https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/sambucus-nigra-subsp-cerulea

Today in the Garden; Gaillardia x grandiflora

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Here’s a new favorite for a sunny spot:  Long-blooming, pollinator friendly and brightly colored, Gaillardia x grandiflora has been blooming in my West-facing garden since June, and is still putting out new buds.  It’s a hybrid on a Western native, Gaillardia aristata.  The common name is Blanket Flower.  The colors often remind me of the state flag of Arizona:  yellow, scarlet, bronze. The flowers are 2-3 “ across, and the seed heads are attractive, too. Gaillardia is easy to grow and to maintain.  I just prune off the dried seed heads when they look tatty.  Another option, though, is to leave at least some in place at the end of the season, because these plants reseed, so you can have more for free next Spring.  There are several cultivars available.  I have the original, which is about 24” x 24”.  I also have the dwarf form, called ‘Goblin’, which is about  1 foot high and wide.  Needs full sun, moderate water and  fast drainage.

~Sherri Morgan, AGC Member

Oregon Native: Grindelia nana

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Plant Name:  Grindelia nana
Common name:  Idaho Gumweed
Plant Type:  Perennial Wildflower
Plant Height:  6” – 2’
Bloom Time: June to September
Flower Color:  Yellow
Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Requirements:  Sharply draining, rocky, gravelly soil.
Water Need:  Low.
Attributes: Highly attractive to native bees & butterflies; Drought tolerant; Deer resistant; Resinous & sticky leaves that appear to sparkle.
Uses: Wildflower Gardens; Drought Tolerant Gardens; Pollinator Gardens.
Native to:  Western US
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  8

 

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC member

Photo from: American West website: https://www.americansouthwest.net/plants/wildflowers/grindelia-nana.html

Oregon Native Plant: Rudbeckia glaucescen

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Plant Name:  Rudbeckia glaucescens
Common name:  Waxy Coneflower
Plant Type:  Perennial
Plant Height: 3’ – 4’
Spread:
Bloom Time: July to September
Flower Color: Yellow
Exposure: Full Sun.
Soil Requirements:  Moist.
Water Needs: Regular.
Attributes:  Nectar & Pollen Source for Bees, Butterflies, Moths.
Note: Deadheading prolongs bloom time.
Uses: Native/Wildflower Gardens; Stream side.
Native to:  California & Oregon
Oregon Native:   YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 9

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member