Common Native Plants
Evergreen Trees
Grand Fir
Abies grandis
Height: 140-200 ft
Light: Sun– Part Shade
Moisture: Dry - Moist
A rapid-growing tree that is relatively short-lived, living less than 300 years. Wildlife benefits from the trees shelter and seeds and it is a butterfly larval host.
Noble Fir
Abies procera
Height: 100-200 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
The largest American fir and the largest of the true firs which needs a large, wide open landscape setting. Because of its quality and strength, the wood of the noble fir is valued over the wood of other true firs. It is also considered an excellent Christmas tree. The Noble Fir is found from northern Oregon into Washington, but the northern limits of its range is unclear.
Sitka Spruce
Picea sitchensis
Height: 100 – 150 ft, up to 200 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Moist - Wet
A long-lived tree (more than 800 years), it is the largest species of spruce and the fifth-largest conifer in the world. It is known for being extremely tolerant of poor conditions. It is tolerant of salt and warm, humid conditions. It provides food and habitat for many birds and mammals as well as beneficial insects and is a caterpillar host plant.
Shore Pine
Pinus Contorta
Height: 35-100ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Wet
A relatively short pine tree, often with crooked trunk and bushy habit which grows along coastal bluffs, dry mountain forests and rocky areas, and in sand dunes and sphagnum bogs. Pines are second only to oaks in their food value to wildlife and are a butterfly host species.
Western White pine
Pinus monticola
Height: up to 250 ft Light: Full Sun Moisture: Dry - Moist
This large pine does best in large open spaces. It thrives on a wide variety of sites, from peat bogs to dry sandy soils and rocky earth, but they grow best in moist valleys and on gentle slopes. Pines are second only to oaks in their food value to wildlife and are a butterfly host species.
Douglas Fir
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Height: 100-150 up to 290 ft
Light: Sun-Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist, well-drained soils.
Douglas-fir trees, sometimes called red firs, Oregon pines, and Douglas spruce, are neither true fir trees, nor pines, nor spruces. The genus name Pseudotsuga means “false hemlock,” referencing another kind of tree they resemble. Commonly used for lumber and Christmas trees. It provides food and habitat for many birds and mammals as well as beneficial insects and is a caterpillar host plant.
Western Red Cedar
Thuja plicata
Height: 150-200 ft
Light: Part - Full Shade
Moisture: Moist to Wet
This species grows best on seepage and alluvial sites. It can grow in drier habitats as long as it's not too dry. It is an important tree in Native American cultures and it provides food and habitat for many birds, mammals, and insects. The wood is resistant to decay.
Deciduous Trees & Tall Shrubs
Vine Maple
Acer circinatum
Height: up to 25 ft
Light: Sun - Shade Moisture: Dry – Wet
Bloom: March -May
Shrubby small tree used to reduce erosion in riparian habitats. Birds and small mammals rely on the tiny red and white flowers, buds, and seeds. This plant is a butterfly host as well as a good nectar source for bees. Tolerates full sun to full shade, but prefers part sun. Fire resistant.
Douglas Maple
Acer glabrum
Height: up to 32 ft.
Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Dry-Moist
Bloom: May -June
A smaller tree than "Bigleaf Maple" and able to withstand drier, colder, and sunnier sites than the shrub-like "Vine Maple". Adapts to a wide range of conditions, tolerant of poor soils, drought, and strong winds. Birds and small mammals rely on the tiny yellow-green flowers, buds, and seeds. This plant is a butterfly host as well as a good nectar source for bees. Fire resistant.
Big Leaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
Height: Up to 80 ft
Light: Sun- Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: March- June,
Will sprout quickly from its stump (often grows with many trunks) and can grow over 9 ft in a year. Birds and small mammals rely on the small yellow-green flowers, buds, and seeds. This plant is a butterfly host as well as a good nectar source for bees. Fire resistant.
Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
Height: up to 15 ft.
Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Dry - Moist
Bloom: April – July
A thicket forming shrub or small tree with white flowers that provides year-round interest in the landscape, as well as producing edible sweet fruits. Their roots are not aggressive but can be used for erosion control and hedgerows. Benefits pollinators and hummingbirds. Edible fruit. Fire resistant.
