How do you choose some native gems for your Emerald City yard?<\/p>
If you have a green thumb, you might enjoy choosing and installing plants yourself. Seattle is in the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s hardiness zone 8b, so choose plants that withstand winter temperatures down to 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. <\/p>
There are many resources available on the internet to help you identify plants that work well in your soil and sun\/shade conditions. We\u2019ve listed a few at the end of this article. <\/p>
If you prefer to let someone else do the legwork, hire a Seattle lawn care professional<\/a> to have your lawn transformed into a native paradise.<\/p> Also known as Dutchman\u2019s britches, Pacific bleeding heart<\/a> is prized for its delicate, heart-shaped pink flowers that bloom in late spring and may continue blooming through early fall. If you\u2019re also looking to increase wildlife habitat in your lawn, this flowering perennial attracts birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds. <\/p> Pacific bleeding heart grows naturally in the woods where it enjoys shade and stays consistently moist. It has no significant pest problems.<\/p> If you are looking to add red to your garden, red columbine<\/a> puts out regal red and yellow flowers from May through August. It grows naturally in forested areas and prefers some shade and soils that are well-drained and rich in organic matter. <\/p> Several animals enjoy this flowering plant, including bees, butterflies, and birds. Red columbine is deer-resistant.<\/p> If you\u2019ve ever taken a hike alongside the Cascade mountains, you may have seen this flower. Common camas<\/a> can be found on both sides of the Cascades in the low to mid-elevations and along the Washington coast. <\/p> Also called prairie camas, this flowering plant thrives in open meadows with limited shade and puts out white, lavender, or bluish flowers from April to June. In meadows and prairies, common camas is an important plant for pollinators and would make a worthy addition to your pollinator garden.<\/p> Tall mountain shooting star<\/a> is a flowering plant that can be found natively in moist meadows or along stream banks. It displays purple, pink, or white flowers from June to August, depending on your elevation. <\/p> The flowers on this plant resemble shooting stars or rockets with flames shooting out at the end. Tall mountain shooting star is a good flower for bees.<\/p> Looking for nearly four-season color? Also known as red twig dogwood, this shrub is perhaps most prized for its stunning red stems that show off during the cold winter months. In late spring, the red-osier dogwood<\/a> puts on white clusters of flowers that change into white berries in late summer, although it may bloom in late fall as well. Finally, in the fall, its leaves turn a deep red or yellow color.<\/p> The berries are favorites of local birds, and butterflies sometimes drink the flower nectar. This native shrub is often planted next to stream banks and is a helpful tool in preventing erosion in these areas.<\/p> Looking for a pungent spring smell in your landscape? Red flowering currant<\/a> will add a spicy, resinous scent to your lawn when its red flowers appear in late winter or early spring. Butterflies and hummingbirds also find the blooms desirable. <\/p> After its flowers die off, dark blue fruits appear and mature in the fall. These small berries are a favorite treat for local birds. You can even use the tart berries to make jams, pies, and syrup. Its fall leaves may turn a light yellow, providing your lawn with more seasonal color.<\/p> Like red flowering currant, evergreen huckleberry<\/a> provides a sweet treat for butterflies and hummingbirds in the spring, while its fall berries are prized by local songbirds. Its spring flowers are white and pink, while the berries turn from red in the summer to deep purple in the fall. The new spring leaf growth is a reddish color, which gives great spring interest. Its mature leaves are a glossy green. Overall, it\u2019s a very versatile plant and makes an attractive hedge in your landscape.<\/p> Salal<\/a> is often found in the forest understory as a shrub beneath Douglas fir trees. Like many of the shrubs on this list, its pink and white spring flowers give way to dark-colored berries in the summer and fall. <\/p> Salal can become dense and hard to remove once established, but its wide, deep root system helps it to rebound after wildfires. If you enjoy creating flower arrangements, salal\u2019s leaves and branches are often used for that purpose.<\/p> Oregon grape<\/a> is another shrub that displays color throughout the year. Its evergreen leaves turn to varying shades of red throughout the winter. In early spring, it produces fragrant yellow flowers that are followed by blue and purple berries (that resemble grapes) in the summer and fall. Its leaves look very similar to a holly leaf with prickly points around the leaf.<\/p> Homeowners aren\u2019t the only ones who love Oregon grape\u2019s early yellow blooms. Pollinators also love this early spring treat, and birds and other local wildlife appreciate the summer and fall berries.<\/p> Flowering plants<\/h2>
1. Pacific bleeding heart (dicentra formosa ssp. formosa<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"close-up](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_17601300699_a8db27a8ba_c.jpg\")
2. Red columbine (aquilegia formosa var. formosa<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"single](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/rsz_18285907442_313796dc24_c.jpg\")
3. Common camas (camassia quamash<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"light](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_5733554493_e2485d7d83_c.jpg\")
4. Tall mountain shooting star (dodecatheon jeffreyi<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"vibrant](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_dodecatheon_jeffreyi_15642.jpg\")
Shrubs<\/h2>
5. Red-osier dogwood (cornus sericea<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"cluster](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_red-osier_dogwood_3630083646.jpg\")
6. Red flowering currant (ribes sanguineum var. sanguineum<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"small](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_1024px-red_flowering_currant_near_green_point.jpg\")
7. Evergreen huckleberry (vaccinium ovatum<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"small](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_5048944242_ca1e75bda2_c.jpg\")
8. Salal (gaultheria shallon<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"small](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_1024px-salal_gaultheria_shallon_leaf_and_flowers.jpg\")
9. Oregon grape (mahonia aquifolium<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"small](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_1024px-mahonia_aquifolium.jpg\")
10. Indian plum (oemleria cerasiformis<\/em>)<\/h3>
![\"clusters](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_27064898932_e045012c1a_c.jpg\")
![\"bright](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/rsz_2015-10-30_16_27_33_vine_maple_foliage_during_autumn_along_old_brockway_road_in_truckee_california.jpg\")