Post: July 3, 2026

Subscribe to the Blog >

Favorite Native Plants for the Small Garden

Native perennials and shrubs that are easy to grow, offer beautiful blooms, seeds, and/or fruit, and provide benefits to bees, butterflies, and birds.

What is a native plant? The Washington Native Plant Society defines natives as “species that have evolved naturally within our specific region, soils, and climate without human intervention, and are part of the indigenous flora that occurred here prior to European settlement.” Native plants co-exist with native birds, bees, spiders, and insects. These life forms are interconnected and beneficial to the environment. But through years of cultivating introduced plants, species from other continents that do well in our climate but offer little to native animals, we have disrupted and altered our ecosystem. Planting native plants can be a small contribution to bringing life back to our gardens.

Giant Red Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) and Golden Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta)

Found in the mountains and coastal bluffs of Western Washington, red paintbrush is a favorite of our native bees and two native hummingbirds: Anna’s (Calypte anna) and Rufous (Selasphorus rufus). A low water perennial with long-lasting flowers, paintbrushes are hemiparasitic and do best with a host plant. Pair red paintbrush with native yarrow or lupines for best results.

Hemiparasitic (he-mē-ˌper-ə-ˈsi-tik)

Britanica defines hemiparasitic plants as plants that “have green foliage and are photosynthetic but supplement their nutritional needs by siphoning the products of photosynthesis from their hosts.”

Golden paintbrush considered a threatened species in Western Washington, grows best with host plants from the prairie, such as Roemer’s fescue and Oregon sunshine sunflower, but can also survive independently if well-watered. Golden paintbrush supports bees, hummingbirds, and the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori) butterfly.

Mark Your Calendar for These Free Know & Grow Workshops

Ways You Can Help Your Backyard Birds
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Spectacular Fall Color – How You Can Have it in Your Garden
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Prepare Your Garden for Fall and Winter
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Creating an Award-Winning Display Garden for the NW Flower and Garden Festival
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Sakuma Auditorium
16650 SR 536, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Henderson’s Checkermallow (Sidalcea hendersonii) and Meadow Checkermallow (Sidalcea campestris)

A tall, stately plant with bright pink rosettes on long stalks somewhat resembling miniature hollyhocks, Henderson’s checkermallow grows along the Washington coast and easily re-seeds. (If you don’t want new starts, cut seed heads after blooming, or leave them for the birds and give away plant starts in spring.) This plant is considered endangered in Oregon, uncommon in Washington, and a species of concern in British Columbia. If you have a moderately moist corner of your garden in full sun to partial shade, Henderson’s checkermallow will provide nectar for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It is also a host plant for several butterfly species, including the common checkered skipper, gray hairstreak, and American painted lady. 

Meadow checkermallow, a native to Oregon’s Willamette Valley but also found in southern Washington, is a host plant for west coast lady, and several other butterfly larvae. Many bees, wasps, and flies also find this plant attractive. Its tall stems and delicate pale pink flowers will add a bit of charm to your perennial garden.

Showy Fleabane (Erigeron speciosus):

Lavender daisy-like blooms that continue all summer make this easy-to-grow perennial a must-have in the garden. A member of the aster family, showy fleabane likes sun and thrives with moderate moisture in well-drained soil. Found in the mountains from Oregon to British Columbia, this cold-hardy plant is a host plant for the lynx flower moth, and its blooms are popular with bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. 

Shooting Star (Primula pauciflora):

True to their namesake, these magenta-pink flowers, which appear like stars shooting out from leafless stems, delight the gardener and bees in early spring. Even though a short-lived bloomer, this spectacular little perennial is worth a place in the partially sunny, well-drained corner of your garden. Our native “buzz pollinators,” those bumblebees that vibrate to release the flower’s protein-rich pollen, will find a happy home in Shooting-star.

Broad-leaved Penstemon (Penstemon ovatus) and Cascade Penstemon (Penstemon serrulatus)

There are over 30 species of penstemon native to Washington state, but the two named here-broad-leaved and Cascade penstemon, both deciduous-are favorites in any garden.

Broad-leaved penstemon exhibits nearly blue flowers on tall stems. Native sweat bees, other bees, and hummingbirds will be attracted to the tubular flowers. Plant this penstemon in partial shade and well-drained soil.

Cascade penstemon grows well in moist, sunny conditions. It’s a prolific bloomer with violet tubular flowers. 

All penstemons (also known as beardtongues) attract a variety of wildlife: hover flies, ants, beetles, bees, moths, hummingbirds, and others. You can’t go wrong with a penstemon.

Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii):

Found on the west and east sides of the Cascades, in sun to partial shade, this many-stemmed deciduous shrub grows to 9 feet tall. With its clusters of sweetly fragrant white flowers, this plant caught the attention of Scottish botanist David Douglas, who introduced it into the UK in 1825 as a North American ornamental. Swallowtail and common wood nymph butterflies, as well as bees, will visit mock orange. The seeds are eaten by juncos, chickadees, and flickers.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia):

This deciduous shrub with its white blooms in early spring provides pollen and nectar for many native bees and hummingbirds. In autumn, waxwings, woodpeckers, chickadees, and tanagers, as well as several mammals, will gobble up its purple berries. If you want some for yourself, you’ll have to be quick. The pale swallowtail, brown elfin, Lorquin’s admiral, and California hairstreak butterflies use this plant to deposit their larvae-a vital food source for young fledglings. Serviceberry, a NW native keystone plant known for its many benefits, symbolizes reciprocity. If you have room for several of these tall shrubs in your garden, they will provide a wealth of benefits to many of our wild and native creatures. 

Other native favorites that are easy to grow, readily available in our local nurseries, and provide many benefits to our native wildlife include:

• Evergreen Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium and M. nervosa) which attracts painted lady butterflies and provides food for bees and many birds.
• The deciduous red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) with its pendulous clusters of red-to-pink flowers is loved by hummingbirds.
• The pink flowers of the evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) provide nectar for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds; its purple berries are loved by towhees, robins, waxwings, ban-tailed pigeons and many others.
• Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is an indispensable evergreen groundcover for the sunny dry spots that provides nectar for bees and hummingbirds, berries for ground-feeding birds and hosts brown and hoary elfin butterfly larvae.

Where to Find Native Plants

The annual WSU Extension Skagit County Master Gardener’s Plant Fair on the Saturday before Mother’s Day carries a wide selection of native plants.

Twice a year, the Salal Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society sells native plants with easy online shopping. All of their plants are suitable for gardens west of the Cascades.

Plantas Nativa in Bellingham, a predominantly NW native specialty nursery, also has online shopping or in-person shopping on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Local sources such as Christianson’s Nursery and Azusa Garden Centre are carrying more native plants every year due to customer demand.

There are so many beautiful and beneficial native plants in Washington state that it’s difficult to limit the selection, but knowing that all of them provide either nectar, pollen, berries, and/or habitat for birds, insects, and caterpillars, you can’t go wrong in choosing a few or many for your landscape.

Book References:

• Kruckeberg, A.R. and Chalker-Scott, L. (2019) Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest (3^rd). Seattle: University of Washington Press.
• Stark, E. M. (2014) Real Gardens Grow Natives: Design, Plant & Enjoy a Healthy Northwest Garden. Skipstone.
• Wall Kimmerer, R. (2024) Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World. Scribner.

Web References:

• The Washington Native Plant Society
• The Burke Herbarium at the UW Burke Museum

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joan Stamm, is a certified Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener and the author of several books, including The Language of Flowers in the Time of COVID: Finding Solace in Zen, Nature and Ikebana.

---

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the Skagit County WSU Extension website.

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.

Warmer Summers Impact Local Rhododendrons

From sun scorch to lace bug, local gardeners protect their beloved rhododendrons with these conscientious tips.

              Subscribe to the Blog >

By Sonja Nelson, Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener

Rhododendrons in our gardens, along with the native state flower Rhododendron macrophyllum, the Western or Pacific rhododendron in our woodlands, are facing the vagaries of climate change here in the Pacific Northwest as well as worldwide. Gardeners in our moderate climate can no longer assume our benevolent climate will continue its unstinting support for the genus Rhododendron. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the average global temperature in 2024 was the warmest year on record at about 2.7° F or 1.55° C above preindustrial levels. Higher temperatures do not bode well for rhododendrons. They like moderation!

Rhododendrons have a long history in the Pacific Northwest. Native Americans used the flowers of rhododendrons in their dance rituals long before western plant hunter Archibald Menzies identified the R. macrophyllum. Menzies was the surgeon-botanist for Captain George Vancouver on board the British ship ‘Discovery’ in 1792. The R. macrophyllum, or Western rhododendron, was sent to King George III and introduced to the Kew Gardens in London. The discovery brought together the British and American plant people who eventually produced a creative milieus communities of rhododendron enthusiasts that made the rhododendron the “King of Shrubs” on both sides of the Atlantic.