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
Height: up to 80 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Moist, well-drained soils
Bloom: April - June
A small to medium-sized deciduous tree with attractive white, peeling, papery bark and spring catkins. It grows in marshes, wetlands, along bog margins, and in forests and woods.
Beaked Hazelnut
Corylus cornuta
Height: 15 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist, Well-drained
Bloom: Jan. - Feb.
While the catkins are pollinated by the wind, hazelnut is the earliest shrub to bloom and benefits pollinators. This an attractive shrub handles a wide variety of conditions. Used in hedgerows and for erosion control. Edible nuts ripen September to October. Drought and deer tolerant and fire-resistant.
Pacific dogwood
Cornus nuttallii
Height: up to 66 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Moist, well drained
Bloom: April - June
One of the most spectacular native flowering trees of the PNW with large white “flowers” (actually bracts) that can measure up to 6 inches across. It can bloom twice in a single year providing nectar for pollinators and berries for birds.
Red Osier Dogwood
Cornus stolonifera
Height: up to 20 ft
Light: Sun - Shade
Moisture: Moist – Wet
Bloom: May – June
An excellent plant for restoration purposes, it is easy to propagate, grows quickly, and has wildlife value. It does well in areas that are seasonally flooded. It has a fibrous root system which is great for soil stabilization. Used for erosion control and hedgerows. Small white flowers on attractive red stems turn into fruit benefiting pollinators, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. Fire-resistant.
Black Hawthorn
Crataegus douglasii
Height: up to 80 ft. Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Moist-Wet Bloom: April – May.
Spreads readily by root suckers. Good erosion control. Planted as a hedge, Hawthorns can create an impenetrable, thorny thicket with white flowers that become edible fruit. Benefits pollinators, birds and small mammals. Fire-resistant.
Cascara
Frangula purshiana
Height: 15-35 ft
Light: Part - Full Shade
Moisture: Moist - Wet
Bloom: April-June
A widely-adaptable small tree that is a favorite for birds and suitable for the smaller urban garden. The inconspicuous, creamy greenish-white flowers benefit pollinators, butterflies and hummingbirds. The fruit attracts many species of birds. Can be used for erosion control and Hedgerows. Drought tolerant.
Oregon ash
Fraxinus latifolia
Height: up to 80 ft. Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Moist-Wet Bloom: April – May.
Particularly suited to heavy soils and poorly drained areas, which are often too wet for any other tree. The inconspicuous flowers become winged seeds which are eaten by a birds and small mammals. The foliage is food for butterfly larvae and may be consumed by passing browsers. Fire resistant.
Quaking Aspen
Populus tremuloides
Height: 80'
Light: Sun - Part Shade. Moisture: Dry-Moist. Bloom: April – June
The laterally-flattened petioles of the leaves cause the to appear to shake or tremble when moved by the wind. In autumn, the leaves turn golden to yellow in color. This tree grows vigorously through spreading roots to form large clonal groves. The species is similar to the European aspen (Populus tremula) which is commonly found in landscaping and in commercial nurseries. Fire resistant.
Garry Oak
Quercus garryana
Height: up to 60 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: April – June
Garry Oak (also called Oregon White Oak) is a long lived, slow growing, deciduous tree with a well-behaved root system. Spring catkins become acorns. When it comes to habitat value, Garry oaks are a species of merit, providing an incredibly rich habitat for wildlife. Once established, it is drought-resistant, flood-tolerant, and mature trees are fire-resistant.
Blue Elderberry
Sambucus cerulea
Height: 15-35 ft
Light: Shade - Part Sun
Moisture: Moist - Wet
Bloom: April-June
Can be used as a hedgerow, screen, or planted at the edge of a forest. It is also valuable for revegetation projects, and to stabilize slopes and streambanks. Greenish-white flowers become edible berries. Benefits birds and pollinators. Deer resistant. Drought tolerant.
Hooker willow
Salix hookeriana
Height: 15-35 ft
Light: Shade - Part Sun
Moisture: Moist - Wet
Bloom: Mar-May
Fast-growing "pussywillow" known by the common names "Dune willow", "coastal willow", and "Hooker's willow", this plant grows in coastal habitat such as beaches, marshes, floodplains, and canyons. It is useful in riparian restoration and to control soil erosion. Early catkin bloom provides food for pollinators, butterflies, birds and mammals. Fire -resistant.
