Four O’ clocks are a tried and true favorite summer blooming perennial. AKA the Marvel of Peru opens its sweetly scented flowers around that time. Forms a bushy plant 30″ x 30″ and it comes in a host of flower colors but pure orange- and not salmon is a new hue. Heavy blooming perennial, forms a tuber, same treat meant and hardiness as a Dahlia. Mulch in fall if you live in a cold area and be patient for it to return in May . Wonderful sweet flowers perfume the evening air. Loved by butterflies, bees and moths. Will often re-sow if the winter has been mild above 20ºF. Root hardy to about 10ºF and often persisting forever in the very close area near old house foindations . Rich soil in full sun with regular summer water for best growth and bloom but remarkably drought adapted when established Under ground tubers become the size of a small potato. Blooms last a day but the procession of flower goes from June to October. Great container plant as well.
Sun Exposure: Part Shade
Part shade can fall under a number of categories. It may be very dappled shade from a high overstay of trees. It could be the east or west side of a building where the sun is at its maximum for just one half day. Another site that acts like part shade is what is referred to as an open north exposure. The north side of a building or fence, where the sky is unobscured but obstructions and sun angle never completely penetrates. This is a cool aspect but bright enough for almost full sun lovers.
Climate Adapted Plants for Gardeners in the PNW
Clarkia rubicundra
This is a wonderful hardy annual from the central California coast ranges and foot hills. Its closely allied to our native Clarkia amoena var lindleyi and though a bit taller the most conspicuous difference is the base of large pink cup shaped flowers are stained in bright red. Thats where it gets its descriptive common name of Claret Cup Farewell to spring. To 32″ tall if forms a candelabra of 2″ flowers that point upwards. The bright red on the base of the petals act as a nectary guide, think of this as landing lights for pollinators. Blooms June to August and it makes a large plant. The flowers spikes make long lasting cut flowers. LOVED by carpenter bees who will cut circles out of the petals to line their nests. So cute. Re seeds in open disturbed sites or even better a gravel mulch. Mix with all other native hardy annuals. Great long blooming container plant. No supplemental irrigation required. Very long blooming. Seeds germinate in early autumn and overwinter as tiny plants.
Rare self clinging evergreen vine that has just been placed in the genus Hydrangea. A moderately fast plant that gains speed with age and size. In summer above the 3″ leathery deep green leaves foaming ivory colored flowers are in big branched trusses and are lightly fragrant. Excellent almost formal looking cover for an appropriate surface. It clings tightly growing hold fast roots, not for the wall of a house. Part shade to high overhead and rich soil with regular summer water. Regular summer irrigation also speeds growth and it can take a bit before it adheres to its subject. Excellent emblazoning the trunk of a tall Douglas Fir, also good in sheltered shady court yards. Avoid direct exposure to subfreezing wind which can burn the leaves. Avoid full hot sun and dusty, dry conditions. Long lived native to SW China. Foliage is layered and handsome year round. To 20′ tall and half as wide. Very good on shady rock walls.
Clarkia purpurea ssp. quadrivulnera
AKA Four spot Clarkia or Four spot wine cup, also Godetia. This charming little native hardy annual occupies warm, somewhat dry spots at low elevations west of the Cascades. The flowers are slightly smaller than Clarkia amoena var. lindleyi but it is profuse. Flowers line thin stems and inbetween the very willowy leaves a cup shaped flower with four petals. It ranges from light to dark pink and there is a darker pink swish at the base of each petal. This is known as a nectary guide and its like a landing pad for pollinators. Blooms appear from late May through July. To 14″ tall on average, depending upon the fertility of the soil. Re-seeds happily and the first seedlings which are slightly downy will appear after fall rains begin. Full sun to the very lightest shade. Flowers close on cloudy days. No supplemental water is necessary . Mix with Gilia capitata, Limnanthes alba. and Plectritis congesta with whom it decorates undisturbed meadows. Not a good cut flower, very feral but beautiful and losing its native environment very fast. Excels in a gravel mulch. Excellent for native pollinators and very important to native bees. Oregon native plant
Camellia sasanqua ‘Scented Snow’
A remarkable Sasanqua Camellia with flowers that are sweetly scented , semi anemone form white to cream and are huge. Every time this plant blooms i have to refresh my memory that this is not a C. japonica or x williamsii but a pure sasanqua. The fresh looking flowers are attached to glossy neat foliage that is good looking year round . Sasanqua Camellias do their best in full hot sun, They will bloom the heaviest and earliest in full sun. Rich soil with regular water for the first 4 years. Then occasional deep soaks in summer.. Makes a wonderful hedge and is opulent in bloom in November to January. Excellent espalier subject, the enormous flowers really shine. Flowers are hardy to the upper 20’s and a thaw encourage more to open. The perfume of this cultivar is very nice, Camellia forest introduction 2008. To 4′ x 7′ wide. Excellent landscape plant and one of the best sasanquas.
