Gardening with Pacific Northwest Native Plants

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The Pacific Northwest is blessed with an incredible array of native plants which are great ornamentals for the garden. Because these plants have evolved in our wet-winter, dry summer climate, they are able to thrive in gardens that may be challenging for introduced or exotic species. It is still important to know the right environment for each native plant you plan to use in your garden; each native species has its preferred environmental niche. If you have soil that is very sandy and lean, choose drought tolerant species that prefer well drained soils and can tolerate drought. If your soil is heavy and tends to stay wet well into summer, choose plants that tolerate wet soil.

We’ve put together an abbreviated list of Pacific Northwest Natives with some very general information about what type of soils and sun exposures they prefer. Click on the links for more information about habitat and range.

Plant	Light Exposure	Soil Type Preferred	Size at 10-15 Years	Comments
Trees
Acer circinatum- Vine Maple	Sun to shade	Rich, well drained	15′-20′	Drops leaves early if too dry
Arbutus menziesii- Pacific Madrone	Sun to partial shade	Lean, Well drained	20′-30′	Difficult to establish
Betula papyrifera- Paper Birch	Sun	Average to Wet	30′	Fairly tolerant of wet soil
Chamaecyparis(Callitropis) nootkatensis- Alaskan Cedar	Sun-partial shade	Average to moist	15′	Narrow form
Cornus nuttallii- Pacific Dogwood	Partial shade	Moist, well drained	20′-30′	Subject to canker
Corylus cornuta- Beaked Hazel	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	10′	Small edible nuts
Picea sitchensis- Sitka Spruce	Sun	Average to Wet	12′-15′	Fairly tolerant of wet soil
Pinus contorta contorta- Shore Pine	Sun	Average to Wet	10′-12′	Tolerates both drought and wet soil
Prunus emarginata- Bitter Cherry	Sun to partial shade	Average to Wet	10′-12′	Good wildlife tree as birds like the fruit
Quercus garryana- Oregon White Oak	Sun	Lean, Well drained	15′-20′	Drought tolerant when established
Pseudotsuga menziesii- Douglas Fir	Sun	Rich, well drained	12′-15′	Needs deep soil to tolerate wind
Rhamnus (Frangula) purshiana- Cascara	Partial to full shade	Dry to wet	10′	Fairly tolerant of wet soil
Taxus brevifolia-   Pacific Yew	Partial to full shade	Rich, well drained	8′-10′	Drought tolerant when established
Thuja plicata -Western Red Cedar	Sun to partial shade	Average	12′-15′	Excellent hedging tree
Tsuga heterophylla-   Western Hemlock	Sun to shade	Rich, well drained	10′-15′	Grows large
Tsuga mertensiana – Mountain Hemlock	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	6′-8′	Best conifer for small yards
Shrubs
Amelanchier alnifolia-Serviceberry	Sun to partial shade	Average to wet	10′-12′	Good wildlife tree as birds like the fruit
Arctostaphylos columbiana- Hairy Manzanita	Sun to partial shade	Lean, well drained	4′-8′	Drought tolerant when established
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi- Kinnikinnik	Sun to partial shade	Lean, well drained	6″-12″ high, 3′-4′ wide	Drought tolerant when established
Cornus sericea- Redtwig Dogwood	Sun to partial shade	Average to wet	6′-8′	Very tolerant of wet soil
Garrya elliptica-Coast Silktassel (Oregon native)	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	6′-8′	Drought tolerant
Gaultheria shallon-   Salal	Sun to shade	Average to wet	3′ high, Spreads	Prefers moist
Holodiscus discolor- Ocean Spray	Sun	Lean, well drained	8′-10′	Drought tolerant when established
Kalmia microphylla- Mountain Laurel	Sun to partial shade	Average to wet	4′-6′	Fairly tolerant of wet soil, not drought tolerant
Mahonia aquifolium-   Tall Oregon Grape	Sun to shade	Dry to wet	6′-8′	Tolerates many soil types
Mahonia nervosa- Low Oregon Grape	Partial shade to shade	Rich, well drained	2′-3′ high, Spreads	Prefers rich soil
