Native Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
What are the benefits of native gardening in the Pacific Northwest? Natives are beautiful and easy to grow. They require no protection in winter, little to no water in summer, and they co-exist with beautiful and beneficial native butterflies, bees, and birds. A Pacific Northwest native garden may contain annuals, perennials, ferns, conifers, flowering trees, shrubs, and grasses. Below is a short list of native plants for Northwest region gardens, along with USDA growing zones.
Annual Native Plants for Northwest Regions
Clarkia (Clarkia spp.), zones 3b to 9bColumbia coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctorial var. atkinsonia), zones 3b to 9bTwo-color/miniature lupine (Lupinus bicolor), zones 5b to 9bWestern monkey flower (Mimulus alsinoides), zones 5b to 9b
Perennial Northwestern Native Plants
Western giant hyssop/horsemint (Agastache occidentalis), zones 5b to 9bNodding onion (Allium cernuum), zones 3b to 9bColumbia windflower (Anemone deltoidea), zones 6b to 9bWestern or red columbine (Aquilegia formosa), zones 3b to 9b
Native Fern Plants for Northwestern Regions
Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina ssp. Cyclosorum), zones 3b to 9bWestern sword fern (Polystichum munitum), zones 5a to 9bDeer fern (Blechnum spicant), zones 5b to 9bSpiny wood fern/shield fern (Dryopteris expansa), zones 4a to 9b
Northwestern Native Plants: Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii), zones 7b to 9bPacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), zones 5b to 9bOrange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa), zones 4-8Oregon grape (Mahonia), zones 5a to 9b
Native Pacific Northwest Conifers
White fir (Abies concolor), zones 3b to 9bAlaska cedar/Nootka cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), zones 3b to 9bCommon juniper (Juniperus communis), zones 3b to 9bWestern larch or tamarack (Larix occidentalis), zones 3 to 9
Native Grasses for Northwestern Regions
Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), zones 3b to 9aSandberg’s bluegrass (Poa secunda), zones 3b to 9bBasin wildrye (Leymus cinereus), zones 3b to 9bDagger-leaf rush/three-stamened rush (Juncus ensifolius), zones 3b to 9b