Pacific willow
Salix lucida
Height: 15-35 ft
Light: Shade - Part Sun
Moisture: Moist - Wet
Bloom: Mar-May
One of our largest native willows, recognizable by its lance-shaped leaves, and yellow-green bark. It has excellent soil-binding and wildlife-enhancing properties. It can quickly create a canopy and competes well with invasive plants like reed canary grass. Early catkin bloom provides food for pollinators, butterflies, birds and mammals. Tolerates salt and wet soil. Fire resistant.
Scouler's Willow
Salix scouleriana
Height: 15-35 ft
Light: Shade - Part Sun
Moisture: Moist - Wet
Bloom: Mar - May
Also called "Western Pussywillow". Tolerates flooding and drier conditions, even short periods of drought. Spreads by rhizome. Used for erosion control and hedgerows. Early catkin bloom benefits pollinators and hummingbirds. Fire resistant.
Sitka Willow
Salix sitchensis
Height: 15-35 ft
Light: Shade - Part Sun
Moisture: Moist - Wet
Bloom: Mar - May
"Pussy willow". Tolerates constant flooding. Found on or near lake shores, wetland margins, forest edges, wet openings, and clearings at low to middle elevations. A quick growing willow that is more shrub than tree. Used for erosion control and hedgerows. Early catkin bloom benefits pollinators and Hummingbirds. Fire resistant.
Deciduous Shrubs
Red Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
Height: Up to12 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: March – June
Red-flowering currant tolerates poor soil and grows in sunny to partly shady areas making it a great landscaping or restoration shrub. Spring flowers provide a nectar source for hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. The berries are eaten by birds and mammals and many moths and butterflies use the leaves as forage during the caterpillar stage.
Nootka Rose
Rosa nutkana
Height: 3-8 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Dry– Moist Bloom: May - July
Wild rose with fragrant pink flowers. Spreads aggressively by rhizome. Wildlife food & shelter, host plant for numerous butterflies.
Peafruit Rose
Rosa pisocarpa
Height: 3-6 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: May - July
Fragrant pink flowers of this wild rose are smaller than Nootka and usually in clusters of 2-10. Cluster rose excels in moist areas like wetlands and stream edges. Once established, its shrubby habit is ideal to create a thicket for hedge rows and to provide shelter for small birds. Clustered rose can help stabilize soil along stream banks.
Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
Height: up to 10 ft Light: Sun - Shade Moisture: Dry – Moist Well-drained
Bloom: April - July
Thimbleberry is related to raspberries and blackberries that spreads by underground rhizomes. The thornless canes can create a dense stand that is topped by large, maple-like leaves. White flowers become edible red fruit that resembles a raspberry (or a thimble). Bees and other pollinators are attracted to the flowers, and the leaves are a host plant for many different species of butterflies and moths. Birds and other mammals eat the berries.
Salmonberry
Rubus spectabilis
Height: up to 12 ft Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry– Moist Bloom: Pink,
March - June
Related to blackberries and Raspberries, this shrub prefers part shade but can handle full sun with sufficient moisture. It spreads somewhat aggressively by branching rhizomes that form dense thickets. The stems range from having scattered prickles to being very bristly. Flowers loved by hummingbirds and pollinators, become edible, variable-colored fruit in late spring/early summer.
Douglas Spirea
Spiraea douglasii
Height: 3-8 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry– Wet Bloom: July-Aug.
Commonly known as Hardhack and Steeplebush, it grows in margins of ponds, meadows, & open space at low elevation spreading by rhizomes. It will tolerate a lot of water and can become very drought tolerant. It is very aggressive, often forming dense colonies. Used for erosion control, wildlife shelter. Fire resistant.
Snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
Height: 3-8 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry– Moist Bloom: May - Aug.
Snowberry prefers well drained soils, but it can tolerate wet and dry conditions, and nutrient poor soils. It will also tolerate shade and full sun. It’s deep and rigorous roots make it an ideal for erosion control and bank stabilization projects. The delicate pinkish white flowers attract pollinators such as hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Songbirds and bears are known to eat the winter berries. The sphinx moth (Spinx vashti) feeds on snowberry during its larval stage.
