Category Archives: Small Shrubs

Long-leaf Oregon Grape

Long-leaf Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa) is also commonly known as low or dull Oregon grape. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub, often wider than tall, that is great for filling in empty spaces and underneath taller shrubs, especially in combination with sword ferns and salal. It spreads gradually by underground runners.

This plant produces dense clusters of fragrant yellow flowers from early spring to early summer. They are not only a welcome splash of color, but also a very important source of early season nectar for many native bees and other small pollinators.

The sour berries are a favorite of birds and other wildlife. The foliage turns a deep red color in the cold or sun.

Light Requirements: Full shade to full sun
Water Requirements: Dry to moist
Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
Growth Rate: Moderate
Spreads: Yes
Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Pest-eating insects, Hummingbirds, Birds or Mammals
Mature Height: 2 feet
Mature Width: 2 feet

Snowbrush

Snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus) is a low-growing, attractive evergreen shrub. The broad leaves are very slightly sticky on top, soft below, and have a spicy, aromatic fragrance on hot days (this bush is also called tobacco brush, for its scent). Clusters of fragrant white flowers appear in June to August.

Many butterflies lay their eggs on snowbrush, including pale swallowtail, spring azure, Lorquin’s admiral, California tortiseshell. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds, and in the wild it’s an important winter food source for deer and elk.

This hardy shrub thrives in moist to dry, sunny spots, and tolerates drought and poor soils well. It makes a good screen or low windbreak, as well as a backdrop for other showy natives like golden currant, snowberry, and red-stem ceanothus.

Light Requirements: Sun to Part Shade
Water Requirements: Moist to dry
Ease of Growing: Easy
Growth Rate: Fast
Spreads: No
Wildlife Support: Birds, Mammals, Pollinators, Beneficial Insects
Mature Height: 2-10 feet tall
Mature Width: 6-10 feet wide

Red Stem Ceanothus

Red Stem Ceanothus (Ceanothus sanguineus), also called Oregon Tea Tree, is a medium to large deciduous shrub that does well in sunny dry locations. This attractive plant also adds interest to the garden year-round with glossy dark leaves, fragrant white flower clusters that bloom from late spring to mid summer, and reddish or purple stems in the winter.

This plant attracts many pollinators in the spring, including solitary bees and spring azure butterflies. The California tortiseshell and pale swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on red stem ceanothus. The seeds are important food for many kinds of wildlife including birds, small mammals, ants, and other insects, and the foliage provides excellent cover for small animals.

Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Water Requirements: Dry
Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
Growth Rate: Moderate
Spreads: No
Wildlife Support: Pest-eating insects, Pollinators, Birds or Mammals
Mature Height: 8 feet
Mature Width: 3-10 feet

Black Gooseberry

Black gooseberry (Ribes divaricatum)
Ribes divaricatum

Black gooseberry (Ribes divaricatum) is a deciduous shrub that grows up to 8ft tall with arching stems. The white flowers usually bloom in mid-spring and are a favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies. The berries are small and offer a great food source for wildlife.

The plant prefers moist soil and can grow in both full sun and semi-shade. Please note that the plant does have sharp thorns, and precautions should be taken if planting in areas used by young children and pets.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Moist
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Spreads: Yes
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Hummingbirds, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: No
  • Edible: Yes
  • Mature Height: 5-8ft
  • Mature Width:3-5ft

Baldhip Rose

Baldhip Rose (Rosa gymnocarpa)
Rosa gymnocarpa

Baldhip rose (Rosa gymnocarpa) is a thicket-forming shrub that grows up to 5 feet high. The plant is widespread and common throughout Oregon.

Baldhip rose leaves are compound and deciduous with 5-9 1.5-inch leaflets. Thorns are thin and straight, ranging from numerous to sparse. Flowers are pink and fragrant, blooming in late spring. In fall it bears small, attractive fruits called rose hips which are 1/2″ in diameter and orange to scarlet in color. This rose tolerates full sun to partial shade and is drought tolerant. Rosa gymnocarpa hybridizes with other roses.

