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 linda.mcmahan@oregonstate.edu 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