Native plants like vanilla leaf, yarrow, blue blossom, Douglas spiraea, red alder, and Oregon ash can make your Willamette Valley lawn stand out in your neighborhood.
These easy-to-maintain plants are well-adapted to the ups and downs of this region’s climate, so they don’t just survive but thrive here. Let’s take a look at the best native plants for the Willamette Valley.
Native flowers for the Willamette Valley
Vanilla leaf (Achlys triphylla)
This perennial is a beautiful addition to Willamette Valley lawns. Vanilla leaf blooms from early spring to mid-summer, producing clusters of tiny white flowers that spike atop. This plant mostly pollinates by wind, and the flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Deadhead spent flowers during the blooming season to promote new growth.
Vanilla leaf grows best in partial or full shade and thrives in moist, loamy soils. It can also withstand sandy or clay soil. The leaves of this plant smell like vanilla when dried, which is the reason for its name. We recommend watering the plant weekly to keep it in good shape. Vanilla leaf is toxic to humans and pets.
Learn more about vanilla leaf.
Growth habit: Herb
Hardiness zones: 6-9
Sun: Partial shade to full shade
Soil: Moist, loamy soil; withstands sandy and clay soils
Water needs: Moderate
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Green
Height: 8-16 inches
Potential hazards: Toxic to humans and pets
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow performs exceptionally well in warm summers and cold winters, making it a popular choice among Willamette Valley homeowners. This perennial produces clusters of small, whitish flowers from late spring throughout summer that bees and butterflies love. Faded flowers look unattractive, so we recommend deadheading spent blooms to encourage new growth.
This plant grows best in full sun and thrives in well-drained sandy or loamy soil. Even in hot areas like Portland, Eugene, and Salem, yarrow can survive with monthly watering, though it requires weekly watering initially. This perennial is toxic to humans and pets.
Learn more about yarrow.
Growth habit: Herb
Hardiness zones: 3-9
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained sandy or loamy soil
Water needs: Low
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Gray-green
Height: 1-3 feet
Potential hazards: Toxic to humans and pets
Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa)
Pacific bleeding heart is easy to grow in the Mediterranean climate of the Willamette Valley. It blooms from spring to mid-summer, producing six-petaled pink flowers that hummingbirds love. Pacific bleeding heart doesn’t require deadheading. We recommend pruning this plant to the ground once the foliage turns yellow and wilts.
This perennial thrives in full sun but can withstand partial and full shade. It prefers moist, well-drained loamy soil and requires watering twice a week. Pacific bleeding heart is toxic to humans and pets.
Learn more about Pacific bleeding heart.
Growth habit: Herb
Hardiness zones: 3-9
Sun: Prefers full sun but can withstand partial and full shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy soil
Water needs: Moderate
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Green
Height: 1 to 2 feet
Potential hazards: Toxic to humans and pets
Nodding onion (Allium cernuum)
This perennial is easy to care for and is a popular choice among Willamette Valley homeowners. Nodding onion produces pink flowers in early to mid-summer and attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Inspect and snip spent blooms to encourage new growth.
Nodding onion thrives in full sun but can withstand partial shade. It prefers loamy, clay, or sandy soil that’s moist and well-drained. We recommend watering this plant once every week for healthy growth. If you have kids and pets, nodding onion is an excellent plant because it’s non-toxic.
Learn more about nodding onion.
Growth habit: Herb
Hardiness zones: 4-8
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy, clay, or sandy soil
Water needs: Moderate
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Green
Height: 6-20 inches
Potential hazards: Non-toxic
Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)
Pearly everlasting blooms from mid-summer to fall, producing small white flowers that grow in clumps. Butterflies love them. This plant blooms for a long time, but you can extend it further by deadheading faded flowers.
This perennial grows best in full sun and prefers loamy or sandy soil that’s moist and well-drained. It’s easy to care for and requires watering only once a week, even in areas like Corvallis and Monmouth, where summer temperatures exceed 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Pearly everlasting is non-toxic to humans and pets.
Learn more about pearly everlasting.
Growth habit: Herb
Hardiness zones: 3-8
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy or sandy soil
Water needs: Moderate
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Silver-gray
Height: 1-3 feet
Potential hazards: Non-toxic
Native shrubs for the Willamette Valley
Blue blossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus)
Blue blossom blooms from late spring to early summer, producing clusters of blue, purple, or white flowers that attract bees and butterflies. It thrives in the warm summers and cold winters of the Willamette Valley. We recommend pruning spent flowers during the growing season to encourage new blooms. Remove damaged branches in early spring for healthier growth.
This perennial shrub grows best in full sun and prefers loamy, clay, or sandy soil that’s dry and well-drained. It requires watering every two weeks and is non-toxic.
Learn more about blue blossom.
Growth habit: Shrub
Hardiness zones: 8-10
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Dry, well-drained loamy, clay, or sandy soil
Water needs: Low
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Green
Height: 6-20 feet
Potential hazards: Non-toxic
Douglas spiraea (Spiraea douglasii)
Douglas spiraea looks beautiful and is easy to grow, making it a popular choice among Willamette Valley homeowners. This shrub blooms throughout summer, producing attractive pink flowers that bees and butterflies love. Deadhead spent flowers during the blooming season to encourage new growth and prune the shrub to enhance its shape.
