Category Archives: Native Plants

Madrone

Madrone (Arbutus menziesi)
Arbutus menziesii

Madrone is an attractive, broad-leaved evergreen tree with a twisting trunk that develops beautiful reddish-brown exfoliating bark with age. Mature size ranges from 20 to 65 feet tall and wide. Madrone does best in full sun and grows well on hillsides with dry, well-drained or rocky soils. Leaves are dark, shiny green and shed irregularly throughout the year.

Flowers are small, pinkish, and bell-shaped, arranged in drooping clusters. Flowers appear in April, followed by small round orange-red berries. Madrone’s fruit is eaten by a wide range of birds and its flowers attract numerous pollinators. They reach their full aesthetic potential when planted in a grove. Madrones can be difficult to establish, so plant small seedlings and be patient.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun
  • Water Requirements: Dry
  • Ease of Growing: Hard to grow
  • Growth Rate: Slow
  • Spreads: No
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Pest-eating Insects, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: No
  • Edible: No
  • Mature Height: 20-65ft
  • Mature Width:20-65ft

Paper Birch

Betula papyrifera

Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) is a medium to fast growing deciduous tree, reaching a mature height of 50-70 feet. The leaves are simple, alternate, to 4 inches long, toothed and roughly egg-shaped, coming to a pointed tip. The leaves turn bright yellow in the autumn. Flowers are male and female catkins to 1½ inches, blooming in the spring.

Paper birch is a widespread North American species; on the West Coast, the birch is considered native from eastern Oregon to Alaska. Paper birch is known for its distinctive bark, which is whiter than many birches and peels in papery strips. The bark of the birch was used for canoe-making across the United States outside of the Pacific Northwest (in the Pacific Northwest, Western redcedar is more commonly used). Traditional uses for birch resin include medicine, adhesive, and chewing gum. Today birch is a commonly used for pulp wood and as an ornamental tree.

Because all birches attract aphids and their “honeydew,” the tree is not recommended for patios or parking areas.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Moist
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Moderate, Fast
  • Spreads: No
  • Wildlife Support: Birds or Mammals, Pollinators
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: No
  • Mature Height: 50-70ft
  • Mature Width:15-25ft

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

Serviceberry

Amelanchier alnifolia

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a large shrub or small tree, growing 6-18′ tall and up to 10′ wide. Leaves are round to oval, 1-2 inches long, and pale green in color. Once it is several years old, serviceberry starts blooming with fragrant white flowers from mid-spring to early summer followed by small, dark blue, edible fruit. Leaves turn a delicate yellow in fall.

This attractive shrub is also great for wildlife. Birds and small mammals eat the tasty fruit. Pale swallowtail and Lorquin’s admiral butterflies lay their eggs on serviceberry, and in winter many species browse the twigs and bark.

Serviceberry is a common and widespread species, growing native from Alaska to California, and across Great Plains into eastern Canada. It grows in full sun to partial shade, and tolerates dry, moist, or wet soil. Shrubs in sunnier sites tend to have the most vibrant fall color.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Dry, Moist, Seasonally Wet
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Spreads: No
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Pest-eating Insects, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: Yes
  • Mature Height: 15-30ft
  • Mature Width:10-20ft

Red elderberry

Sambucus racemosa

Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) is a large shrub or small tree, growing up to 20’ tall by 20’ wide. It grows in full sun to full shade, and prefers moist to wet soil. It is deciduous with large, compound leaves. White flowers bloom from early-spring to mid summer in 1.5”-3” upright, pyramid-shaped clusters.

This shrub provides food and shelter for many wildlife species. Birds, mammals, and insects eat all parts of the plant including the leaves, bark, roots, and bright red fruit. The spring azure butterfly lays its eggs on red elderberry and the hollow stems provide nest space and overwintering shelter for solitary bees. This plant also supports beneficial insects that eat garden pests.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade
  • Water Requirements: Moist, Wet
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Fast
  • Spreads:
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Hummingbirds, Pest-eating Insects
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: Toxic if eaten raw - must be properly cooked
  • Mature Height: 10-20ft
  • Mature Width:6-10ft

Chokecherry

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
Prunus virginiana

Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) is a deciduous, thicket-forming shrub or small tree commonly found across much of the United States. Varieties native to Oregon include black (var. melanocarpa) and western (var. demissa) chokecherries.

This small, elegant tree can grow anywhere from 12-40 feet tall. It has dangling clusters of small, fragrant flowers in spring to mid summer. The leaves are oval, serrated, 2-4 inches long and pointed at the tip. The fruit is a ¼-½ inch cherry that starts red and becomes purple or black when ripe. Fall foliage is yellow.

Chokecherry is a very valuable tree for wildlife. Many butterflies rely on it for nectar, such as the pale swallowtail, silvery blue, spring azure, and painted lady. Lorquin’s admiral and spring azure butterflies lay their eggs on chokecherries.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Dry, Moist, Seasonally Wet
  • Ease of Growing: Moderate
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Spreads: Yes
  • Wildlife Support: Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: Yes
  • Mature Height: 12-40ft
  • Mature Width:10-20ft

Black hawthorn

Black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)
Crataegus douglasii

Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) is a deciduous, thicket-forming shrub or small tree that grows anywhere from 20-40 feet tall. It is a common plant in Oregon and Washington on both sides of the Cascades, growing in moist, well-drained soils. The black hawthorn is an important species for wildlife, attracting pollinators and providing protected nesting and edible fruits for birds and other small wildlife.

Leaves are 1.5-3 inches long and up to 1.5 inches wide, doubly serrate, ovate, and sometimes lobed. Small white flowers bloom in clusters from late spring to early summer. The small, oval fruits are purple-black when ripe, one quarter to a half inch in size. This attractive tree turns yellow, orange, and red in fall.

Black hawthorn is an important species for wildlife, providing protected nesting and edible fruits for birds and other small wildlife. The young of gray hairstreak and mourning cloak butterflies feed on black hawthorn, and the flowers attract many native bees.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade
  • Water Requirements: Moist (well-drained)
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Spreads: No
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Hummingbirds, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: Yes
  • Edible: No
  • Mature Height: 20-40ft
  • Mature Width:6-10ft

Oval Leaved Viburnum

Oval-leaved Viburnum (Viburnum ellipticum)
Viburnum ellipticum

Oval-leaved viburnum (Viburnum ellipticum) is a deciduous shrub that brings three-season interest to any native garden. Clusters of small white flowers bloom in late spring and early summer. The berry-like fruit is red at first, becoming black when ripe. The simple oval leaves are 1-3″ long, coarsely toothed, and turn red in the autumn before dropping to reveal straight, upright central stems and widely spaced, horizontal branches.

This shrub supports pollinators and beneficial insects. Many birds and small mammals eat the berries, and birds nest and shelter in its branches.

Oval-leaved viburnum is native west of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, where it is found mainly in dry open woods and lowland thickets. This shrub tolerates both seasonal flooding and drought, making it a hardy addition to the landscape. It does well as a border plant, such as at the edge of a wooded area. Pair it with snowberry, salal, and low Oregon grape for year-round beauty!


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade
  • Water Requirements: Dry, Moist
  • Ease of Growing: Easy to grow
  • Growth Rate: Moderate
  • Spreads: No
  • Wildlife Support: Pollinators, Pest-eating Insects, Birds or Mammals
  • Fire-resistant: No
  • Edible: No
  • Mature Height: 5-15ft
  • Mature Width:6-10ft
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