Western Hazel is a widespread large deciduous shrub west of the Cascades. Its a common understory component of dry woods from the coast where it is uncommon to interior western Oregon where it is one of the most common plants. In the Willamette Valley it can be found under douglas fir and oak canopies often with Amelanchier, Philadelphus, Lonicera hispidula. The large ellipical to oval leaves are slightly rough with a toothed edge. A rambling shrub rarely taller than 12′ but spreading twice as wide. Extremely drought adapted when established and it even prefers a dry rest in summer. In winter 2″ silver catkins arrive with the tiny magenta ribbon like flowers. They produce round hazelnuts that are loved by wildlife and are born in pairs of two with a rough green husk. In fall the leaves take on yellow and russet tints before they drop. Excellent wild land plant. Masses of this shrub have been removed in the metro area and we should replace those. This form of western hazel or California hazel ranges from BC south throughout the wooded areas of California. Very long lived shrub that gets by on very little. Moderately fast growing. Fantastic native shrub for wildlife. Water to establish then only what falls from the sky. Part shade, shade to full sun. Limited quantities Oregon native plant.
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
When a plant is designated as full sun that means several things. Full sun is at least six hours of unobstructed sunshine. Anything less than that can qualify as part shade. Plants in too much shade that are adapted to sun behave in strange ways. They will often lean exorbitantly towards the direction of the most possible sun. They will not bloom very well and they will not grow nearly as dense becoming lanky and missing the natural beauty of a plant grown correctly. Most drought adapted/low water plants fit into this category.
Climate Adapted Plants for Gardeners in the PNW
Strange name for this Camellia. The flowers are decidedly fresh pink, and vivid but not burgundy. It could refer to the new growth which arrives with a raspberry tints. Either way it is one of the best Sasanquas I have grown. A dense upright shrub with smaller upturned deep green foliage. To 8′ x 6′ in 7 years . In October to December a continuous display of vivid double pink flowers. They are about 2.5″ wide and profuse. They open over several months and if the open flowers are spoiled by a freeze this will cause a rapid re-bloom with a thaw. Full sun, including hot locations to part shade. Less flowers and lankier growth in more shade. Water regularly for the first several years and then it can get through summer with 2 – 3 deep soaks. Mulch with bark. Not as good a candidate for espalier as this cultivar is dense and somewhat tear drop shaped and wide. Rich soil with mulch for the first several years. Excellent screen or hedge. Takes pruning well, which should be done after flowering has ended and into spring. Very dependable variety with weather resistant flowers – a good performer in our climate. Long lived, cold hardy to near 0ºF.
Exquisite October to December blooming Sasanqua Camellia with fully double, large flowers for a Sasanqua, 3″ of rich pink. It is a seedling of a more famous cultivar C. s. ‘Showe No Sake’ . To me this seedling is a deeper and richer pink. The substantial flowers have great weather resisitance and the large flowers are prolifiic. A handsome shrub with slightly smaller deep green foliage. Moderately fast growing evergreen shrub for FULL SUN to very light shade. Sasanqua Camellias love full, hot sun. They will grow in shade as well but flowering is much less profuse. This gorgeous shrub is a great candidate for training as an espalier. The large double flowers are quite a display on a single branch. Rich soil with regular summer water to establish, then about once every two weeks to a month after several years. Summer water speeds growth. To 7′ x 7′ in 8 years. Attractive as a large, fall blooming evergreen hedge. Very easy to grow Sasanqua Camellia with exceptional flowers. Excellent hardiness to cold. If blooms are frozen it will also spur this shrub to open flowers like crazy when a thaw arrives. Very long lived.