Oregon boxwood or mountain lover, the first name is more descriptive even though the second is also true. This formal looking evergreen is most often seen above about 3500′ in the Cascades, on very steep slopes in humus rich soil. where it forms a common understory beneath conifers. It can also be found in the cool coastal zones and the higher peaks of the Coast Range In eastern Oregon it follows the Ochocos up into the Blue and Wallowa mountains . This is a widespread shrub that is seldom seen in gardens, even in its natural range. This is not a fussy plant but it does have exacting requirements. Amend the soil heavily with compost and water faithfully for the first few years. This formal looking evergreen averages 3′ tall on average and can range a bit wider. It takes some pruning but it does require regular summer water to become established. In the Celastraceae Oregon boxwood is most closely related to Euonyous. This can be seen in the simple 4 petal tiny red flowers that cluster in the leaf axils in spring. Very cold hardy to -30ºF and it ranges far into Canada. One of the best native evergreen shrubs for formal appearance. Plant with Vaccinium ovatum for a similar cultural and textural effect. The small berries are eaten by wildlife. Tolerates extreme snow and ice, not bothered by subfreezing wind. Moderately deer resistant. Associated plants in the wild are Cornus canadensis and Mianthemum stellatum and Mahonia nervosa Pronouncd puh-KISS-ti-muh – or can be remembered as Pa kissed Ma. Oregon native plant.
Arbutus unedo ‘Oktoberfest’
This is an exceptional form of Strawberry tree with an upright tree like habit with a dense crown and pink rather than white flowers. To 12′ tall after 8 years. The long deep green foliage is lusterous and glossy. In autumn clusters of pink urn shaped flowers appear. They form yellow, then orange, then red fruits that are showy from August to January. These can be a little messy during fruit drop- many are eaten by large birds. Loved by Anna’s hummingbirds as well as other species that are going south. Moderately fast growing. In areas exposed to gorge wind locate on a west or south facing aspect. Very easy to grow and will accept both annual summer drought as well as light consistent irrigation. Average to enriched soil, water for the first year then monitor it in subsequent years- chances are you won’t see it wilt. Wonderful hedge or hedgerow subject with a long lifespan. Full sun to very light shade. Combine with fall blooming sasanqua Camellias for a flowery fall show. Excellent performance at the Oregon coast.
Senecio vira vira
This is a fantastic perennial for soft white/gray foliage and soft cream ray flowers. Wonderful in container plantings this tough plant can squeeze into the tightest places. To 2′ tall x 2′ tall in a season. The bold houndstooth foliage shines with bright or more pastel flowers. Hardy to about 10ºF it is winter deciduous most winters and you can lose it in our hardest winters. Add a little mulch in the autumn to establish and then its fine in subsequent years. Mixes exceptionally well with dark leaved Dahlias or the more pastel flowered Cuphea c. ‘Subhirtella’. Rich soil with light consistent irrigation in full sun. The petal free flowers are a nice cream color (as opposed to yellow) and marry’s the foliage for a continuous look. Native to the Canary Islands.
Dahlia ‘Xera’s Moonfire’
This has turned out to be one of our best hardy Dahlias. It was a sport from ‘Moonshine’ which is yellow with a central zone of orange. This delightful flower is brushed with orange through out. Amazing the things that turn up in a nursery over the years. This stunner just appeared virtually out of no where. To 3′ tall in bloom and forming a large clump of dark foliage. Dark leaved Dahlias add a great depth of contrast in a garden. Excellent cut flower. Blooms July-October in full sun and rich soil with regular irrigation through summer. In colder climates the bulb (tuber) can be lifted after the first frost and held in slightly wet shredded paper in a dark space. Re-plant when all danger of frost has passed. Pair with dark purple flowered Salvias and Aster ‘purple dome’. Protect emerging plants from snails/slugs. Not often bothered by deer. In the ground it appreciates very rich soil and regular water in full sun. Add a layer of compost each year and you’ll improve drainage for better winter cold tolerance. Easy perennial.
Osmanthus decorum ‘Baki Kasapligil’
Osmanthus are incredibly handsome and useful shrubs/trees and turkish Osmanthus fits that trend Renowned for fragrance this tough species excels at its tidy and uniform look year round. Long pointed deep green leaves are exceedingly handsome and immediately one thinks of this 8′ x 8′ shrub as an ideal hedge subject and it is. In mid spring small tubular flowers crowd the leaf axils and emit a vanilla aroma that is detectable many meters away. Moderately fast growing evergreen for full sun to quite a bit of shade it is adapted to most well drained soils, including heavy clay. Exceptionally tolerant of drought when established and very long lived. In time, sans pruning, it will achieve small tree status. Cold hardy to 0ºF and not terribly sensitive to subfreezing wind. Not often bothered by deer- protect young plants with age and familiarity they will leave it alone. Very good replacement hedge for voracious and invasive cherry laurel or disease riddled Photinia. Somewhat formal appearance. Lovely no water/low water shrub when established. Prune after flowering- blooms on old wood This is one of the parents of Osmanthus x burkwoodii. .This form was selected from the wild in Turkey/Anatolia.
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