Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees

Featured Resources

WaterWise Gardening

Information on gardening techniques and recommended plants for water conservation and general watershed health.

Jul 2018 | Collection

Trees and Shrubs for Fall and Winter Bloom

Fall and winter flowers add cheer in the Pacific Northwest's rainy season. Flowering shrubs are also a boost to pollinators, providing nectar and pollen when little is available. Learn what shrubs and trees to plant now to brighten your garden in the months to come.

Neil Bell, Heather Stoven, Andony Melathopoulos | Mar 2020 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Six stellar shrubs to brighten the winter garden

Winter doesn't have to be dark and dreary in the garden if you use plants that bloom in winter.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 1, 2019 | 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

Pruning mature fruit trees?

We have two very old fruit trees: an apple tree that is over 40 years old that needs thinning and a mature cherry tree that has lost several limbs. The apple tree has overproduced with several 30-gallon garbage cans of ...

Chris Rusch | Jan 2023 | Featured question

Walnut leaves: Safe for composting?

We have a large walnut tree and would like to compost the leaves for our vegetable garden. I have read conflicting reports about the ability of composting to break down the toxin juglone. Is it safe to compost these leaves?

Linda Brewer | Dec 2022 | Featured question

What to do about emerald ash borer: Recommendations for tree protection in EAB-infested areas

Learn how to protect trees from emerald ash borer in areas where the pest has become established in Oregon. This guide is for residential and professional landowners and land managers in urban and natural areas where the pest has been detected.

Alexander Gorman, Chris Hedstrom, Karen Ripley, Wyatt Williams, Christine Buhl, Scott Altenhoff, Chris Benemann, Jim Gersbach, Max Ragozzino, Cody Holthouse, Angie Ambourn | Dec 2022 | Article 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!

Watch Video

Photo Credit: Bob - Adobe Stock (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, 2020 | 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, 2020 | 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 Columbia to ...

May 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog 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

OSU study of native plants and pollinators presented at the largest nursery industry show in the West

Four Extension faculty and one research assistant gave presentations at the Farwest Show, which annually draws an estimated 5,000 attendees to the Oregon Convention Center and nursery tours.

Kym Pokorny | Sep 2, 2022 | News story

Old-fashioned sweet peas fill the garden with fragrance

Sweet peas grow best when planted during the early spring in western Oregon and a little later in the higher elevation areas east of the Cascades.

Kym Pokorny | Mar 4, 2022 | News story

Give overgrown trees a makeover with new OSU pruning video series

Knowledge is everything when it comes to pruning mature trees.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 18, 2022 | News story

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Bees and Pollinators

Garden Soil and Compost

Gardening Techniques

Lawn and Turfgrass

Integrated Pest Management

Nuisance Wildlife

Upcoming Events

Feb 1

Pruning Ornamental Shrubs

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PST Online

Feb 3

Spring Seed and Plant Swap

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Independence, OR

Feb 10

Pruning: Roses

9:00 am - 12:00 pm Eugene, OR

Feb 11

FILLED - Insights into Gardening 2023

Corvallis, OR - Registration closed.

Meet Our Experts

Signe Danler

Master Gardener Online Program Instructor

Contact for questions about Online Master Gardener and Home Horticulture program

Amy Jo Detweiler

Horticulture

Brooke Edmunds

Community Horticulture, Master Gardeners

Contact me with gardening questions from Marion or Polk counties

Dan Leavell

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Pruning mature fruit trees?

Q: We have two very old fruit trees: an apple tree that is over 40 years old that needs thinning and a mature cherry tree that has lost several limbs. The apple tree has overproduced with several 30-gallon garbage cans of ...

A: View answer | View all featured questions

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