Still Time to Plant Native Plants!

For those gardeners who missed the fall planting window and/or can’t wait until spring when the weather warms, native plants give you another option.  While autumn planting of natives has the most benefits — cooler temperatures, overwinter root growth, reduced transplant shock — it is possible to cash in on some of those benefits by taking advantage of our “false springs”, which often occur in late January and/or mid-February.

False springs are those days when temperatures are unseasonably warm, and plants are often tricked into blooming too early.  While this is a problem for your fruit trees’ eventual fruit set, it can be a boon to your native garden.  While I would never encourage folks to plant non-native plants during these months, natives can be quite forgiving. They can even put on extra root growth before the spring growing season by going into the ground at any time of year except in summer. The trick for winter planting is to be sure the ground is not frozen and there is a window of warmer weather predicted.  This allows any plants you place to settle in and begin the root growth necessary to avoid transplant shock. Of course, native plants are far less likely to experience shock, as they are adapted to our local soil and weather conditions.

Our native plant nursery at Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (SOREC) has many beautiful native grasses, perennials, shrubs and trees you can plant, even during winter. Our plants routinely survive completely freezing in their pots and wake up beautiful and healthy for sales in the spring.  So, planting them in winter should not be an issue.  We have plants for sale every weekday from 9 am to 4 pm.  The nursery is self-serve. Choose the plants you want, pull the price tags and take them into the office and pay.  Checks or cash are preferred, but if the plant clinic is open, we can run a card.  Yes, this sounds like shameless self-promotion, but we want EVERYONE to plant native plants. The more the better!

Our nursery has a great selection, but if you cannot find the plants you are looking for, check with these local nurseries that specialize in or carry local native plants.

Pollinator Project Rogue Valley

312 N. Main Street, Phoenix OR  97535 Phone: (458) 214-0508

https://www.pollinatorprojectroguevalley.org/

Plant Oregon

8651 Wagner Creek Road, Talent, OR 97540   Phone: (541) 535-3531

https://www.plantoregon.com/

Shooting Star Nursery 

3223 Taylor Road, Central Point, OR 97502     Phone: (541) 840-6453

https://roguevalleynursery.com/

But, of course, always shop with JCMGA first!  GARDEN FOR LIFE!