Flowers, shrubs and trees

Featured Resources

Roses: Planting and Care in Central Oregon

Are you longing to enjoy the fragrance and color of roses in your yard? With thoughtful attention to planting and care, many types of roses can be grown successfully in Central Oregon.

Amy Jo Detweiler | Apr 2023 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Five tips for properly planting a conifer tree

When it comes to planting conifers, timing is everything.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 17, 2023 | News story

Become a Master Gardener!

The Master Gardener™ program educates Oregonians about the art and science of growing and caring for plants. This program also facilitates the training of a highly educated group of volunteers, who extend sustainable gardening information to their communities through education and outreach programs.

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Latest Resources

Garden Future

What's the future of gardening in Oregon? Changes in climate are impacting gardening. We're talking about it and gathering solutions to support gardeners now and into the future. Garden Future is a project of the OSU Extension Master Gardener program.

LeAnn Locher | Project Peer reviewed (Gray level)

Should I plant fruit trees in fall or spring?

We want to plant an orchard this fall, but it is difficult to find trees for that time of year. There is a lot of information about planting trees in spring. What is a good time to plant an orchard in the fall?

Cody Copp | Sep 2024 | Featured question

Rockroses for western Oregon gardens

The top 5 performing plants of Cistus for western Oregon landscapes.

Heather Stoven, Neil Bell | Aug 2024 | Educational gallery Peer reviewed (Gray level)

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Buzzing and Beautiful: Designing Pollinator Gardens with OSU Extension

By Signe Danler, Andony Melathopoulos, Neil Bell, Amy Jo Detweiler, Nicole Sanchez and Heather Stoven

A recording of a webinar touring through two new OSU guides to help you garden for pollinators and then ask questions of all the authors. We covered everything from what shrubs to plant, how to use mason bees and more!

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Photo Credit: Alyson Yates (Cropped from original)

Flower Resources

Fight ‘big four’ rose problems with prevention strategies

There are steps you can take to control black spot, rust, downy mildew and powdery mildew.

Kym Pokorny | Mar 2, 2023 | News story

When planning next year’s garden, turn to popular native plants

If sited correctly, native plants can perform well and attract pollinators.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 3, 2024 | News story

167 - Linda Hardison - Oregon Flora… reloaded

Linda Hardison is the director of the Oregon Flora and a research assistant professor in the Botany & Plant Pathology Dept. at Oregon State University. She grew up in Texas, and received undergraduate degrees in botany and ...

Andony Melathopoulos | Jan 2021 | Podcast episode

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Trees and Shrubs by: Showy Flowers, Fruit and Foliage

This collection lists trees and shrubs in Oregon, organized by showy flowers, fruit and fall colors. This is a great resource for designing a garden or landscape.

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Photo Credit: Onebit - Adobe Stock (Cropped from original)

Tree and Shrub Resources

Shrubs to Know in Pacific Northwest Forests

This full-color, simple-to-use field guide makes shrub identification easy and fun. It features complete descriptions of the most common shrubs that grow in and around Pacific Northwest forests —from southern British...

Ed Jensen | May 2022 | Extension Catalog publication Peer reviewed (Orange level)

141 - Neil Bell - The best pollinator shrubs and trees

Neil Bell oversees the Master Gardener program in Marion County and Polk County and works with my volunteers to assist homeowners with their garden problems. His research interests involve evaluating evergreen shrubs for un-irrigated...

Andony Melathopoulos | Jun 2020 | Podcast episode

Pruning with the Pros - Is this tree worth saving?

What a “volunteer” tree is in a landscape, its merits, and how it can be salvaged for a more attractive profile. With Oregon State University Extension’s Nicole Sanchez and certified arborists John Bellon and Tom Ford.

Feb 2022 | Video

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Latest News

Extension publication brings more fire education to home landscapes

Every plant in the publication has research behind its ability to contribute to a fire-wise defensible space around your home.

Francesca Lear | Jun 14, 2024 | News story

Rhododendrons and azaleas need a strong acidic soil

The most effective way to correct an iron deficiency for these plants is to acidify the soil.

Jun 4, 2024 | News story

Watch out for rust that can jump from incense cedars to fruit trees

Are globs of bright orange goo attacking both your incense cedar and pear trees? You could be dealing with a potentially devastating fungus known as Pacific coast pear rust.

Apr 30, 2024 | News story

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Sep 11

Small Farms School 2024

8:00 am - 3:00 pm Oregon City, OR

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Native Seed Propagation Workshop

9:00 am - 2:00 pm Oregon City, OR - Registration closed.

Sep 21

Introduction to Nature Journaling

10:00 am - 12:00 pm Beaverton, OR

Sep 28

Putting the Garden to Bed * *

9:00 am - 11:00 am Portland, OR

Meet Our Experts

Signe Danler

Home Horticulture Online Program Instructor

Contact for questions about Home Horticulture online. Submit other questions to Ask Extension, link below.

Amy Jo Detweiler

Horticulture

Brooke Edmunds

Community Horticulture, Master Gardeners

Contact me about the Master Gardener Program or gardening questions from Marion or Polk counties

Dan Leavell

Have a question? Ask Extension!

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Is this trillium a rare variant and should it be preserved and studied?

Q: On a run in Portland’s Forest Park, I saw that someone had picked a trillium and hung it on a branch. When I looked closer, I could understand why. It has two sets of three leaves, and nine petals. What do I do with this?

A: View answer | View all featured questions

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