References to the Western rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) date back to native Americans using rhododendron flowers in their dance rituals long before the late 1700s. © Photo: Sonja Nelson

One hundred years after Menzies documented finding the Western rhododendron, the state of Washington sought a representative flower to display in the 1893 Chicago World Fair exhibit. The Washington State Fair Commission asked the state’s women to decide. A letter-writing campaign began, pitting the native rhododendron against, among others, the clover. (The vote was Western rhododendron 7,704 and clover 5,729.) It was officially designated the Washington State flower in 1959.

However, between the time the Western rhododendron was presented at the Chicago World Fair, rhododendron species from Asia, particularly the Himalayas, had been discovered by dedicated British plant hunters and sent back to Britain to adorn gardens there with their vibrant colors and to hybridize. Many Asian species and hybrids were also brought to America, where nurseries introduced them to the Pacific Northwest. Gardeners welcomed them with enthusiasm and love. And the rhodies loved them back with their stunning performance!

Meanwhile, Washington state’s native Western rhododendron grew in its native woodlands as the quietly attractive relative of the more flamboyant Himalayan species. In the 1970s the Western rhododendrons regained popularity as gardening with native plants became popular with the backing of  WSU Extension and the Washington Native Plant Society. In 1979, the First World Climate Conference declared climate change a global issue, and rhododendron gardeners’ concern turned to the native Western rhododendron and its environment, along with concern for their rhododendron species and hybrids from afar. The natural environment of the Pacific Northwest, so well suited for much of the genus Rhododendron, was becoming jeopardized by temperature increases and other disturbances to its blissful climate.

The complexity of a warming climate makes it difficult to predict precisely how rhododendrons will be impacted by our specific climate and what to do if it does. For instance, if temperatures increased enough to leave visible sun spots on the leaves of rhododendrons, the rhododendrons could simply be moved to a site with partial shade. However, the effect of a warming climate on plants is not always straightforward.

One solution to protect rhododendron gardens from climate change damage is to find varieties-both species and hybrids-that are tolerant of temperature increase and ensuing weather extremes.

A member of the American Rhododendron Society, C.J. Patterson of Massachusetts, has focused his interest in rhododendrons on finding drought-tolerant rhododendrons for East Coast gardens. He writes that “rhododendrons, in general, are mostly very resistant to dry conditions once they are established,” citing R. carolinianum, R. maximum, and R. catawbiense as drought tolerant. He says one of the most drought-tolerant rhododendron hybrids is the hybrid ‘PJM’ (R. minus var. Carolinian Group x R. dauricum) and other hybrids of the same cross.

The director of the German Rhododendron Society, Hartwig Schepker, supports the idea that the genus Rhododendron is diverse enough to cope with the challenges posed by extreme climate conditions, saying we find them or create new hybrids that will be up to the job.

Another rhododendron expert is Glen Jamieson, the editor of the Journal American Rhododendron Society, who often writes about the impact of climate change on rhododendrons, which, he says, has been relatively minor annually. In coming publications, he plans to summarize the weather impacts on his garden in British Columbia over the past 40 years, where there have been extreme cold, heat, precipitation, and wind events-all of which can be attributed to a changing climate.

Since it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict precisely the effects of climate change on rhododendrons in the future, conscientious basic care is the best way to help them survive hard times in the future. Washington State University lists watering, fertilizing, and mulching as basic care.

Basic Care for Rhododendrons
Washington State University Extension recommends this regimen of basic care:

Watering

• Water rhododendrons at least once a week, or when the top inch of soil feels dry.
• Avoid waterlogged soil, which can damage rhododendrons.
• Water well in the fall to prepare for winter

Fertilizing

• Use a fertilizer made for acid-loving plants.
• Fertilize in the spring when buds swell and in the fall after flowering.
• Follow the product label recommendations.

 

Mulching

• Use coarse organic mulch, like wood chips, to cover the root zone.
• Keep mulch at least 4 inches deep, but don’t let it touch the base of the plant.
• Mulch helps conserve water, reduce weeds, and moderate soil temperatures

Other Tips

• Plant rhododendrons in well-drained acidic soil
• Avoid dense or compacted soil
• Provide shade or semi-shade
• Prune out dead flowers
• Avoid overhead watering
• Maintain good air circulation
• Prevent injury to reduce the chance of infection
• Clean up and destroy fallen leaves

 

A Unique Opportunity to Observe Local Climate Change Impact
The coordinators of the various gardens within the WSU Extension Master Gardener Discovery Garden west of Mount Vernon were questioned about possible damage in their gardens due to recent summers with high temperatures. Five coordinators reported no change, and four coordinators reported slight changes. Ironically, six coordinators reported damage from unusual cold spells. The Rhododendron Garden coordinator, however, reported extensive damage to a large planting of small-leaved rhododendrons due to warming temperatures.

