Post: July 3, 2026
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 (3rd). 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:
Joan D. Stamm
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.
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“And what about cultivars?”, many ask Tallamy. What about those many stunning and alluring flower and leaf varieties produced through selective breeding that we find at most of our nurseries? According to research done by Tallamy and other scientists, whether a cultivar retains any benefit to pollinators depends on what got modified. He advises avoiding plants where the leaf color has been changed from green to brown, purple or red (because insects like chlorophyll), and best to avoid flowers that went from single-petaled to multi-petaled (bees can’t get inside), or plants that have been made sterile. On the other hand, a woody plant made shorter is relatively okay. In sum, no size fits all. A quick tutorial can be found on the Grow Native website 
