15 Top Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest
Make gardening a breeze with these easy-care native plants.
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The native version of Astilbe, goatsbeard produces tall plumes of white blooms in early summer. This excellent background plant tolerates a range of soil and light conditions.
Name: Aruncus dioicus
Growing Conditions: Sun or shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Enjoy this groundcover's delicious red fruits in late summer, as well as the charming white flowers. Plant it where it can send out its long runners and form a beautiful colony of rich-green foliage. Or, for extra variety, try 'Variegata', a selection with creamy swirls through the leaves.
Name: Fragaria vesca
Growing Conditions: Part-shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 6 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
This top-notch, drought-tolerant evergreen perennial offers silvery leaves and spires of wonderful blue-violet flowers in spring.
Name: Lupinus latifolius
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall
Zones: 6-10
A late-spring-blooming bulb, camass throws up delightful spikes of star-shaped blue flowers. It looks especially good in mass plantings.
Name: Camassia leichtlinii
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist soil
Size: To 40 inches tall
Zones: 5-9
One of the longest-blooming perennials, blanketflower produces flowers all summer long if you deadhead it. Traditional types have red and yellow flowers, but watch for newer selections that bloom in shades of orange and rust.
Note: Blanket flowers are short-lived but reseed to continue for many years.
Name: Gaillardia aristata
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soils
Size: To 2 feet tall
Zones: 4-10
One of the Northwest's most beautiful wildflowers, lewisia bears charming pink, red, and white flowers in spring and summer. Their evergreen foliage is a great winter accent, too.
Tip: Lewisia needs excellent drainage and does well in rock gardens.
Name: Lewisia cotyledon
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 6-8
This underused, under-appreciated annual offers beautiful flowers with a satiny texture. The blooms appear in shades of lilac, pink, rose, and white and appear through the summer.
Name: Clarkia amoena
Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: Annual
One of the most graceful spring-blooming perennials, columbine is adored by butterflies, hummingbirds, and gardeners alike. It's also easy-to-grow and carefree.
Name: Aquilegia caerulea
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 3-8
This compact shade lover blooms with pinkish white flowers in late spring. Keep it cool and moist and see more flowers on and off though fall. Even when not in bloom, enjoy the gorgeous blue-green ferny foliage.
Name: Dicentra formosa
Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 4-10
Shooting star bears delicate, intricate flowers in spring. Unfortunately, this ephemeral goes dormant for the summer after blooming -- so site it with a companion so you don't have a bare spot of soil.
Name: Dodecatheon pulchellum
Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 15 inches tall
Zones: 3-7
Try broadleaf sedum for a tough, drought-tolerant groundcover. This tough plant offers cheery yellow flowers and silvery foliage.
Name: Sedum spathulifolium
Growing Conditions: Full sun, and well-drained soil
Size: To 6 inches tall
Zones: 5-9
One of the finest flowering shrubs, Oregon grapeholly offers beautiful evergreen foliage. In spring, it bears clusters of golden-yellow blooms that are followed by blue fruits loved by birds.
Name: Mahonia aquifolium
Growing Conditions: Full shade and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall
Zones: 6-9
Resembling its taller cousin, this miniature plant is beautiful in the middle of the border or as a cut flower. The blooms appear in shades of pink, red, and lavender. One of our favorite selections is 'Brilliant', a variety with lipstick-red flowers.
Name: Sidalcea oregana
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Held on tall stalks, fireweed's hot-pink flowers appear in late spring and continue through the summer. It definitely attracts attention -- and hummingbirds.
Name: Epilobium angustifolium
Growing Conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Size: To 5 feet tall
Zones: 3-6
One of the more elegant ornamental grasses, tufted hairgrass offers soft, fine-textured, green foliage. It makes a great backdrop for other drought-tolerant perennials such as coneflowers and black-eyed Susans.
Name: Deschampsia caespitosa
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 3-4 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