Fascinating and cold hardy Bromeliad relative from the cooler and wetter parts of Chile. It forms large 2′ wide grassy rosettes of leaves, After a year each large rosette blooms in the middle and the results are spectacular. The center of the rosette hosts a dozens of turquoise blue flowers set tightly together. At the same time the innermost leaves become a brilliant scarlet red. This happens in our climate in late spring to summer but the red leaves remain showy long after the flowers are spent. Excellent plant for a rock garden in gritty soil with regular irrigation. In containers it excels as well as long as its very large-at least 20″ across. REGULAR irrigation through the summer, let it dry between watering. Full sun with protection during the hottest parts of the day. The first winter in the ground cover it with a cardboard box if arctic air – sub 20ºF, threatens. Remove with a thaw. Excellent tilted into rock walls and with regular irrigation it will adhere to the small areas of soil. After blooming each rosette dies and is replaced by new pups, remove the spent rosettes with a quick brush of your hand, they will detach with a light tug. Very easy and hardy greenhouse plant. Protect containerized plants from prolonged temps below 20ºF. Limited quantities.
This is an interesting discovery in my garden. I bought this plant as part of a 6 pack of annual color years ago. This species is hardy in our climate but it usually comes back in a wimpy way. Enter this individual seedling that is extremely vigorous, cold hardy, and unlike the species it blooms continuously through the heat of summer. This Nemesia does not take a break in the mid summer heat. To just 6″ tall by 2′ wide this continuously blooming perennial has small snapdragon-like flowers in clusters that have a lower lip of white with a touch of yellow and upper petals that are gray and change to purple. Best in enriched soil with regular water in summer. It begins blooming straight away in May and continues until frost. Loved by hummingbirds and pollinators. It makes a great perennial container plant that is so prolific in bloom for such a long period you might think it was an annual. Loves rich soil and organic fertilizer. Cold hardy below 10ºF and disappears completely in cold winters, emerges in April. Excellent at the front of borders and trailing down rock walls. Easy and pretty perennial. Not bothered by rabbits. Native to high elevation South Africa. Mix with other smaller scale perennials such as Armeria or Diascia, Campanula ‘Dickson’s Gold’. Remove spent flowers to encourage more.
Xera Plants Introduction
Fall Daffodil, this is one of the brightest and most cheerful of all fall blooming bulbs. This vivid yellow flowers emerge and bloom with the first fall rain and it blooms for an extended period from early September into October. It forms multiplying clumps in full sun and rich soil. The leaves follow the bloom and they are deep green and rise to 6″ tall and persist all winter.. No supplemental water is needed once established , it simply avoids summer heat and dry by going dormant when truly hot weather hits. There is no presence in summer and mark the spot so that you do not plant something in that void during summer. Very easy to grow and long lived. In rich well drained soil, they multiply faster, but it is not fussy and tolerates rockhard dry clay soils. Truly related to Narcissus this bulb has great deer, rabbit, and pest resistance. Native to hillsides in Crete. Beautiful bulb for September in rock gardens, the front of borders, lining paths. The upright yellow goblet shaped flowers recall a large Crocus. Perfect for mediterranean plantings with species from there. Often persists in the oldest gardens.
Chilean Jessamine, this is a large growing sub shrub that blooms on new wood and produces clusters of small tubular yellow flowers that pump out a heady perfume at night. Large mid green leaves line sturdy stems. Freezes to the ground in winter in the mid-teens or lower. Roars alive with warm weather and can become a shrub 5′ x 5′ even if cut to the round in one season. The flowers at terminal ends of the shoots close during the day and yawn open at night. Its a good light yellow and is a great companion for other bold plants. such as Aralia californica and cannas. Excllent in very large containers. Rich soil with regular irrigation speeds growth and bloom. Begins growing when temperatures remain in the 70’s for highs, be patient. The fragrance is fruity in a citrus kind of way and doesn’t appear until nightfall. Not bothered by deer or rabbits. Excellent plant for the back of a border. Mulch for the first winter. Chile/Argentina.