Morella (Myrica californica)-Pacific Wax Myrtle	Sun to partial shade	Lean, well drained	10′-15′	Drought tolerant when established
Myrica gale-Sweet Gale	Sun to partial shade	Average to wet	5′-6′	Very tolerant of wet soil
Pachistima myrsinites – Oregon Box	Sun to shade	Lean, well drained	2′-3′	Drought tolerant when established
Philadelphus lewisii- Mock Orange	Sun to partial shade	Lean, well drained	6′-8′	Drought tolerant when established
Physocarpus capitatus- Western NineBark	Sun to partial shade	Average to wet	8′-12′	Very tolerant of wet soil
Rhododendron macrophyllum- Pacific Rhododendron	Partial shade to shade	Lean, well drained	5′-6′	Drought tolerant when established
Ribes sanguineum- Red Flowering Currant	Sun to partial shade	Lean, well drained	6′-8′	Drought tolerant when established. Good wildlife shrub, flowers for hummingbirds, and berries for songbirds.
Vaccinium ovatum- Evergreen Huckleberry	Sun to shade	Rich, well drained	6′-8′	Sweet, edible berries late summer
Vaccinium parviflorum- Red Huckleberry	Partial shade to shade	Rich, well drained	6′-8′	Needs organic rich soil to thrive
Native Perennials
Adiantum pedatum (aleuticum)– Maidenhair Fern	Partial shade to shade	Average to wet	2′	Needs moist summer soil
Blechnum spicant– Deer Fern	Partial shade to shade	Rich, well drained	2′	Drought tolerant when established
Polystichum minutum– Sword Fern	Sun to shade	Dry to wet	2′-3′	Drought tolerant when established
Aquilegia formosa – Western Columbine	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	1′-2′	Loved by hummingbirds
Asarum canadensis– Wild Ginger	Partial shade to shade	Rich, well drained	6″ high, spreads	Drought tolerant when established
Camassia leitchlini– Great Camas	Sun to partial shade	Spring wet, summer dry	2′	Summer dormant
Camassia quamash– Lesser Camas	Sun to partial shade	Spring wet, summer dry	1′	Summer dormant
Cornus canadensis (unalaschkensis)- Bunchberry	Partial shade	Rich soil, some moisture	6″ high, spreads	Some drought tolerance
Dryas octapetala– Mountain Avens	Sun	Lean, well drained	6″ high, Spreads	Drought tolerant when established
Erythronium oregonum – Fawn Lily	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	6″-8″	Summer dormant
Fritillaria lanceolata – Chocolate Lily	Sun to partial shade	Spring wet, summer dry	8″	Summer dormant
Gymnocarpium dryopteris – Oak Fern	Partial shade to shade	Average to wet	6” high, Spreads	Will go dormant early in dry summers
Iris douglasii- Pacific Coast Iris Oregon native	Sun to partial shade	Spring wet, summer dry	8″	Drought tolerant when established
Iris inominata- Golden Iris Oregon native	Sun to partial shade	Spring wet, summer dry	6″-8″	Drought tolerant when established
Lewisia columbiana – Columbia Lewisia	Sun	Lean, well drained	6″	Drought tolerant when established
Lilium columbiana – Western Tiger Lily	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	8″-12″	May go dormant early if dry
Penstemon davidsonii– Davids Penstemon	Sun	Lean, well drained	4″-6″, Spreads	Drought tolerant when established
Smilacena (Maianthemum) stellata– Star flowered Solomon Seal	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	8″, Spreads	Will run in rich soil
Smilacena (Maianthemum) racemosum– Large false Solomon Seal	Sun to partial shade	Rich, well drained	2′-3′	Attractive berries for the birds
Trillium ovatum– Pacific Trillium	Partial shade	Rich, well drained	8″-12″	May go dormant early if  dry
Vancouveria hexandra- Inside OutFlower	Partial shade	Rich, well drained	10″-12″, spreads	Some drought tolerance when established
Gymnocarpus dryopteris, Oak Fern				Resources: Pacific Northwest Wildflowers Washington Native Plant Society Native Plants PNW Books: Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast  Pojar & McKinnon Gardening with Native Plants Arthur Kruckeberg