
Native Perennials for Sun
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Beach Strawberry
Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis) Evergreen. Likes full sun. Dry to moderate moisture. Great groundcover. Spreads fast. Tolerates some foot traffic. Edible fruit. https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=FRCH
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Big Leaf Lupine
Big Leaf Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) Great for pollinators. Beautiful leaves and flowers. Can grow large in the right conditions.
https://sparrowhawknativeplants.com/products/large-leaved-lupine
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Broad-Leaf Shooting Star
Broad-Leaf Shooting Star (Dodecatheon hendersonii) Delicate spring beauty for part shade. Native bumblebees pollinate it. https://realgardensgrownatives.com/?p=2782
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Cascade Penstemon
Cascade Penstemon, aka Coast Penstemon (Penstemon serrulatus) Sun to Part Shade. One of the few penstemons found in the Puget Sound lowlands, cascade penstemons are beautiful wildflowers at home in the landscaped border. This perennial wildflower has trumpet-shaped, purple flowers that draw hummingbirds. Cascade penstemon tolerates more moisture and shade than most other penstemons. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Penstemon%20serrulatus
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Dagger-Leaf Rush
Dagger-Leaf Rush (Juncus ensifolius) Grows in large upright clumps. Full sun to partial shade, moist to wet soil (do not plant in standing water). https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/400:juncus-ensifolius
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Dark Throat Shooting Star
Dark Throat Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum). Full sun to part shade and moist soil when it is actively growing. https://www.gardenia.net/plant/dodecatheon-pulchellum
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Douglas Aster
Douglas Aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum); A keystone plant for pollinators: butterflies and native bees. Sun or part shade, long bloom time. Vigorous. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Symphyotrichum%20subspicatum
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Farewell to Spring (ANNUAL!)
Farewell to Spring (Clarkia amoena) : A beautiful flower, with satiny, cup-shaped flowers whose petals have the texture of crepe paper. Amoena means “charming”, very appropriate for this annual that may self-seed in your garden if you are lucky. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/clarkia-amoena
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Fireweed
Fireweed – (Chamaenerion angustifolium) (Medicinal, young leaves good in salad, perennial, bright lavender to pink flowers, helpful for diarrhea, inflammation) https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Chamaenerion%20angustifolium
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Goldenrod
Goldenrod (Solidago lepida formerly canadensis) Antifungal, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, helps with stomach aches, attracts beneficial insects): Superb for pollinators. Deer resistant. Sun to part shade. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/solidago-canadensis
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Graceful Cinquefoil
Graceful Cinquefoil aka Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis) Likes moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter, in full to part sun. Great for beneficial insects and pollinators. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Potentilla%20gracilis
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Great Camas
Great Camas (Camassia leichtlinii). Great camas grows in wet meadows, woods, prairies, moist hillsides, and streamside areas. Edible bulb. It was a very important food for Native Americans because it becomes sweet with long roasting. Prefers heavy soil. https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/cs_cales2%20.pdf
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Gumweed
Gumweed (Grindelia stricta) (not Grindelia integrifolia) Full sun to part shade, moist soil. Bright yellow flowers. Native peoples used the gum from the flowers as an adhesive. Keystone plant for native bees and caterpillars/moths. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Grindelia%20stricta
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Henderson’s Checkermallow:
Henderson’s Checkermallow: Sidalcea hendersonii: Beautiful abundance of pink flowers in summer. 2-3 ft tall, sun or part shade. https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=2548
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Kinnikinnick
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Evergreen. Sun or part shade. Does best in sunny, poor, sandy, infertile, acid soils. Drought tolerant once established. Evergreen groundcover with red berries. Good for steep banks.
http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Arctostaphylos%20uva-ursi
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Miniature Western Iris
Miniature Western Iris. Aka Yellow -Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium californicum) Sweet yellow flowers on 6 inch tall plants. Sun or part shade. https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/424:sisyrinchium-californicum
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Nodding Onion
Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) Blooms up to 18 inches. Found in dry open woodlands. Full sun or part shade. Edible, especially if roasted. http://www.nwplants.com/business/catalog/all_cer.html
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Oregon Iris
Oregon Iris (Iris tenax); Full sun to light shade, drought resistant once established. Divide only in Sept or Oct. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Iris%20tenax
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Oregon Stonecrop
Oregon Stonecrop (Sedum oreganum); low growing, yellow flowers, sun or part shade. Quick and easy groundcover, even on moss-covered rocks. Broken off pieces of plant take root. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Sedum%20oreganum and https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/sedum-oreganum
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Pearly Everlasting
Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) Full sun to part shade: great for butterflies and bees, and dried flowers. http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=239
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Sea Thrift
Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima). Mound-forming and will bloom all summer if grown in sun and dead-headed. Great for an edging plant. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/armeria-maritima
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Sedum divergens
Sedum divergens (Spreading Stonecrop, Pacific Stonecrop) Mat-forming, yellow flowers, They grow well in rock gardens, raised beds, pots, old troughs and any location that has full sun and good drainage. https://www.wnps.org/blog/plant-profile-spreading-stonecrop-Bora-divergens and https://burkeherbarium.org/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Sedum%20divergens
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Sedum spathulifolium, regular and ‘Carnea’
Sedum spathulifolium, regular and ‘Carnea’ They grow well in rock gardens, raised beds, pots, old troughs and any location that has full sun or part shade and good drainage. https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/423:sedum-spathulifolium
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Showy Fleabane
Showy Fleabane (Erigeron speciosus) This beautiful plant is the largest and showiest of fleabanes, and is excellently adapted to rocky or gravel soils. It tolerates some partial shade, it’s very drought resistant, and manages to stay a compact 1 to 2 feet in height most of the time. This is a perfect plant for dry south facing slopes, or parched flower beds on the sunny side of a house. https://northwestmeadowscapes.com/products/showy-fleabane-seeds-erigeron-speciosus?variant=15897203015770
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Showy Milkweed
Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa). The only native host plant for monarch butterflies West of the Cascade Mountains! Sun. Deer resistant. https://northwestmeadowscapes.com/products/showy-milkweed-seeds-asclepias-speciosa
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Small Cranberry
Small Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) Full sun to part shade, low growing groundcover that likes water and acid soil, especially bogs. Deep pink flowers like shooting stars. Edible cranberries. https://woodbrooknativeplantnursery.com/plant/vaccinium-oxycoccos/
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Tufted Hairgrass
Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa) Caterpillar host plant for more than 40 species of butterflies! Tolerates part shade, likes moist soil.
https://northwestmeadowscapes.com/products/tufted-hairgrass?variant=15907587063898
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Wooly Sunflower
Wooly Sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum) Deer resistant, drought tolerant. Long-lasting yellow blooms attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial syrphid flies. The foliage is also a host plant for caterpillars of the painted lady butterfly. https://northwestmeadowscapes.com/products/oregon-sunshine-eriophyllum-lanatum
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Yarrow
Yarrow: Achillea millefolium; Beloved of butterflies and other pollinators . One of the keystone plants for pollinators. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Achillea%20millefolium
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Yellow Monkey Flower
Yellow Monkey Flower (Erythranthe guttata, aka Mimulus guttatus) Beautiful yellow flowers all summer. Annual, sometimes perennial.
Will self-seed. Needs lots of moisture to bloom well. Sun or part shade. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Erythranthe%20guttata