A hybrid between two southern California shrubby Salvias has yielded an amazing plant for our gardens. The parents of this hybrid are S. clevelandii ‘Alpine’ x S. pachyphylla and it continues the amazing foliage fragrance of Salvia clevelandii and the deep blue flowers in purple bracts echo pachyphylla. A shrub/ sub shrub for the very warmest parts of the garden. Against a south or west facing aspect. This Salvias parents come from poor, mineral soils and eventually the pale blue foliage builds to a 30″ x 4′ evergreen shrub. It loses some leaves in harsh winters . In mid to late summer upright stems support whorls that emit striking long deep blue flowers, these are held in a dark purple calyx – the each whorl is dark purple and showy before and after bloom as well. Takes the hottest locations and appreciates it. Strategically placed among large boulder that radiate heat is also useful as is in Hell strips where heat builds. The stems elongate in bloom up to 2′ and are lined with mutiple whorls. Perhaps no animal loves this sage or Salvias in general more than hummingbirds. And the radiant blue tubular flowers are perched just for them. Long blooming aromatic drought adapted sub-shrub. Good drainage, full sun, and regular water to establish, let it dry between watering during summer. Mix with Manzanita, Epilobium – Zauschneria, Grevilleas. Do not cut back until new growth begins in mid spring. Beautiful in bloom. Excellent with a gravel mulch and on south facing slopes. Protect from prolonged temperatures below 15ºF, cover with a cardboard box or a tarpaulin. Naturally drought adapted.
A friend of our nursery selected three Epilobium formerly Zauschneria in southwest Oregon. This species native throughout California just dips into the southern 1/3 of the southwest part of the state. This form is perhaps the most vivid of the three that Mark Wade chose. Electric salmon/orange flowers with large pink protruding stamens covers this massively blooming perennial. The habit of this form is spreading but lower- intermediate between the low growth of ‘Horse Wall’ and the height and vigor of ‘Illy’. The leaves on this form are more rounded and green and the tubular flowers are electric occurring from early August to October. Hummingbirds adore this plant and it will be visited by birds flying south for the season. To 8″ tall and spreading to 2′-3 wide in rich, well drained soil with regular water to establish. Add a handful of all organic fertilizer when planting , it will establish faster and grow much more vigorously. That said, its a very easy, climate adapted perennial and it can go without summer water when firmly established. These Epilobiums do appreciate a soak every few weeks in the driest part of summer. Totally winter deciduous this herbaceous plant is completely absent in winter. Mix with other climate adapted and vigorous perennials such as Salvia cohuilensis ‘Nuevo Leon’ and Verbena rigida. In habitat it consorts with Clinopodium and Sidalceas among many others. Excellent performance in containers and will last for years, spreading by the root to emerge from cracks in the pot or or like its natural habitat to root around rocks. Tidy the remnants in spring. Not bothered by deer. Full sun. Oregon native plant.
Xera Plants Introduction
Another selection of Epilobium (Zauschaneria) that our friend Mark Wade made in SW Oregon. This is a lovely low growing form with smaller but profuse vivid lighter orange flowers and this selection supports pink stamens and pollen as well. To less than 6″ tall but spreading to an area of several square feet in a season. ‘Horse Sign’ bears sheets of these tubular flowers for several months beginning in August. Loved by hummingbirds it forms a vivid orange carpet of color. Enriched soil with a bit of all organic fertilizer will send this hardy perennial soaring. Water regularly for the first season, letting the soil dry in between. In subsequent years you can water much less if at all. Full sun to very light shade. Ideal for a slope and along rock walls at eye level. Very showy late season native perennial. Completely deciduous in winter with excellent hardiness to cold. This roaming perennial can inhabit and spill around other perennials, shrubs. Low and spreading, avoid large perennials nearby that could flop on top. Long lived and easy to grow excellent for late season pollinators and vivid color. Mix with other low growing, sun loving perennials such as Scuttelaria, Orginanum ‘Xera Cascade’ and Erodium ‘Spanish Eyes’. Mulch with compost the first winter, this will help energize it to roar out of the ground in mid spring. Foliage is smaller and green but with a silver cast. Very good looking native perennial. Oregon native plant
Xera Plants Introduction
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