Native Plant Gardening
Because native plants are adapted to the west coast conditions, they don’t need much care. They don’t easily succumb to pest problems or diseases and they are drought tolerant. That means no chemicals, no fertilizers, and no long hours of watering.
The native plants in the Langley Demonstration Garden bloom with intense colours and lush foliage. The goldenrod brings sunshine no matter what the weather and the red columbine are visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.
Everyone can become a lazy gardener! As an added bonus, native plants will provide food and shelter for wildlife. Birds will find shelter from the weather and ladybird beetles will explore your backyard.
The West Coast has an array of native plants to suit many different microclimates. Many Lower Mainland nurseries now carry a variety of native plants. The following table is provided by Naturescape British Columbia and will help you choose the right plant for the right place.
Plants for Sunny Spots | Plants for Partial Shade | Plants for Shady Woodlands | Soil Conditions
Soil Conditions:
|
|
Plants for Sunny Spots:
Common Name | Latin Name | Type | Height(M) | Features | Soil |
Beaked hazelnut | Corylus cornuta | Small tree | 1-4 | Edible nuts | M WD |
Flowering Currant | Ribes sanguineum | Shrub or hedge | 1.5 | Showy red flowers | D WD |
Bitter cherry | Prunus emarginata | Small tree | 8-12 | White-pink flowers | M |
Black hawthorn | Crataegus douglasii | Shrub or hedge | 6-10 | Yellow flowers | M WD |
Blue elderberry | Sambucus cerulean | Shrub or hedge | 3-6 | Clusters of white flowers, berries | D M |
Fireweed | Epilobium angustifolium | Wildflower1 | .8-2 | Pink flowers and red pods | M |
Goldenrod | Solidagocanadensis | Wildflower | .3-2 | Yellow flowers | M |
Kinnikinnick | Actostaphylos uva-ursi | Ground cover | .05-.2 | Pink-white flowers, evergreen | D |
Mock orange | Philadlephus lewisii | Shrub | 1-3 | Showy, fragrant white flowers | D |
Noding onion | Allium cernuum | Wildflower | .1-.2 | White-pink flowers, foliage | D |
Nootka rose | Rosanutkana | Shrub or hedge | 3-5 | Large pink flowers and rosehips | D F |
Oceanspray | Holodsicus discolor | Shrub | 3-5 | White cascading clowers | D WD |
Pacific ninebark | Physocarpus capitatus | Shrub | 1-3 | White flower clusters | M |
Pearly everlasting | Anaphalis margaritacea | Wildflower | .3-1 | Blooms last well into fall | D |
Red columbine | Aquilegia Formosa | Wildflower | .6-1 | Yellows to red flowers | M |
Red flowering currant | Ribes sanguineum | Shrub or hedge | 1.5 | Showy red flowers | D WD |
Red osier dogwood | Cornus stolonifera | Shrub | 1-6 | Red stems, red fall colour | D |
Saskatoon | Amelanchier alnifolia | Shrub or hedge | 3-7 | Showy white flowers | D |
Scouler’s willow | Salix scouleriana | Shrub or tree | 2-12 | Velvet twigs and catkins | D |
Sitka mountain ash | Sorbus sitchensis | Shrub or hedge | 1-4 | White flower cluster, berries | M |
Snowberry | Symphoricarpos albus | Shrub | .5-2 | White berries in winter | D |
Stonecrop | Sedum spathulifolium | Wildflower | .1-.2 | Bright yellow flowers | D |
Wild strawberry | Fragilaria virginiana | Wildflower | .1-.2 | White flowers, edible berries | D |
Common Name | Latin Name | Type | Height(M) | Features | Soil |
Cascara | Rhamnus purshiana | Tree | 8-10 | Attractive leaves and berries | M WD |
Evergreen huckleberry | Vaccinium ovatum | Shrub | 1-2 | Pink flowers, evergreen, edible berries | — |
False Solomon’s seal | Smilacina racemosa | Ground cover | .3-1 | White fragrant flowers | M |
Goat’s bear | Aruncus dioicus | Groundcover | 1-2 | Clusters of white flowers | — |
Highbush cranberry | Viburnum opulus | Chrub or hedge | .5-3.5 | white flowers, red-orange fruit | — |
Inidan plum | Oemleria cerasiformis | Shrub | 1-4 | Flowers in early spring before leaves | — |
Red elderberry | Sambucus racemosa | Shrub or hedge | 3-6 | White flowers | WD |
Salal | Gaultheria shallon | Shrub | 1-2 | White flowers, evergreen leaves | WD |
Sword fern | Polystichum munitum | Ground cover | 1-1.5 | Evergreen | M D |
Twinflower | Linnaea borealis | Ground cover | .1 | Fragrant flowers, glossy evergreen leaves | — |
Trumpet honeysuckle | Lonicera ciliosa | Vine | 3-6 | Orange trumpet flowers | WD |
Vine maple | Acer circinatum | Small tree | 3-6 | Yellow-red fall colour | — |
Common Name | Latin Name | Type | Height(M) | Features | Soil |
Black twinberry | Lonicera involucrata | Shrub or hedge | 1-3 | Yellow tubular flowers | M F |
Bunchberry | Cornus canadensis | Wildflower | .05-.15 | White flowers, berries | M O |
Deer fern | Blechnum spicant | Groundcover | .2-.8 | Evergreen | D |
Dull Oregon grape | Mahonia nervosa | Groundcover | .4-.8 | ellow flowers, evergreen | — |
Flase lily-of-the-valley | Maianthemum dilatatum | Groundcover | .05-.1 | Evergreen, spreads easily | M |
Lady fern | Athyrium filix-femina | Groundcover | .8-1.5 | Foliage | M O |
Pacific bleeding heart | Dicentra Formosa | Wildflower | .2-.5 | Pink flowers, spread easily | O |
Piggy-back plant | Tolmiea menziesii | Groundcover | .4-.8 | Brown-purple flowers | M |
Red huckleberry | Vaccinium parvifolium | Shrub | 1-3 | Green twigs | D O |
Tall fringecup | Tellima grandiflora | Groundcover | .4-.8 | Fragrant flowers | M |
Trailing yellow violet | Violet sempervirens | Wildflower | .05-.1 | Yellow flowers, seed capsules | M |
Wood fern | Dryopteris expansa | Groundcover | .8-1 | Foliage | M |