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Many gardeners want to know how to incorporate Oregon native plants into their existing gardens. This presentation was created for the St. Paul Garden Club, but the information is relevant to many gardeners in the region.
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Growing Native Plants in the Willamette ValleyLinda R McMahanOregon State University Extension Service
Deer fern at Connie Hanson Garden, Lincoln City
What is so different about gardening here in Oregon?
Maidenhair fern at a public garden
Dry summers and wet winters
Extreme variability of soils – clay to rock
Mild temperatures generally
Why grow native plants?Easy to care forNatural beautyNurture wildlifeFit into our
existing gardensAre not invasive
plants—it’s their home!
Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum) with nasturtium-private garden
Lady fern at the Connie Hanson Garden, Lincoln CityAthyrium filix-femina is delicate, can grow tall in ideal conditions, but is deciduous and requires wet habitat
Examples of Gardens with Native Plants
Native plants at Shore Acres State Park near Coos BaySword fern and salal outside of the more formal entrance to the gardens
B&B native plant garden in the Cascade MountainsNative sedums in whimsical pots-at least 4 sedums are native to Oregon
B&B, Cascade MountainsSword fern, rock, and an old tree trunk
B&B, Cascade MountainsOxalis oregana and Piggy-back plant (Tolmiea menziesii) mixed groundcover
Private garden, Portland OregonStream plant, Darmera peltatum used in a garden setting
Private Garden, Portland, OREmerging false hellebore (Veratrum californicum) growing through decomposing ash leaves
Private Garden, Portland, OregonSalal (Gaultheria shallon) and sword fern on a decaying stump
Public Library, McMinnville ORRed flowering currant, Ribes sanguineum
Native Plant Garden, McMinnville LibraryColtsfoot, Petasites frigidus, in early spring
Waterfront park, Corvallis OregonOregon iris, Iris tenax with blue fescue
Private Garden, Corvallis, ORHedged red flowering currant next to a magnolia
Private Garden, Beaverton Oregon
Sword fern (Polystichum munitum) and groundcover oxalis (Oxalis oregana) in a side garden path
Ask yourself: Why do we garden the way we do?
We copy what we see and remember: family, friends, neighbors
Our gardening traditions are from England
Today, we are seeing new ways to garden (restoration for example)and we copy that too,
Connie Hanson Garden, Lincoln City, Oregon
History Lesson on Native Plant Gardening
Formal gardens of London’s Crystal Palace and the informal lines of a William Robinson landscape Photos: Wikipedia
The Victorian Era in the British Isles
The Wild Gardening Tradition
In the 1890’s, Scottish gardener William Robinson reacted to Victorian “excess” by promoting Wild Gardening—note this was gardening in a naturalistic style, not necessarily with native plants Robinson’s house and garden:
Wikipedia
One of Robinson’s colleagues promoted new styles that led to border gardensGertrude Jekyll (1843-1932 popularized the idea of the informal border in many publications and garden designs. The “natural” style caught on and remains popular today.
A modern “border garden”
Thomas Jefferson
Experimented widely with southeast native plants, including Osage orange as a hedge, at his Monticello home
Sponsored Lewis and Clark Expedition
Photos: Wikipedia
(1743-1826)
Liberty Hyde Bailey
“Father of American Horticulture”
Professor, Cornell Created first US
horticulture compendia
Plantsman & naturalist
Began program for nature study in NY schools, forerunners of native plant societies
Photo: Wikipedia
(1858-1954)
Essentially, two styles of gardening with native plants have evolved side by side
Substituting natives for traditional plants and developing “garden-worthy” cultivars
Gardening with native plants for their own sake in naturalistic landscapes
VS
Photos: left azalea and sword fern (Polystichum munitum); right coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus)
Another thing -- growing native plants in Oregon is very recent!
Mixed succulents in a private garden, including Sedum spathulifolium, center
Only in the past 15 to 20 years in Oregon and perhaps 30 or more years in the US, have we explicitly created native plant gardens
Adding Native to Existing Garden – An easy way begin
Match conditions of the plants to those of your garden—sun/shade, water use, soil characteristics
Start first with well-known natives, such as sword fern and red flowering currant, or established cultivars
Choose colorful flowers or foliage, complementing features, and a “tame” habit before you explore other species
Look for wildlife value—birds, bees, food and shelter
Some Favorite Plants
Sedum spathlufolium Vancouveria hexandra
Oregon grape, our state flowerBerberis (Mahonia) aquifolium, likes full sun, can be easily pruned, attracts pollinators and birds, easy to find
Sedum spathulifoliumBest native sedum, easy for containers or well-drained soil, available at many retail nurseries
Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’A cultivar of Heuchera micrantha, readily available, moist, rich, and well-drained soil
Mock orangePhiladelphus lewesii, available at native plant nurseries and SWCD sales. Fragrant and easy—sun to part shade, moderate water
Camas (Camassia)Available as a bulb in better garden centers, needs wet winters and dry summers—no problem for us!
Wild StrawberryFragaria chiloensis, coast or dune strawberry, and other species--vigorous ground-cover, sun/part shade, bees and birds, easily available
Epilobium canum(Zauschneria californicum)California fuchsia, full-sun, spreads slowly, attracts hummingbirds, fall bloomer
Vancouveria hexandraShade-loving deciduous groundcover, duck-foot plant
Vine MapleAcer circinatum, best in part shade, some have good fall color, bird-friendly
Stream VioletViola glabella, accent or groundcover, drought tolerant, butterfly host plant
Red Twig DogwoodCornus sericia, wet or dry, large, prune from the base, berries attract birds
Red Flowering CurrantRibes sanguineum, February/March bloomer attracts hummingbirds, also bees. Blue/black berries are edible and a bird favorite, many cultivars available
Check out the recommended requirements for each species
Provide water to establish, even if the species is drought-hardy
Refrain from too much fertilizer-plants are usually adapted to our typical soils
Cultural Requirements
Douglas iris and Viola adunca
Leave enough space—some natives may grow larger than anticipated
Many can be hedged, but some gardeners prefer the natural forms
Prune multi-stemmed shrubs from the base
Cultural Requirements
Desert Parsely and snowberry
Don’t assume plants are “deer-proof”
If you want plants to self-seed or provide berries for wildlife, don’t dead-head the flowers
Cultural Requirements
Ocean spray and osoberry
For More Information! Kruckeberg, Arthur R. 1966. Gardening with
Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd edition, University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA
Yamhill County, OSU Extension Ecogardening at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/eco-gardening
Selecting native plants for home landscapes in Central Oregon at: http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/19858/ec1623-e.pdf
Oregon Flora Project (interactive maps and photos) at: http://www.oregonflora.org/
Thank You! Linda R McMahan Oregon State University Extension
Service, Yamhill County [email protected] Unless noted, photographs are by the
author. This presentation is copyrighted by Oregon State University. Material may be used freely for educational purposes. For other uses, please contact the author.
Rosa sp. – wild rose