Portland Naturescaping Resources

City of Portland
Native Plants List (free PDF)
https://proudground.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/native_plant_list.pdf

Oregon State University
Gardening with Oregon Native Plants West of the Cascades (free PDF)
http://corvallis.npsoregon.org/OSU%20Gardening%20with%20Oregon%20Native%20Plants.pdf

Oregon State University
Recommended Native Plants for Western Oregon (free PDF)
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/1/nativeplantreclist.pdf

City of Portland
Native Plant Poster (free PDF)
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/40355

Metro
Native plants for Willamette Valley Yards (free PDF)
https://www.oregonmetro.gov/native-plants-willamette-valley-yards-booklet

Naturescaping in the Pacifc Northwest: Best native shrubs for hedges.

Category	Common Name	Scientific Name	Height	Culture/Conditions	Wildlife Value
Evergreen, Broad-leaved Shrub	Tall Oregon Grape	Berberis aquifolium	8' to 10'	Sun to shade; well drained loam. Thorny. Medium grower.	Minor use by songbirds.
Evergreen, Broad-leaved Shrub	Short Oregon Grape	Berberis nervosa	Up to 2'	Sun to shade; well drained loam. Thorny. Medium grower.	Minor use by songbirds.
Evergreen, Broad-leaved Shrub	Evergreen Huckleberry	Vaccinium ovatum	2' to 8'	Shade; Dry conditions. Slow grower.	Fruit utilized by songbirds, gamebirds, mammals, rodents and humans.
Evergreen, Broad-leaved Shrub	Four-wing saltbush	Atriplex canescens	3' to 6'	Native to dry, arid areas of the west.	Utilized by waterfowl, songbirds, small mammals and browsers.
Deciduous, Broad-leaved Shrub	Hazelnut	Corylus cornuta californica	5' to 12'	Sun to partial shade; most soils. Fast grower.	Provides food for squirrels and chipmunks.
Deciduous, Broad-leaved Shrub	Nootka rose	Rosa nutkana	1' to 8'	Sun to partial shade; most soils. Thorny. Medium grower.	Rose hips provide winter food for some songbirds and mammals. Butterfly nectar source.
Deciduous, Broad-leaved Shrub	Snowberry	Symphoricarpos spp.	2' to 6'	Sun or shade; most soils. Fast grower. Berries poisonous to humans.	Fruits provide food for songbirds, gamebirds and browsers throughout winter.

Best naturescaping groundcover for sunny dry areas: Kinnikinnick (Bearberry)

Kinnikinnick (also known as Bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.) is a Pacific Northwest Native and is our top pick for a naturescaping groundcover in dry, well drained, sunny areas of the garden.  Kinnikinnick is an evergreen, 6"-8" tall wood plant with trailing branches spreading up to 10 feet wide.  It has white or pink urn-shaped flowers and reddish berries.

Kinnikinnick attracts butterfly caterpillars, butterflies and hummingbirds. Its leaves are eaten by many mammals including deer, elk, bighorn sheep and moose.  The  fruit is eaten by birds such as thrushes, wrens, grouse, robins and waxwings, as well as deer, bears and other small mammals.

Kinnikinnick hosts the Hoary Elfin, one of the first non-hibernating butterflies to appear during the spring.  The Hoary Elfin is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 7/8 to 1 and 1/8 inches. They are listed as a vulnerable species in the State of Washington and are under review in the State of Oregon.

Photo by Walter Siegmund. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Photo by Jesse Taylor. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. 

Photo by Walter Siegmund. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Photo by Walter Siegmund. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.