Ecological Gardening: Native Plants and Pollinators Gardening: Native Plants and Pollinators ... ^assemblage of vegetation and wildlife •Oregon has 9 ecoregions ... outgoing from

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Ecological Gardening: Native Plants and Pollinators

How gardening with native plants can help SUSTAIN the environment and be a whole lotta fun!

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Ecological Gardening Presentation Outline:

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A. Preview of native plants! B. Overview: native, exotic, etc. C. Weeds D. Gardening for native pollinators E. Gardening with native plants

What are some of our locally native plants?

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Locally Native Trees

Conifers:

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) Incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) Grand Fir (Abies grandis)

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Hardwoods: Oregon White Oak & California Black Oak (Quercus

garryana & Q. kelloggii) Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) Pacific Willow (Salix lasiandra var. lasiandra) Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia) Black Cottonwood (Poplar in East Coast lexicon;

Populus trichocarpa) Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana) Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata var. mollis) Red and White Alder (Alnus rubra & A. rhombifolia) Suksdorfs Hawthorn (Crataegus suksdorfii) Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)

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Locally Native Shrubs

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana var. demissa)

Tall Oregongrape (Berberis aquifolium aka Mahonia aquifolium in nursery trade)

Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana)

Vine Maple (Acer circinatum)

Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)

Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum), etc.

Scoulers Willow (Salix scouleriana)

any more! See NPSO booklet.

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Locally Native Herbaceous Plants

Forbs

Graminoids

Ferns, Horsetails, Clubmosses

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Herbs, cont.

The next series of slides shows some of the lesser-known native herbs that have potential for landscaping/gardening use.

Many are not yet obtainable. Start asking for them!

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Pacific Houndstongue Cynoglossum grande

Lupines Many-Leaved Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus);

Riverbank Lupine (Lupinus rivularis)

Checkermallows Rosy Checkermallow

(Sidalcea malviflora ssp. virgata)

Cusicks Checkermallow (Sidalcea cusickii)

Milkweeds Asclepias speciosa

& A. fascicularis

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Rosy Plectritis Plectritis congesta

Blue Gilia Gilia capitata

Wild Onion Allium amplectens & A. acuminatum

Oregon Geranium Geranium oreganum

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Woodland Phacelia Phacelia nemoralis

Lovage Ligusticum apiifolium

Fernleaf Lomatium Lomatium dissectum

Western Waterleaf Hydrophyllum occidentale

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Blue- or Purple-

Eyed Grass Sisyrinchium bellum,

S. idahoense

Yarrow Achillea millefolium

California Tea

Rupertia physodes Clarkia or Farewell-to-Spring

Clarkia amoena

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Tall & Oregon Larkspurs Delphinium trolliifolium & oreganum

Oregon Sunshine Eriophyllum lanatum

Narrow-leaved

Milkweed

Asclepias fascicularis Showy Daisy

Erigeron speciosus

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Hookers Catchfly Silene hookeri

Large-flowered Collomia Collomia grandiflora

Thermopsis Thermopsis gracilis

Canada Goldenrod

Solidago canadensis

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Douglas Aster

Symphyotrichum

subspicatum Blue-eyed Mary Collinsia grandiflora

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Mad Dog Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora

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Pacific and Sessile Trillium Trillium ovatum and T. albidum

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Bleeding Heart Dicentra formosa

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Scoulers Corydalis Corydalis scouleri

B. OVERVIEW

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OVERVIEW

What do ecosystem, habitat and ecology mean?

What is an ecoregion and why does it matter?

What are examples of habitats and how does it apply to my garden?

What do native and non-native mean?

How do I find out what is native?

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What do ecosystem, habitat and ecology mean?

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An ecosystem = all living things in a broad, similar vegetation type (e.g., a coniferous forest ecosystem); could be world-wide!

Ecology = the study of those relationships

Habitat = several meanings, but most often a specific place where certain wildlife species live

Habitat can be applied as a gardening term, e.g., I created a meadow habitat in my garden.

