The scenic coastline of Oregon and Washington is home to breathtaking views, sandy beaches, and a fantastic range of native plants.
It’s no secret that the conditions that create such beauty up and down the Pacific Northwest Coast are the same things that give gardeners a set of unique gardening conditions, including both sandy and clay soils, high winds, and salt spray. Not to mention that some of the locals, namely wildlife like elk, deer, and rabbits, stop by to visit and munch on garden plants. Combined, these issues can make it tricky for eager gardeners to select plans that will stand up to the elements and to visiting herbivores.
We’ve selected a range of the best native plants, along with climate-adapted perennials and grasses, that thrive in our unique coastal settings. Whether you’re surrounded by towering old growth conifers or live in a beach-front home, below are some top plant picks from our Seaside location sure to add beauty and diversity to your garden.
1. Native Evergreen Tree - Shore Pine (Pinus contorta)
An icon of our coastline, the statuesque Shore Pine is a native tree that is highly salt and sand tolerant. Pinus contorta can be seen growing in many coastal cities and rural areas, including right down the Promenade in Seaside, Oregon. Deep green needles and a contorted truck shaped by winter windstorms provide each tree with its own unique look. These Pine trees are fast growing, adding 1–2’ per year until they reach a mature height of 25–30’, making them an excellent wind break. Shore Pines grow best in full sun and are highly adaptable to nutrient-poor sandy, clay, or rocky soils.
2. Native Evergreen Shrub - Pacific Wax Myrtle (Myrica californica)
Waxy and fragrant evergreen foliage makes our native Pacific Wax Myrtle the perfect choice for an attractive informal hedging plant or windbreak. Myrica californica is also a wonderfully beneficial plant for wildlife thanks to its purple berries that attract birds and foster habitat, its ability to act as a butterfly larva host, and the role it takes in supporting soil restoration. In full sun settings it will grow rapidly, adding 12–24” in a single growing season. If you live in one of our more shaded forest areas, you can still use this versatile shrub just anticipate a slightly slower growth rate. Easily maintained as a hedge at 10–15’ It can also be grown into a 30’ tree form.
3. Native Flowering Shrub - Beach Rose (Rosa rugosa)
Sometimes referred to as a Salt Spray Rose, this fragrant, blooming native shrub absolutely thrives at the coast. Beach Roses are beloved for their salt tolerance, disease resistance, and shocking pink flowers that go on to produce edible rose hips in late summer. Once established, Rugosa Roses are drought tolerant, low maintenance, and adapt to a wide range of unfavorable soil conditions. A great choice for soil erosion control, these useful landscape plants also provide a very pretty wildlife habitat. Their profuse, small, spikey thorns make them useful as a security barrier, and Rugosa roses will ultimately grow to 4–6’ tall and wide in a mounded thicket.
4. Native Fern - Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
If you’ve spent time exploring the many State and National Park trails up and down the Washington and Oregon Coast, you are already familiar with the phenomenal evergreen Sword Ferns that blanket the forest floors. Robust and reliable, we love these large native ferns for their ability to grow in moist to dry deeply shaded areas in the landscape and for the way they grown under larger plants and trees with ease. These are an essential plant for anyone who wants to cultivate a classic Pacific Northwest design aesthetic. Individual fronds average a 2-year life span before they need to be cut back. Each spring new fiddleheads emerge from the center to reinvigorate plants with fresh growth. Once established Western Sword Fern is drought tolerant and can reach 3’ tall and wide in just a few years.
5. Herbaceous Grass - Maiden Grass (Miscanthus sp.)
Miscanthus, or Maiden Grass, is an elegant, tall grass with thin blades that stand upright before draping dramatically over. Tall flower plumes ranging from white to burgundy bloom midsummer into the fall and make a beautiful addition to cut flower arrangements. We appreciate how highly adaptable Miscanthus is to coastal conditions and how it is incredibly drought tolerant once established. Leave the foliage standing through winter to provide habitat for insects and birds, and then prune the foliage back to a few inches above the ground in late winter or early spring before new shoots emerge.
Our favorite varieties mature between 8’ (Miscanthus gracillimus) and 4’ (Miscanthus Morning Light) and will give your yard an instant beachy feel. Check out our Bohemian Landscape Design Guide to see how we weave these grasses with other coastal plants like Agastache, Hydrangeas, and Lavender to give your garden a romantic and relaxed look that you’ll be sure to enjoy all summer long.
6. Herbaceous Perennial - Catmint (Nepeta sp.)
Not only is Nepeta a reliable flowering perennial that is highly salt and drought tolerant, it’s also an absolute buffet for pollinators. Bees, Butterflies, and Hummingbirds will all visit the hundreds of small purple, lavender, and pink flowers that Catmint produces from Spring through to Autumn. Catmint is adaptable to poor soil conditions but does require good drainage, making it perfect for sandy and rocky spaces. Sheer back the blooms early summer for a second flush that will last into Autumn. Incredibly fragrant, this low maintenance plant is also deer and rabbit resistant! Easy to care for and fast growing, Nepeta will reach 12–36” at maturity, depending on the variety.
Bonus Flowering Plant - Windflowers (Japanese Anemone)
Give this stunning herbaceous perennial room to roam, and wow! Varieties of white, pink or mauve blooms reaching 2–4’ high will delight from Summer through Autumn. These plants spread via shallow, underground stolons (runners), allowing them to form expansive colonies over time. Slow to establish in the first couple of seasons, your patience will be well worth the wait. Salt and high moisture tolerant Anemones are perfect for a coastal cottage garden. On your next trip to the Seaside 7 Dees check out our front landscape to see the Windflowers showing off.
7. Evergreen Groundcover - Coastal Strawberry (Fragaria chiloenesis)
Glossy evergreen leaves on wiry red stems that root down readily help Coastal Strawberry stitch sandy banks and dunes together. This low-growing native groundcover is a gentle way to help provide erosion control, especially in sandy areas of the landscape. Incredibly adaptable to a range of sun conditions and soil types, this is our go-to groundcover for coastal settings, from beach-front homes to woodland gardens. And that’s to say nothing of the adorable strawberry flowers that dot plants in Spring, to be followed by tasty tiny red berries in Summertime. Coastal Strawberry only grows to a few inches tall, but will spread by stolons to reach 2’ wide over time.
For inspiring ways to design your coastal garden, check out our Pacific Northwest Landscape Design Guide and Bohemian Landscape Design Guide. Each of our Landscape Design Guides features comprehensive plant picks in two custom color palettes, example landscape plans, and design principles for achieving your desired look!
Our Seaside Garden Center is open year round, is full of reliable coastal plants, and is staffed with people who understand the unique growing conditions found in the Oregon and Washington Coast. Come visit today or browse our full inventory online!