Rhododendrons are divided into two natural divisions: the lepidotes and the elepidotes. Small-leaved rhododendrons belong to the lepidote division based on the tiny scales on the undersides of their leaves. Elepidotes do not have scales and tend to be large-leaved.

Sun scorch on the leaves of rhododendrons has long been an occasional problem for gardeners, but the warming caused by climate change has introduced a new, insidious avenue for damage–the rhododendron lace bug (Stephanitis rhododendri). Believed to have migrated from California, lace bugs have taken advantage of the longer growing season in the Pacific Northwest and can complete their life cycle, where, in 2023, in the Rhododendron Garden, it laid eggs and, as a result, destroyed a planting of rhododendrons.

Rhododendron lace bug (Stephanitis rhododendri Horvath) © Insect Images Photographers: Seastone, L. and B. Parks

Azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides) © Photo: Jim Baker, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org

The lace bug affected rhododendrons with small leaves, mainly in the island meadow section of the Rhododendron Garden, namely hybrids ‘Ramapo,’ ‘Ginny Gee,’ and ‘Patty Bee.’

The rhododendron lace bug has one generation per year. It overwinters as eggs laid on the underside of leaves. Nymphs are about 1/8 inch long and are spiny. Adults are about 1/8 inch long and whitish tan with lacy-looking wings. Damage is usually apparent by early to mid-July. The lace bug sucks on the undersides of leaves and causes stippling on the upper surface of the leaves and tar-like deposits of excrement on the lower surface. Repeated infestations may result in yellowed, sickly plants. Spraying the undersides of the plants to remove the lace bugs was considered impossible because the leaves grow so densely and so close to the ground; thus the affected plants were removed. New planting will take place in 2025.

The related azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides) has four to five life cycles annually. It infects rhododendrons also but has not been found in the Rhododendron Garden section of the Discovery Garden. Both types of lace bug overwinter.

The lace bug is not to be confused with lacewing insects (Chrysoperla species) which are native to the Pacific Northwest and important natural predators providing biological control of aphids.

Treatment for Lace Bug
For non-chemical treatment, Washington State University recommends hand removal of adults and nymphs regularly to limit the amount of visible damage. This can be done with a strong spray of water.

If you choose to use a chemical treatment, two recommended pesticides that are legal in Washington are:     

• Safer Brand BioNEEM Multi-Purpose Insecticide and Repellent Concentrate [Organic] Active ingredient: azadirachtin [EPA registration number: 70051-6-42697]
• Safer Brand Garden Defense Multi-Purpose Spray Concentrate [Organic]
  Active ingredient: clarified hydrophobic extract of neem oil [EPA registration number: 70051-2-42697]

The best time to treat is May and June. For more information, download the WSU fact sheet on rhododendrons and lace bugs

The Rhododendron Garden in the Discovery Garden allows the public to view plants as they grow in our specific climate. The damage to some of the small-leaved rhododendrons is sad to see, but it gives gardeners the knowledge to make necessary changes in their gardens to keep them beautiful.

Soon, spring will once again bring forth the eye-catching, luscious blooms on the rhododendron hybrids planted in our gardens and the quietly elegant blooms of our native Western rhododendron at the edges of our woodlands.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:
Dale-Crunk, B. (2024) Personal communication.

Global Temperature Data Indicator. NASA

Skagit Climate Science. Air Temperature and Precipitation 

Washington State University. (2024) Rhododendron: Rhododendron and Lace Bug fact sheet.

Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (1994) Plants of the Pacific Northwest, B.C. Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing

Nelson, S. (Compiler) (2001) The Pacific Coast Rhododendron Story American Rhododendron Society. Binford & Mort Publishing, Portland, Oregon.

University of Washington: Pruning and Caring for Rhododendrons. 

Washington Native Plant Society (2022) Coast Rhododendron: Washington’s State Flower 

World Meteorological Organization (2025) January 2025 Sees Record Global Temperatures Despite La Niña

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sonja Nelson is a Skagit County WSU Extension Master Gardener, Class of 2009.

Questions about home gardening or becoming a master gardener may be directed to Skagit County WSU Extension Office, 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233; by phone: 360-428-4270; or via the website: www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg

Washington State University Extension helps people develop leadership skills and use research-based knowledge to improve economic status and quality of life. Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County. Extension programs and policies are available to all without discrimination. To request disability accommodations contact us at least ten days in advance.