Gardening with native crops | Backyard Notes

Evergreen blueberry flowers are a favorite of the native hummingbirds and butterflies.

Photo courtesy of Barbara Faurot

Barbara Faurot

Barbara Faurot

It’s always a good time to sing praises of native plants. April is the month of native plant appreciation in Washington state – and it was recently named National Native Plant Month in the United States. So it’s a perfect time to celebrate by adding some natives to our home gardens, small farms, and backyard forests.

Native plants enhance the variety of leaves, flowers, and berries in the landscape. They provide shelter and food for native pollinators and other wildlife. Locals also need less water, prevent erosion, bind carbon from the air, and do not require mowing or fertilizing.

The Washington Native Plant Society (www.wnps.org) is an excellent resource for gardening with locals, including a list of plant and seed sources. You can also browse local and statewide events for Native Plant Appreciation Month, including webinars, plant sales, and plant walks.

To increase the biodiversity in your garden, here are some plant ideas that are usually available at local nurseries, the County Conservation District plant store, or local nurseries. Planting in clusters attracts pollinators and ensures nesting material and feed efficiency.

Cane growers are good choices for slopes, borders, or hedges. They attract pollinators with brightly colored flowers and nutritious berries.

Evergreen blueberry (Vaccinium ovatum) can grow up to 8 to 10 feet in shady woods, but stay smaller in partially shaded gardens. The pink, urn-shaped flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds from spring to midsummer. The red-dark purple berries feed birds and mammals in autumn.

Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is an evergreen that produces fragrant, bright yellow flowers from mid-March to May and then forms clusters of tart, dark berries that are reminiscent of grapes. This tall form of the Oregon grape can grow up to 6 to 8 feet tall. Plants can tolerate heavy pruning to stimulate the growth of new canes. Just cut old or damaged sticks to the ground.

Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) can grow up to 8 to 10 feet tall and is one of the first deciduous shrubs to bloom in spring, with clusters of deep pink flowers that attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. It produces small blue-black berries by late summer. The leaves then turn yellow and orange to add fall color.

Understory plants Also provide wildlife habitat, help with slope retention, and provide ground cover to resist weed growth. They require little maintenance once set up.

Cascade or Low Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa) is an adaptable, low-growing evergreen that reaches 1 to 2 feet in height and grows in the shade or in the sun. Nectar from its yellow flowers, which grow in ears compared to the clusters of tall form, is a favorite of our native Anna’s hummingbirds. Later in summer, small berries form that feed birds and small mammals.

Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) can grow up to 4 feet tall and wide, with shiny fronds year round. It occurs in shady or partially shaded forests, but can also thrive in sunny conditions with enough water. The smaller one Stag fern (Blechnum spicant) prefers shady, moist conditions and provides habitat for insects and birds as well as food for deer and other mammals.

You can let the old fronds decompose in place, or for a neater look, cut the old fronds off at the base as soon as the new growth appears in spring. Both sword and stag ferns are easy to divide and replant. This is best done in the fall.

Salal (Gaultheria muston), another adaptable evergreen, can grow up to 6 feet tall in sunny coastal areas but usually stays shorter as an underplant in shade. Hummingbirds and bees enjoy the pink, urn-shaped flowers in spring, and dark, juicy berries provide food for birds and mammals in summer. Salal can spread widely but is easy to control by pruning excess growth on the ground. It is resistant to taper pruning and can be pruned into a low shape every few years.

If you’d like to see examples of native trees, shrubs, ferns, and wildflowers in a variety of gardening settings, be sure to explore some nearby native plant demonstration gardens. Two examples are the Kul Kah Han indigenous plant garden in HJ Carroll Park in Chimacum and the indigenous plant garden in Buck Lake County Park in Hansville near the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. Both are well worth a visit for ideas and inspiration, and a great way to celebrate Native Plant Appreciation Month!

NEW: From April 19, master gardeners will be holding live zoom sessions in the online plant clinic on Mondays from 12:30 to 14:30 to answer your gardening and landscape questions. To schedule an online appointment or ask a written question, visit http://jefferson.wsu.edu/plant-clinic.

NEW: The Jefferson County Master Gardener Foundation will be holding their online plant sales from April 26th to May 6th. The contactless collection of online orders takes place on Saturday, May 15th. Further information can be found at https://jcmgf.org/.

(Barbara Faurot is a master gardener and secateurs from Jefferson County and works with other volunteers who serve as community gardening and environmental educators.)