Also called Spotted Horsemint or simply Horsemint, this aromatic perennial grows up to 3 feet tall and attracts pollinators such as bees and butterflies. A central stem produces two or more dense whorls of yellowish, purple-spotted flowers with purplish bracts in the upper portion of each plant. It is drought tolerant, growing in full sun, and in dry, sandy soils.
Also known as Wild Bergamot and Beebalm, this is a showy, herbaceous perennial that grows up to 4 feet tall. Highly branched, it produces clusters of lavender, pink, or white flowers resembling ragged pompoms on top of 2 to 5 foot open-branched stems. This fragrant plant is highly attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, and can grow in full sun to partial shade, in a variety of dry to moist soils.
A spreading, clump-forming perennial, Scarlet Beebalm, also known as Oswego Tea and Red Bergamot, produces dense, rounded clusters of bright red, tubular flowers in early summer atop 3 foot square stems. It grows in full sun to partial shade and moist, rich soils, highly attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.
Lemon Beebalm, also known as Purple Horsemint and Lemon Mint, is an aromatic annual with tuft-like, lavender to pink, whorled flower heads that bloom from May to July. Rubbing or crushing the leaves will release a distinctly citrus or lemony scent, which gives the plant its name. This plant grows 1 to 2 feet tall in full to partial sun, and in dry, sandy to rocky soils, sometimes spreading aggressively in the best growing conditions.
Also known as Starry False Lily of the Valley, this dainty perennial grows 1 to 3 feet in height. It grows as a single, unbranched stem that bears a small, terminal cluster of white, star-shaped flowers followed by dark fruit in mid to late summer. This plant grows in partial shade and in a variety of moist soils, especially sandy.
Cascade Oregon-Grape, or Cascade Barberry, is a low-growing creeping shrub with dark green, holly-like leaves and slender spikes of yellow flowers that produce purple fruits. Only growing to about 1 to 2 feet tall, this plant is tolerant of many conditions, requiring low amounts of water but preferring rich, well-drained soils.
Also known as Tall Oregon Grape, this evergreen shrub does well in rocky habitats and handles shade and moisture well. It typically grows 3 to 6 feet tall, producing glossy leaves and bright yellow, clustered flowers in the spring, followed by purplish blue, grape-like fruit. These berries are enjoyed by a variety of wildlife, and often used in jellies.
Also known as Swampbay, Sweet Magnolia, White Laurel, and Beaver Tree, this is a slender tree or shrub with pale grey bark that grows up to 20 feet tall, occasionally taller. Its multiple, upright trunks bear picturesque, horizontal branches that produce spicy-smelling foliage and velvety-white flowers that are followed by dark red fruits. Sweet-Bay grows best in partial shade and in rich, moist soils.
Also known as Fremont Box Thorn and Fremont Wolfberry, this is a thorny shrub that grows to 5 by 5 feet in size. It produces fleshy, oval-shaped leaves and small, lavender flowers followed by red berries. A good cover plant, Fremont’s Desert-Thorn grows in full sun and in alkaline soils.
Also known as Anderson Wolfberry and Water Jacket, this thorny shrub typically grows to 5 by 5 feet in size. Its thick foliage makes it a good cover plant, and its bright red berries are prized by birds. Hummingbirds are also known to visit the whitish-lavender, tubular flowers it produces. Accustomed to desert conditions, this shrub grows best in full sun and in dry, gravelly soils.
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