Oceanspray
Holodiscus discolor
Height: up to 10 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: May-Aug.
It does exceedingly well on dry slopes and at the edge of deciduous forests of alder and cascara or it can also stand alone as a feature plant in a garden or at the back of a border. It’s fountain like clusters of tiny white blooms attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies (and it is a butterfly host plant). Drought tolerant. Fire-resistant.
Sweetgale
Myrica gale
Height: up to 7 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Moist - Wet
Bloom: February - April
Similar to Pacific Wax Myrtle, but deciduous and smaller. An important nitrogen-fixing plant with a sweet, resinous scent found in moist, boggy areas. Inconspicuous male and female flowers occurring on separate plants. The fruit is eaten in small quantities by birds. It is a favorite food of beavers and provides good habitat for salmon and water birds. Salt tolerant and deer resistant.
Oso berry
Oemleria cerasiformis
Height: 5-10 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: February - April
It has a wide tolerance for various shade and moisture regimes, rapid growth, and thicket-forming suckering habit. Its formation of fibrous roots help mitigate soil erosion. Drooping white flowers form before leaves emerge providing important early season food for pollinators and the fruits are eaten by birds and mammals. Deer resistant and drought tolerant.
Mock Orange
Philadelphus lewisii
Height: 10 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: May – July
An upright, deciduous shrub with fragrant white flowers which grows along coastal bluffs, rocky slopes, in open forests and along forest edges, openings, or clearings. Seeds are enjoyed by many birds and flowers attract numerous pollinators. Fire-resistant.
Pacific Ninebark
Physocarpus capitatus
Height: up to 13 ft. Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Moist-Wet Bloom: April-July.
Clumps of white flowers benefit small bees, host plant for Spring Azure butterflies. It’s fibrous roots and capacity to root from un-rooted cuttings make it suitable for soil bioengineering techniques including live stakes, fascines and brush mats. It is particularly valuable for streambank and lakeshore stabilization applications. Fire resistant.
Shrubby cinquefoil
Potentilla fruticosa
Height: 2 - 4 ft
Light: Sun
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: June -Sep.
Low-maintenance soil stabilizer, wildlife shelter, and pollinator magnet. Dense, twiggy structure provides nesting sites for small birds, while the extended bloom of yellow flowers supplies crucial nectar for butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects throughout the growing season. Deer resistant.
Western Azalea
Rhododendron occidentale
Height: up to 15 ft
Light: Part Shade Moisture: Moist
Bloom: May - August
Deciduous. Pink to white, fragrant flowers attract bees and other pollinators, including hummingbirds.
Evergreen Shrubs
Kinnikinnick
Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi
Height: Up to 1 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry - Moist
Bloom: April - July.
Spreading groundcover with pinkish-white flowers that become small red berries in the fall. Does best in the sand and/or on a hill slope and can help protect from erosion. It does not do well in heavy, compacted soils where it tends to languish. Benefits: Butterflies, Drought tolerant, Fire-resistant.
Salal
Gaultheria shallon
Height: up to 6 ft
Light: Sun- Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: White and pink, May – June
Although often slow to establish, in time it will aggressively fill in and develop into large patches of verdant foliage. Plants have thick, evergreen leaves, that are valued in floral arrangements. Small white flowers bloom in late spring or early summer bearing edible black fruit in fall. Benefits: pollinators, drought tolerant, edible, and fire-resistant.
Tall Oregon Grape
Mahonia aquifolium
Height: up to 10ft Light: Shade -Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Yellow,
March - May
Woody-stemmed shrubs with holly-like leaves. The new leaves in spring are Bronze-colored. Bright yellow fragrant flowers in spring are followed by clusters of round, dusky blue (edible, though often sour) fruit. Foliage often takes on a striking red to purplish cast in fall-winter. Benefits pollinators and birds.
Low Oregon Grape
Mahonia nervosa
Height: up to 3 ft
Light: Part to full Shade Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Yellow,
March -May
Low growing woody-stemmed shrubs with holly-like leaves. The new leaves in spring are Bronze-colored. Bright yellow fragrant flowers in spring are followed by clusters of round, dusky blue (edible, though often sour) fruit. Foliage often takes on a striking red to purplish cast in fall-winter. Benefits pollinators and birds.
