Eriophyllum lanatum
Mounds of grey-green foliage, small cheery sunflowers, and drought resistance make the Oregon Sunshine a favorite for sunny rock gardens, border edges, and parking strips. It’s also a versatile pollinator plant, attracting native sweat bees, mining bees, mason bees, hover flies, tachinid flies, and butterflies, and is a nectar source for endangered Fender’s blue butterfly as well as host plant for painted lady butterflies.
- Plant type/canopy layer: deciduous perennial herbaceous plant/ground layer
- Size at maturity: 6-24" tall, 2' wide
- Light requirements: full sun, but tolerates part shade
- Moisture requirements: dry to moist soil, well-drained
- Bloom time: April - September (May - August in the Portland Metro area)
- Growth rate/ease: fast growth rate, easy to grow
- Wildlife support: Attracts native sweat bees, mining bees, mason bees, hover flies, tachinid flies, and butterflies. Nectar source for endangered Fender’s blue butterfly as well as host plant for painted lady butterflies.
- Native habitat/range: Western North America. Portland Plant List - yes.
- Special features & uses: pollinator gardens, rock gardens, parking strips
Gardening with Oregon Sunshine: Plant in sunny dry meadowscapes, pollinator gardens, rock gardens, parking strips and other perennial beds to add splashes of bright yellow flowers. Hardy and drought tolerant once established.
Photo Credit 1: "Eriophyllum lanatum var. integrifolium" by pellaea is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Photo Credit 2: "File:Eriophyllum lanatum kz01.jpg" by Kenraiz is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo Credit 3: "File:Eriophyllum lanatum closeup-6-08-04.jpg" by ThayneT is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0