This perennial shrub grows best in full sun but can withstand partial shade. It thrives in loamy and sandy soil that’s moist and well-drained. Douglas spiraea requires watering every two weeks and is toxic to humans and pets.
Learn more about Douglas spiraea.
Growth habit: Shrub
Hardiness zones: 5-8
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy or sandy soil
Water needs: Low
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Dark green
Height: 4-10 feet
Potential hazards: Toxic to humans and pets
Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)
This perennial shrub produces light pink flowers from spring to summer that attract birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It grows slowly but is easy to grow in the Mediterranean climate of the Willamette Valley. Deadhead spent flowers and prune the shrub during the growing season to keep it in shape. Avoid over-pruning to prevent reducing berry yield.
Evergreen huckleberry grows best in full sun but can withstand partial and full shade. It thrives in loamy or sandy soil that’s moist and well-drained. Evergreen huckleberry requires watering every two weeks. Even if you have kids and pets in your yard, you can grow this shrub because it’s non-toxic.
Learn more about evergreen huckleberry.
Growth habit: Shrub
Hardiness zones: 7-9
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial or full shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy or sandy soil
Water needs: Low
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Dark green
Height: 2-8 feet
Potential hazards: Non-toxic
Tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
From Woodburn to Newberg to Albany, tall Oregon grape performs exceptionally well throughout the Willamette Valley. It produces yellow flowers in early spring that bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love. Faded flowers can spoil the look of an otherwise beautiful shrub, so deadhead them during the growing season to encourage new blooms.
Tall Oregon grape thrives in partial to full shade and prefers loamy, sandy, or clay soil that’s moist and well-drained. This shrub requires watering twice a week and is non-toxic. Its berries are edible and have long been used for making juices and jams.
Learn more about tall Oregon grape.
Growth habit: Shrub
Hardiness zones: 5-8
Sun: Partial shade to full shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil
Water needs: Moderate
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Green
Height: 6- 8 feet
Potential hazards: Non-toxic
Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana)
Nootka rose blooms from spring to mid-summer, producing large pink flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Deadhead faded flowers, and shape the plant during the growing season.
This perennial shrub grows best in full sun but can handle partial shade. It thrives in moist, well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil. Nootka rose can survive with weekly watering but water it twice a week during the hot summers of Silverton, Springfield, and Veneta. This shrub is non-toxic but has thorns, so don’t let your kids and pets near it.
Learn more about Nootka rose.
Growth habit: Shrub
Hardiness zones: 5-9
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil
Water needs: Moderate
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Light green
Height: 6-10 feet
Potential hazards: Non-toxic, but watch out for thorns
Native trees for the Willamette Valley
Red alder (Alnus rubra)
Red alder grows well in the warm climate of the Willamette Valley. It looks beautiful with its oval, dark green leaves. The tree blooms in spring, producing brownish catkins, and is pollinated by the wind. Red alder requires minimal pruning.
This tree grows best in full sun but can also handle partial shade. Red alder thrives in moist, well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil and requires watering every four days. It’s toxic to humans and pets.
Learn more about red alder.
Growth habit: Tree
Hardiness zones: 7-9
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil
Water needs: High
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Dark green
Height: 80 feet
Potential hazards: Toxic to humans and pets
Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii)
This tree looks beautiful with its glossy green, oval-shaped leaves. Pacific madrone blooms from mid to late spring, producing cream-colored flowers that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. We recommend pruning this tree regularly for healthy growth. Winter is the best time to trim as the tree will be dormant, minimizing stress and the risk of disease.
Pacific madrone grows best in full sun but can withstand partial shade. It thrives in loamy, sandy, or clay soil that’s moist and well-drained. Even if you live in hot areas like Creswell, Cottage Grove, or West Linn, watering this tree once every month does the job. Pacific madrone is also non-toxic.
Learn more about Pacific madrone.
Growth habit: Tree
Hardiness zones: 7-9
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil
Water needs: Low
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Dark green
Height: 100 feet
Potential hazards: Non-toxic
Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia)
Oregon ash is easy to grow in the warm summers and cold winters of the Willamette Valley. This tree has attractive compound pinnate, light green leaves and blooms in spring, producing greenish flowers. Regular pruning is necessary to keep Oregon ash in good shape. Late winter to early spring is the best time to prune it.
This tree grows best in full sun but can withstand partial shade. It thrives in loamy, sandy, or clay soil that’s moist and well-drained. Oregon ash requires watering once a week and is non-toxic.
Learn more about Oregon ash.
Growth habit: Tree
Hardiness zones: 6-9
Sun: Full sun but can withstand partial shade
Soil: Moist, well-drained loamy, sandy, or clay soil
Water needs: Moderate
Duration: Perennial
Foliage: Green
Height: 70 feet
Potential hazards: Non-toxic
When to hire a professional
Native plants can transform your yard from ordinary to extraordinary, but only if it’s in good shape. If you need help with mowing, fertilization, or anything related to lawn care, get in touch with Lawn Love. Our pros can handle everything for you, so you don’t have to break a sweat.
More Lawn Care and Landscaping Resources for Oregon:
Sources:
Main Image Credit: Danny Steven S. | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0
