Tag Archives: Shade-loving plants

Oregon Native Plant: Salmonberry

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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)

Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern)

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Plant Name:  Osmunda cinnamomea
Common name: Cinnamon Fern
Plant Type:  Perennial Herbaceous Fern
Plant Height: 2’ – 3’
Spread: 2’ – 3’
Bloom Time: May – June
Flower Color:  Cinnamon-Colored Sporangia; Cinnamon Fronds occur in groups; Fertile Fronds appear first as Silvery Fiddleheads which turn Upper Portion from Green to Chocolate Brown; Sterile Fronds bend outwards enclosing Cinnamon Fronds.
Exposure:  Sun, Part Sun, Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Requirements: Tolerates Various Calcareous/Acidic Soils.
Water Needs: Medium High
Attributes: Attracts Birds looking for nesting material of Fiddleheads; Contrasting Fertile & Infertile Fronds Make Dramatic Accent.; Deer Resistant.
Note: Can grow in Full Sun if Constantly Standing in Water.
Uses: Bogs, Ponds, Water Gardens; Shaded Borders
Native to:  Eastern North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 – 10

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member & Master Gardener

 Photo by David J. Stang – source: David Stang. First published at ZipcodeZoo.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61095231

Horticulture Report: Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)

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Plant Name: Phlox divaricata
Common name: Wild Sweet William/Woodland Phlox
Plant Type: Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: .75’ – 1’
Spread: .75’ – 1’
Bloom Time: April – May
Flower Color: Rose/Lavender or Violet/Blue
Exposure:Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Requirements:Medium, Humus, Well-Drained Soil; Drought Tolerant.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Showy, Fragrant Flower; Attracts Butterflies & Hummingbirds; Deer Resistant.
Note:Powdery Mildew can be a problem; Cut back stems after bloom. Roots at Nodes to Form Mat Foliage.
Uses: Evergreen Ground Cover; Rock Gardens; Border Front & Cover for Early Spring Bulbs.
Native to: Eastern North America
Oregon Native:NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8

Report: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Photo: The Missouri Botanical Gardens http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/phlox_divaricata

Horticulture Report: Jeffersonia diphylla (Twinleaf)

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Plant Name:  Jeffersonia diphylla 

Photo by James Henderson, University of Tennessee Herbarium

Common name: Twinleaf
Plant Type:  Herbaceous Perennial
Plant Height: .75’ – 1.5’
Spread: .5’ – .75’
Bloom Time:  March – May
Flower Color:  White
Exposure:  Part Shade
Soil Requirements:  Moist, Humusy,
Well-Drained.
Water Needs: Medium
Attributes: Showy Flower & Fruit; Tolerates Heavy Shade; Interesting fruit after flowering.
Note: Susceptible to Slugs & Snails.
Uses:  Shade Garden; Native Plant Garden; Ground Cover; Shady Rock Gardens.
Native to:   Eastern North America
Oregon Native:  NO
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 – 7

Report by: Viki Ashford, AGC Member

Oregon Native Plant: Aralia californica

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Plant Name: Aralia californica
Common name:Spikenard, Elk’s Clover, Western Aralia
Plant type:Perennial Herb
Height: 3’ – 9’
Spread: 10’
Bloom Time:June – September
Flower Color:Greenish White flowers, (Dark Purple Berries in the fall)
Exposure: Part to Full Shade
Soil Requirements:Medium drainage; moist
Water Needs: Moderate to High
Attributes:Attracts beneficial insects; yellow autumn foliage; deer resistant
Note: Ginseng family
Uses: Shade Gardens, Fall color, Deer-Resistant gardens,
Native to: California and Oregon
Oregon Native:YES
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3 – 8

Report Submitted by: Viki Ashford

Photos from: Klamath- Siskiyou Native Seeds https://klamathsiskiyouseeds.com/2016/02/19/western-aralia-aralia-californica/

Oregon Native: Red Baneberry

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Plant Name:  Actaea rubra
Common name:  Red Baneberry
Plant type:  Perennial Herb
Height: 1.3’ – 2.6’
Spread: 1′
Bloom Time:  Spring-Summer
Flower Color:  White
Exposure: Part to Full Shade
Soil Requirements:  Tolerates variety of garden soils with moisture.
Water Needs: Low to High
Attributes:  Deer Resistant; Shade Garden Plant with Red Berries
NOTE:   Berries are POISONOUS, but not to birds.  Plants don’t flower until third year.
Uses:  Bank Stabilization, Shade Gardens, Native Gardens
Native to: North America
Oregon Native:  YES
USDA Hardiness Zone:  3-8

Report submitted by:  Viki Ashford

Photo by: Julie Makin, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center