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What is an ecoregion and why does it matter?

A geographical area with unique soils and climate, and because of that, unique assemblage of vegetation and wildlife

Oregon has 9 ecoregions

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Each ecoregion has numerous ecosystems within it. For example, conifer forest.

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Ecoregions are different from this widely used Plant Hardiness Zone Map, based solely on minimum winter temperatures.

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If you landscape with plants that are native to your ecoregion, you provide those plants a place to continue to exist and you provide sustenance to native wildlife that evolved with those plants. In other words you sustain your ecoregions uniqueness!

What do native and non-native mean?

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Lots of synonyms:

Native = indigenous

Non-native = exotic, introduced, alien

Endemic = native to a certain area only

Every plant is:

native to somewhere, or

native to somewhere, then modified through horticulture, or

so modified that it has no specific geographic origin

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A plant of a place that has naturally evolved in that place.

SCALE: native to large area vs. locally native

FUNCTION: a locally native organism has co-evolved functional roles with partners over many thousands of years (e.g.: Kincaids Lupine/FBB; hummingbirds/flowers, truffles/flying squirrels)

HABITAT: site-adapted or site-appropriate native

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Native concepts:

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Native plant + horticultural manipulation = aesthetically pleasing, convenient, addresses specific need

-BUT- Can also mean loss of ecological function (e.g., loss of nectar, change of color)

brought to new areas deliberately (for ornamental use or pasture); some hitchhiked

have not co-evolved, so lack functional interdependence

may (usually)offer some benefits

may tolerate (or even thrive) in new climate/soils

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What are non-natives? The distinction between native and

non-native in a few cases is not clear

Plants moved historically as climate changed; what will happen in the future as climate changes and plant movement now is blocked?

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Native or non-native in Lane County? Bedstraw or Cleavers, Galium aparine)

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Native or non-native in Lane County?

Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea

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How can I find out what is native?

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The Oregon Flora Project online Gallery or downloadable Checklist are the best sources to consult for nativeness to Oregon

The OFP Atlas is the best source for any native or naturalized species distribution in Oregon

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OFP occurrence map of: Farewell to Spring (Clarkia amoena ssp. lindleyi)

For local, Southern Willamette Valley nativity, consult this table:

Native Plants of the Southern Willamette Valley: a Resource List for Homeowners and Professionals

This table is on the MG web site (or Salix Associates/Resources) as a download; large; best suited for use electronically

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Southern Willamette Valley Native Plant Data Table

Names follow Vascular Plants of Lane County: an Annotated Checklist

(Simpson et al. 2002), and the Oregon Flora Project (Cook & Sundberg eds. 2011).

Bold font plants highly recommended.

Bruce Newhouse: Ver. 2012-09-06 Light Moisture

Gro

wth

Eve

rgre

en

Values

Pro

pag

atio

n

Scarce, Occasional, Common, Abundant - by

Native Habitats

Latin name Common name SN PS SH D A W Birds Hummers B-fly

Nectar B-fly Host

Native Poll.

Flowers /Fruits

Leaves Ground Cover

Tall Grd. Cover

Fore

st, U

plan

d

Fore

st, R

ipar

ian

Fore

st, W

etla

nd

Fore

st G

aps

& E

dges

Sava

nna,

Oak

etc

.

Prai

rie,

Upl

and

Prai

rie,

Wet

land

Shru

b U

plan

d

Shru

b W

etla

nd

Mar

sh

Aqu

atic

Roc

ks &

Cob

bles

Rock

Out

crop

s

Dis

turb

ed

TREES

Abies grandis Grand Fir PS SH D A A E H S S S S

Acer macrophyllum Bigleaf Maple SN PS SH D A F B N H P S C A S

Alnus rhombifolia White Alder PS A F H ? C S

Alnus rubra Red Alder SN PS A F H ? C O S

Arbutus menziesii Madrone