The Pacific Northwest has lots to offer – especially in terms of plant habitats. You can find just about everything here, from sunny alpine meadows to bogs, riparian zones to high elevations, and acid to volcanic soils. And a whole host of gorgeous plants have evolved to fit into each individual habitat – which you just might be able to re-create in your own yard.
Maidenhair fern’s delicate foliage is really amazing when planted in masses.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Bright yellow monkey flower loves boggy sites with lots of sun.
Photo Credit: Mark Fishbein
Balsamroot produces scads of yellow flowers in spring. Here the beautiful flowers overlook the Columbia River Gorge.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Douglas’s widow grass is an early spring bloomer with magenta-purple flowers.
Photo Credit: Lane Greer
Native tiger lilies bloom in July and August in the Pacific Northwest.
Photo Credit: Mark Fishbein
Take for example maidenhair ferns (Adiantum pedatum). You’ve likely seen these plants growing in pots at the local florist or in a greenhouse conservatory. But when you see dozens of them clinging to a moist rock wall or peeking out from under giant trees, they can change the way you think about native plants altogether.
There’s no doubt that maidenhair ferns love shade, as well as moisture (which is why you’ll often see the plants next to a stream or pond). But they also do well in heavy soils like clay. These deciduous plants unfurl their delicate leaves in spring. (Although I love the foliage, I most enjoy the black stems.) In a garden setting, they need at least partial shade and lots of water during summer to look their best. Maidenhair ferns range from 1-2 feet tall.
Although very different from maidenhair ferns, monkey flowers (Mimulus guttatus) are also found in bogs and marshy spots. Their dazzling yellow flowers gleefully announce their presence in spring. The trumpet-shaped blooms are made more interesting by their red spots. (There are other native species also called monkey flowers – Mimulus cardinalis and Mimulus lewisii – that bear red or rosy pink flowers.) All monkey flowers will grow in any wet area, from a ditch to a stream to a water garden. Although they can take some shade, they prefer sun and grow about 3 feet tall.
Another yellow bloomer is balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), sometimes called desert sunflower. These plants like a drier climate and lots of sun. To say that these beauties are drought-tolerant is an understatement. In fact, summer irrigation will most likely kill them.
In the wild, you’ll see entire meadows covered in yellow during spring. They often flower alongside blue-purple lupines, and the effect is quite artful. Balsamroots have interesting arrow-shaped leaves and grow about 18 inches tall. Although there may be thousands in a field, I advise against digging any up for your garden. Not only is it often illegal to dig up plants from the wild, balsamroot resents transplanting anyway. So grow them from seed instead. If you have an impossible, rocky, dry area, try balsamroot.
Another plant for dry climates and well-drained soils is Douglas’s widow grass or purple-eyed grass (Olsynium douglasii), with magenta-purple flowers on 8- to 12-inch-tall plants. It’s one of the earliest flowers to open in spring, and it’s just lovely. But growing widow grass in the garden is tricky since it loves lots of springtime moisture and then eschews summer irrigation. Perhaps the best place for this plant is in a rock garden or trough planting, where it can really shine and you can control the water it receives. Douglas’s widow grass has a short rhizome that can be planted, or your can grow it from seed.
Finally, I can’t forget to mention the lilies – some of summer’s most wonderful bounty. And the native tiger lily (Lilium columbianum) is bounteous, indeed. It’s the most common of the native lilies, growing at most elevations. The orange flowers are spotted with dark red and face downward. The plant can grow in partial shade or full sun, and reaches 3-6 feet tall (depending on the amount of sun it receives). Like all lilies, this is a bulb. Unlike many Pacific Northwest plants, this one is easy for gardeners around the world to grow – as it’s hardy in USDA Hardiness zones 5-9.
As you can see, these native plants have found their niche in the Pacific Northwest’s wild. Perhaps they can fill a niche in your garden as well.
