The Pacific Northwest is home to an incredible diversity of native plants—over 3,600 species in Oregon and more than 2,300 in Washington alone. From colorful blooms to evergreen textures and resilient groundcovers, native plants offer beauty, versatility, and a strong sense of place. They can be used throughout the landscape, from garden borders and shade gardens to wildlife habitats and naturalized spaces, while working in harmony with our regional climate.
Benefits of Landscaping with Native Plants
- Native plants offer year-round beauty and seasonal interest.
- Many require less water and maintenance once established.
- They provide essential habitat for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.
- Planting natives helps preserve our natural and cultural heritage while giving neighborhoods a distinct Pacific Northwest identity.
Tips for Using Native Plants in Garden Design
Designing with native plants is both an art and an act of stewardship—keep these tips in mind to create a Pacific Northwest garden that’s beautiful, ecologically sound, and built to thrive.
- Match the right plant to the right place—know your site and the requirements of the plants you’re considering. Pay attention to the mature size of the plants (height, width, growth rate).
- Choose plants with interest at various times of the year, including bulbs, conifers, and winter-blooming shrubs.
- Think in layers—tree canopy, understory plants, and groundcovers.
- Choose nursery-grown plants from responsible suppliers (7 Dees!)—digging directly from the wild contributes to the decline and extinction of natives in their natural habitat.
- With smaller flowering plants, use several of the same variety in a clump so pollinators will notice them more readily.
- Don’t forget to add water with a bird bath or a water fountain!
Care Tips for Pacific Northwest Native Plants
Native plants are low maintenance when planted appropriately, not “no maintenance”. Like any garden plant, they need regular watering until established. For best results, plant between September and March, giving roots time to develop before the dry Summer months. Mulching helps conserve soil moisture and keeps weeds at bay. Most natives don’t require fertilizer, though working compost into the soil before planting will set them up for success.
Prune lightly, and avoid cutting everything back at once—spent flowers, seed heads, and other plant parts provide valuable food, nesting material, and habitat for birds and beneficial insects. Deciduous grasses and perennials can be cut back in late Winter before new growth emerges, but leaving them standing through the Winter benefits birds and insects alike. And remember: native butterflies and moths spend their early lives as caterpillars that depend on plant leaves to survive, so a little tolerance for insect feeding goes a long way toward creating a thriving habitat.
Backyard Habitat Certification Program
Portland Audubon and Columbia Land Trust teamed up to design a unique program that supports local urban gardeners in their efforts to create natural backyard habitats! The intent of the Backyard Habitat Certification Program is to provide technical assistance, financial incentives, encouragement, and recognition to people who want to create natural, low-maintenance gardens that support people, wildlife, and the planet.
The program has also provided us with materials and incentives, including the Portland Plant List, plant tags, and several other helpful items. Keep in mind that the program does not recognize cultivars of native plants as equivalent to the straight species (Ribes sanguineum is considered native, but the cultivar R. sanguineum ‘King Edward VII’ is not). Native plants versus cultivars of natives is a continued topic of discussion among various horticultural academics. For more information on how to get certified, click the button below:
A Comprehensive List of Pacific Northwest Native Plants
See our curated list of the 7 Best Native Plants for PNW Gardens! PPL = Portland Plant List
PNW Native Trees
- Cascara (Rhamnus purshiana): small; foliage is oval-shaped with deep ribs, dark green above, lighter underneath; flowers are greenish-white and small—although hidden, butterflies will seek them out; purple-black fruit loved by birds; grows in sun to shade and dry to moist soil; PPL
- Vine Maple (Acer circinatum): many-stemmed, multi-trunked large shrub/small tree; nearly round light green foliage that turns orange, yellow, or scarlet in fall; sun to shade with moderate water; high disease resistance; PPL
- Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla): large and tall; delicate, down-sweeping branches hold feathery sprays of evergreen foliage resulting in a graceful appearance; grows in part shade; tolerates dry to moist soil; PPL
- Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata): very large at maturity; pyramidal in shape with slender drooping branches of dark green sprays of evergreen foliage, part shade to full sun; moderate water (tolerates quite moist soil); PPL
- Shore Pine (Pinus contorta): especially on the coast; large conifer 20–50 feet tall, 30 feet wide; easy to grow and very adaptable; good erosion control
PNW Native Shrubs
- Coast Silk Tassel (Garrya elliptica): large (can be trained as small tree), evergreen, elliptical leaves with wavy margins are dark green on top and woolly grey underneath; long flower tassels (catkins) occur mid-winter into spring followed by purple fruits (on female plants) that persist through summer if birds don’t eat them; part to full sun; can withstand drought once established
- Douglas Spiraea (Spiraea douglasii): durable, fast-growing; reaches 4-8 feet tall with plumes of lightly scented, pinkish purple flowers in mid-summer; grows in full sun to part shade; tolerant of moist soil; attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators
- Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum): Fantastic evergreen foliage with bright red, new growth; white flowers produce small edible fruit late in the season; PPL
- Oregon Grape (Berberis; formerly Mahonia): Hardy evergreen; glossy green leaflets that resemble holly leaves; new growth tinged red and takes on purplish color with cold; yellow flowers in spring followed by edible blue-black fruit in summer; PPL
- Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa): small; deciduous; lance-shaped, divided green foliage; white pyramid-shaped flowers followed by red berries; part shade to sun with moist soil; PPL
- Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguimeum): medium to large; deciduous; dark green maple-like leaves and drooping clusters of pink flowers in the spring; tolerates clay soil; drought-tolerant once established; PPL
- Salal (Gaultheria shallon): Hardy evergreen; glossy, nearly round green foliage; white or pinkish bell-shaped flowers followed by edible berries; great for groundcover and cutting gardens; PPL
- Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus): small; round green leaves; flowers in spring and are pink bells borne in clusters which turn into white fruit late summer and persist through winter—great food for birds; tolerates shade and little water, but flowers more with sun and regular water; PPL
- Wild Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii): medium; deciduous; loose habit of upright arching branches; soft green foliage is a stunning backdrop for its large, fragrant white flowers in early summer; part to full sun and moist to dry soil (more vigorous with regular water); PPL
PNW Native Perennials
- Camas Lily (Camassia quamash): 12–24 inches; upright, grass-like foliage gives rise to tall stalks bearing striking spikes of star-shaped, violet-blue flowers in spring; full sun to part shade; moist to wet soil; historically significant food source for Indigenous peoples; PPL
- Fringecup (Tellima grandiflora): 15 inches; semi-evergreen; heart-shaped foliage bears long stalks that are adorned with spikes of numerous tiny white or pink flowers mid-spring through mid-summer; part sun to full shade; moist, rich soil; PPL
- Goat’s Beard (Aruncus dioicus): flowering herbaceous perennial with large, white, feathery blooms through summer; great for shade gardens
- Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana): forms a thicket 3-9 feet tall/wide with small pink, fragrant flowers May through June followed by a showy, red fruit (hip); tolerant of a wide range of conditions
- Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa): 18 inches; blue-green, feathery, fern-like foliage appears in spring; clusters of pink heart-shaped flowers are prolific; naturalizes readily in mostly shady areas with relatively moist soil; PPL
- Pacific Coast Iris (Iris tenax): 10–18 inches; slender, grass-like evergreen foliage forms tidy clumps; delicate flowers in shades of purple, lavender, or white with intricate veining appear in spring; full sun to part shade; well-drained soil; drought-tolerant once established; PPL
- Pacific Coast Trillium (Trillium ovatum): 12–18 inches; in spring stout bare stems give rise to whorls of 2 green, spade-shaped leaves and 1 large, white flower that ages to rose-purple, goes dormant in summer; naturalizes if left undisturbed; part to full shade and rich, well-drained, moist soil; PPL
- Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa): 32 inches; low-growing; twice-divided, blue-green foliage late spring into summer; striking, large, nodding, spurred, orange-red and yellow flowers are borne on erect stems up to nearly 3 feet above the foliage—hummingbirds can’t resist them! Full sun to part shade; moist, fertile, well-drained soil; PPL
PNW Native Ferns
- Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant): 18 inches; evergreen; dark green, leathery fronds—fertile fronds are held above those that are tufted and sterile; moist soil and shade; PPL
- Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza): 12 inches; evergreen (semi-evergreen if summer air becomes too dry); glossy green fronds thrive in well-drained, moist soil and shade; PPL
- Western Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum alueticum): 12–24 inches; herbaceous; delicate fan-shaped leaflets of glimmering light to bright green hold onto black stems—glamorous! Moist, well-drained soil and shade; PPL
- Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina): 3–6 inches; herbaceous; erect frond of light to dark green lance-shaped fronds; moist, well-drained soil; shade to part-sun (prefers shade); PPL
- Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum): 2–4 feet; robust, evergreen fern with long, arching fronds lined with distinctive sword-shaped leaflets; year-round structure and deep green color; part sun to full shade; moist to dry soil; very drought-tolerant once established; PPL
PNW Native Groundcovers
- Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis): 6 inches, semi-evergreen to evergreen, deeply veined, medium-green, roundish to oval foliage, white flowers in late spring through summer give way to orange-red berries that are a beloved bird treat! PPL
- Inside-Out Flower (Vancouveria hexandra): 12 inches, green foliage resembles duck feet, late spring into early summer nodding stems hold white, shooting star-like flowers that have bent back petals, shade to part sun and fertile, well-drained, moist soil; PPL
- Beach or Coastal Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis): 4 inches, evergreen, glossy foliage is dark green above and silvery underneath, white flowers in spring, small edible red fruit in summer, sunny site with regular water
- Creeping Oregon Grape (Berberis repens; formerly Mahonia repens): to 12 inches, evergreen, 3–7 toothed leaflets make up a leaf of blue-green color (amazing winter color of bronze to purplish-rose), small yellow late spring flowers, blue berries in summer (birds love ’em!), full sun to part shade, minimal water needed once established; PPL
- Low Oregon Grape (Berberis nervosa; formerly Mahonia nervosa): 2–3 feet; evergreen, low-growing shrub with glossy, pinnate leaves that turn red or bronze in winter; bright yellow flower clusters appear in early spring followed by tart, blue-purple berries; part sun to full shade; well-drained to dry soil; drought-tolerant once established; PPL
More Native Plant Resources
- Metro’s Native Plants for Willamette Valley booklet
- Portland Plant List
- Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast book by Pojar and MacKinnon
Visit Local Gardens for Native Plant Inspiration
- Bishop’s Close at Elk Rock Garden (SW Portland)
- Leach Botanic Garden (SE Portland)
- Bosky Dell Natives Nursery (West Linn)
- Hoyt Arboretum (SW Portland)