This shrub provides food and shelter for a variety of birds and mammals and attracts pollinators and other beneficial insects. Pollinators hollow out the stems and shelter inside them over the winter, and use the leaves for nesting material. Flowers are an important source of pollen. Anise swallowtail butterflies visit roses for their nectar, and the plant is a source of food for the young of mourning cloaks and gray hairstreak butterflies.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Dry, Moist
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Spreads: Yes
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Hummingbirds, Pest-eating Insects, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: No
  • Mature Height: 5ft
  • Mature Width:3-5ft

Golden Currant

Golden Currant (Ribes aureum)
Ribes aureum

Golden currant (Ribes aureum) is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub named for its golden flowers and golden red fall foliage. It is common in Oregon and Washington east of the Cascades and into the Great Basin.

Golden currant grows in full sun and partial shade, in dry to moist conditions, and is drought tolerant. The leaves are deciduous, lobed, and vaguely maple-like, ½ – 1½ inches. Charming clusters of yellow flowers bloom from mid- to late-spring. Golden currant grows to approximately 6 feet tall by 6 feet wide.

It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies such as the spring azure and mourning cloak, and the fruit is eaten by birds and other wildlife. Combine this in a sunny spot with its cousin, red-flowering currant, and drought-tolerant groundcovers like alliums and camas, for a beautiful native display!


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Dry, Moist
  • Ease of Growing:
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Spreads: No
  • Wildlife Support: Hummingbirds, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: No
  • Edible: Yes
  • Mature Height: 6ft
  • Mature Width:6ft

Mockorange

Mock orange (Philadephus lewisii)
Philadelphus lewisii

Mockorange (Philadelphus lewisii) is an elegant native shrub which grows 3-9 feet tall and has a rounded form. The long stems are red when new and fade to gray with age, the older bark shredding in small flakes. Leaves are usually oval, 1-2 inches long, and a medium green.

White flowers start appearing in clusters at the ends of stems after the plant is 3-4 years old. At the height of bloom, older plants are covered in masses of sweet-smelling flowers, which have a scent similar to orange blossoms with a hint of pineapple.

This plant is as popular with wildlife as it is with people. The indra and pale swallowtail butterflies visit it for nectar, as do hummingbirds and many other pollinators. Tiger swallowtails lay their eggs on it. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds and shelter in the foliage.

Mock-orange’s green leaves turn soft yellow in autumn, contrasting beautifully with the dark green of of evergreen huckleberry and red fall foliage of Western viburnum. Add an understory of sword fern for year-round beauty and wildlife value!


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade
  • Water Requirements: Dry, Moist
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Fast
  • Spreads:
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Pest-eating Insects, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: No
  • Mature Height: 6-10ft
  • Mature Width:4-10ft

Pacific Ninebark

Pacific ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus)
Physocarpus capitatus

Pacific ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus) is a dense deciduous shrub growing up to 12 feet tall. The name refers to the unusual bark, which naturally peels off in many colorful layers.

The shrub has maple-like lobed leaves and attractive clusters of small white flowers in May and June. The unique fruit is a glossy red pod which turns dry and brown, and then splits open to release seeds.

The twigs, berries, buds, and leaves are all browsed by wildlife. Pacific ninebark is very important for pollinators, especially solitary bees who lay their eggs and take shelter for the winter in the hollow stems. Pacific ninebark is also a food source for the young of spring azure butterflies, and many birds use it for nesting.

It is often found in wetlands, but also forms thickets along rivers and in moist forest habitats. It can also tolerate some drought. Create a dense deciduous screen by growing it in combination with oceanspray and Douglas spirea. Best in full sun to part shade.


  • Light Requirements: Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Moist, Seasonally Wet
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Fast
  • Spreads: Yes
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Pest-eating Insects, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: No
  • Mature Height: 8-12ft
  • Mature Width:4-7ft
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