Creeping Or. Grape
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Mahonia repens
Height: up to 2 ft
Light: Sun to Shade
Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Yellow,
April-June
The lowest growing of the three, Mahonia, its leaves are more rounded and less prickly. More common east of the Cascades. More sun tolerant than Low Oregon grape. Bright yellow fragrant flowers in spring are followed by clusters of round, dusky blue (edible, though often sour) fruit. Foliage often takes on a striking red to purplish cast in fall-winter. Benefits pollinators and birds.
Pacific Wax Myrtle
Morella californica
Height: up to 30 ft
Light: Sun - Part Shade
Moisture: Dry – Wet Bloom: Yellow,
May-June
Moderately fast growing and long lived. Foliage is fragrant when crushed. The fruit is eaten by many kinds of birds, but only in small quantities. Tolerates wet soils and seasonal flooding. Salt tolerant and drought tolerant.
Rhododendron
Rhododendron macrophyllum
Height: up to 24 ft
Light: Sun- Shade
Moisture: Dry -
Moist
Bloom: Light pink
May - July
Our native rhododendron is good for low water use landscaping and offers erosion protection within steep watersheds. It can grow up to 26 ft in shade. This plant has a shallow root system. Prefers some shade. Deer resistant. Great for pollinators and hummingbirds.
Evergreen Huckleberry
Vaccinium ovatum
Height: 2 – 13 ft
Light: Shade - Sun
Moisture: Dry – Moist
Bloom: White/Pink,
March-August
Beautiful foliage and edible fruit make this a must in most gardens. Evergreen Huckleberry grows slowly, reaching 3-6 feet in the sun and 12 feet or more in the shade. Does not transplant well, but can be grown easily from smaller potted stock. Fruit ripens August to September but often remain on the plant through December.
Herbaceous Plants
Common Camas
Camassia quamash
Height: up to 3' Light: Sun - Part shade Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Blue Violet
April - June
Perennial bulb. Grows in open areas which are vernally moist, and dry by late spring when it eventually goes dormant. Camas is an important flower for pollinating insects in prairie habitats. Considered among the easiest of and showiest of native bulbs.
Great Camas
Camassia leichtlinii
Height: up to 4' Light: Sun - Part shade Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Blue Violet
April - June
Taller in stature and larger flowers than its close relative the common camas. Grows in open areas which are vernally moist, and dry by late spring when it eventually goes dormant. Camas is an important flower for pollinating insects in prairie habitats. Considered among the easiest of and showiest of native bulbs.
Woodland Strawberry
Fragaria vesca
Height: up to 1 ft
Light: Sun - Shade Moisture: Dry- Moist Bloom: White
March - August
Attractive spreading strawberry groundcover, white flowers and small strawberry fruit. Not as aggressive as beach strawberry and excellent for woodland settings.
Puget Sound gumweed
Grindelia integrifolia
Height: up to 32"
Light: Sun
Moisture: Dry- Moist Bloom: Yellow
April -December
Important late blooming pollinator plant that seems to excel in areas that are wet in the winter and dry in summer. Salt tolerant. Deer resistant.
Silverweed
Potentilla anserina
Height: up to 16"
Light: Full to Part Sun Moisture: Dry- Wet Bloom: Yellow, May - August
Spreading groundcover with yellow flowers.
Uses: The roots were used as food by nearly all of the coastal Native American tribes.
Fringe Cup
Tellima grandiflora
Height: up to 1 ft with flower spikes up to 3 ft.
Light: Part to Full Shade
Moisture: Moist
Bloom: green/white
April - July
"Semi-evergreen. Fringecup can establish well in disturbed and shady areas to create a thick ground cover, which may even outcompete invasive weeds. Once established, they are also slug resistant and evergreen during mild winters.
Early Blue Violet
Viola adunca
Height: 4 in
Light: Part shade
Moisture: Dry - Moist
Bloom: Blue Violet, April - July
Found in dry to moist meadows, open woods, and other disturbed areas throughout the Western States, it can handle a wide range of moisture levels, light levels, elevations, and soil types. It is evergreen in many areas, has fragrant flowers and is used by several endangered butterfly species, like the Oregon Silverspot and Mardon Skipper, as well as native bee species.