1. The Art of Gardening with Native Plants Linda R McMahan Oregon State University Extension Service

2. A new way to look at nature as a less formal arrangement Coltsfoot (Petasitesfrigidus) in a native plant garden

3. Valuing natural processesthat recycle trees and create beauty Salal (Gaulthera shallon) and fern

4. Learning to appreciate the tiny forms of mosses and fungi Cup fungus on a small decaying branch

5. Enjoying the visits of pollinating insects Snowberry (Symphoricarpusalbus) and bumble bee

6. A new way to look at nature, not chaos. . . but natural order Large leaves of Darmera peltata

7. Looking at details and variation Trillium ovatum

8. Getting down on the ground . . . Asarum –wild ginger

9. Finding contrasts –leaves against bark –drops of sunlight – tiny flowers Inside-out-flower (Vancouveriahexandra)

10. Seeing flows of color and appreciating the browness of seedheads Western spirea, Spiraeadouglasii

11. Noticing patterns among the leaves

12. Beauty aside, there are practical benefits of using native plants in your garden Water and chemical savings Plants are adapted to climate and soils Fewer pests and diseases Observe and feed pollinators and other wildlife Native plants are not invasive in their native area

13. Native plant gardens What do you notice? What do you like? How would you use this idea? Oxalis oregana(wood sorrel) and Tolmiea menziesii (piggy-back plant)

14. Government Office – Adair OR notice? like? use ?

15. Private garden – Portland OR Veratrum – false hellebore

16. Private Garden – Portland OR Darmera peltatum

17. Public Library - McMinnville Ribessanguineum, Red Flowering Currant

18. Roadside – Cathlamet, WA California poppy

19. Private Garden – Corvallis OR Sedum spathulifolium (center) Lewisia cotyledon (bottom left)

20. Private Garden – Portland OR Sword fern (Polystichummunitum)

21. Private Garden – OR Cascades

22. Take Inspirations from Nature Note contrasting colors Wild camas often grows in prairie-like settings amongst other plants

23. Take Inspirations from Nature Erythronium, trout lily, in a wild setting growing in drifts among mosses

24. Take Inspiration from Nature Wild bleeding heart, Dicentraformosa, grows well in masses as a groundcover. Start with plants spaced about a foot apart and let them fill in.

25. Take Inspiration from Nature Early spring bloomers seem to “glow” in a forest understory, but by summer, they go dormant.

26. Take Inspiration from Nature Contrasting colors of native penstemons and daisies are also set off by a nearby stream. Let plants intermingle, falling into each other, to get this effect.

27. Take Inspiration from nature Contrasting colors can help highlight each individual plant in a group Indian paintbrush, a delphinium and cat’s ear share the same small space

28. Take Inspiration from Nature Masses of plants are often spectacular, just make sure that there is other interest, such as nice foliage, to add to the garden setting, or plant something else that blooms in a different season nearby to shift interest there. Lupines in masses in full sunlight show off well

29. How To Apply What You See Right Plant-Right Place Use complimentary or contrasting colors and textures Go for Four Season color & interest Use garden art, paths, or areas of ground cover, to suit your taste Deer fern and moss

30. Right Plant Right Place Our native camas in nature is a seasonal wetland species In the garden, it require sun or part-shade and dry summers A good plant in the wrong location will not thrive Camassia sp.

31. Right Plant Right Plant This Pacific Northwest species is a great groundcover To do best, however, it requires ample moisture, such as on a wet bank False lily of the valley, Maianthemum dilitatum.

32. Right Plant Right Plant Oregon oaks are beautiful but have special requirements Irrigation makes then extremely susceptible to root rot so dry summers are a must Oregon white oak, Quercus garryana

33. Four Season Interest The native red twig dogwood has many features—flowers, fruits, red bark, and fall color It can grow in many garden locations and exhibits drought tolerance Cornus sericea – red twig dogwood, showing colorful leaves

34. Four Season Interest The Western serviceberry is a large shrub Attractive spring flowers are followed by bird-favored berries Western serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia

35. Four Season Interest - Spring Oregon iris (Iris tenax), Western columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), stream violet (Viola glabella), and Western mockorange (Philodelphuslewesii)

36. Four Season Interest - Summer Summer – An annual “blue thimble flower” (Giliacapitata), Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllumlanatum), Douglas aster (Aster subspicatusorSymphyotrichumsubspicatus), and Columbia lily (Liliumcolumbianum)

37. Four Season Interest - Autumn Berries of salal (Gaulthera shallon) and blue elderberry (Sambucusmexicana). Fall foliage of golden currant (Ribesaureum).

38. Four Season Interest - Winter Berries of snowberry (Symphoricarpusalbus) often last through the winter. Red stems of Cornus sericeaand evergreen foliage of sword fern (Polystichummunitum) provide color interest

39. Colors & Textures Contrast brings out details If you use blooms to contrast, make sure they bloom at the same time Yarrow (Achilleamillefolium) and red monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis)

40. Colors & Textures White flowers seem to complement those of other colors Make sure their growing conditions match Nutka rose (Rosa nutkana) and Pacific ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus)

41. Garden Interest An adaptable native succulent is Sedum spathulifolium Offset it with rocks or other materials Spoon-leaf stonecrop, Sedum spathulifolium

42. Garden Interest Groundcovers add interest and often intermingle well with other plants Dunes strawberry, Fragariachiloensis

43. Garden Interest Here a ground cover, fern and tree trunk add garden interest Look for opportunities to use naturalistic combinations Groundcover is Pacific waterleaf, Hydrophyllumtenuipes

44. Garden Interest Tree trunks provide a pleasing backdrop for many plants March flowers of red flowering currant, Ribessanguineum, also attract hummingbirds

45. Garden Interest In this city park planting, individual plants are set in spacing, with bark mulch, all adding visual appeal Oregon iris (Iris tenax) and blue fescue

46. Garden Interest Osoberry, Oemleriacerasiformis, is one of the earliest shrubs to bloom. Summer berries add more appeal.

47. Care and Feeding of your native plant garden Don’t overwater but supply what is needed for the plant to be successful in your garden Establish carefully—trees and shrubs need extra water to establish Let plants take their natural form Little if any fertilizer to maintain natural shape and size Amend soil only with organic matter—no sand!

48. Thank You! Linda R McMahan OSU Extension Service Yamhill County For more information, visit us on the web at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/yamhill/eco-gardening Photographs are those of the author © Linda R McMahan, Oregon State University Extension Service. This presentation may be used for educational purposes without express permission. For other uses of photographs or material, please contact the author at linda.mcmahan@oregonstate.edu