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

Salal

Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Gaultheria shallon

Salal is a low-growing, leathery-leaved evergreen shrub that tolerates a wide variety of conditions. Its dark blue “berries” (actually swollen sepals) are edible raw and can be made into jams, preserves, and pies. Salal berries are mildly sweet, and are often used in combination with the more tart Oregon grape.

In the Willamette Valley, salal prefers full to partial shade. In coastal areas it can form deep, nearly impenetrable thickets, and easily tolerates full sun. It grows as far north as Baranof Island, Alaska.

Salal leaves are also harvested and sold to florists worldwide for use in floral arrangements.


  • Light Requirements: Part Shade, Full 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: Yes
  • Mature Height: 1-5ft
  • Mature Width:1-5ft

Oceanspray

Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor)
Holodiscus discolor

Oceanspray is native to western North America, most commonly found in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. This fast-growing deciduous shrub gets 8-10′ tall and 3-7′ wide. Its small toothed leaves are 2-4 inches long. Cascading clusters of white flowers drooping from the branches give the plant two of its common names, oceanspray and creambush. The flowers have a faint sugary scent, and each one bears a small, hairy fruit containing one seed which is light enough to be dispersed by wind.

Oceanspray is found in a variety of habitats, from wet coastal forests to drier, cooler mountain peaks further inland. It often grows in areas dominated by Douglas-fir. The plant is found in areas prone to wildfire, such as chaparral communities. It is often the first green shoot to spring up in an area recovering from a burn or logging.

Many small solitary bees, bumblebees, and native butterflies visit this plant for nectar. It can also be considered a pollinator “nursery”, as pale swallowtail, spring azure, Lorquin’s admiral, and brown elfin butterflies all lay their eggs on it.

These attractive shrubs thrive on dry slopes in sun to part-sun, and spread well in favorable conditions. Long-leaf Oregon grape and salal do well in their shade, and they pair well with hazelnut to make a woodland border. Combine with red-flowering currant or vine maple for a deciduous screen.


  • Light Requirements: Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade
  • Water Requirements: Dry, Moist
  • 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: 8-10ft
  • Mature Width:3-7ft
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