By JEN MUNROE
OSU Hood River County
Master Gardener Volunteer
As April rolls around each year, you likely find yourself thinking about this year’s garden — what to plant and where, as well as the fabulous bounty of vegetables and flowers that might await later in the season. Perhaps you have heard the phrase “right plant, right place,” and maybe that mantra already governs your choices. If not, it’s high time it did. And even if it already does, it’s worth thinking about how native planting might fit into your gardening scheme this year because native plants are all about the right plants that are already so well adapted to our place, the soil and climate particulars here in the Gorge.
In this area of Oregon and Washington we are so fortunate to have an array of native species to choose from that are well suited to our gardens, large or small. Perhaps you’ve already been convinced to plant more natives in your yard, but especially if you have yet to make that decision, I would like to suggest two key reasons why native plants might well serve our gardens and the species that depend on them in the face of climate change in particular: many native plants are drought- and fire-resistant, and native plantings are ideal for pollinators and wildlife habitat.
As our summers have become more dry and hot, finding plants that require less water to grow is becoming more important. Native plants are a great solution. In fact, many plants that are native to our area are already “waterwise” and “firewise.” The red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and golden currant (Ribes aureum), for instance, a medium-sized shrub that has beautiful yellow flowers in the spring and red foliage followed by berries later in the season, will grow in our area without a lot of fuss and with minimal watering after it is established. Or the mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) is another example of a plant that does well in a variety of waterwise conditions (including part sun). Like red-flowering currant, it is also fire resistant. Plus, it has an amazing fragrance as its delicate white flowers open in the late spring.
As you might imagine, the extravagant floral display on these and natives like them make these plants perfect for pollinators as well. In fact, as the piece “Native plants attract more pollinators than cultivars in OSU study” discusses, the native plants we might put in our gardens arguably do better in serving the winged creatures who rely on them for food, especially during the months at the beginning and end of the season, when the supplies are more diminished. As that study showed, when researchers compared similar plants in their native versus cultivated versions, “pollinators favored the wild versions about 37% of the time. Cultivars were preferred only about 8% of the time.”
While many cultivars might serve as useful habitat for wildlife (birds, small animals, reptiles and amphibians, for instance), some native species are uniquely suited to serve these animal populations, who in turn serve us in our gardens. Take the Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), for example, which is a host plant for the Viceroy and Red-Spotted Purple butterfly larvae. Or Oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor), a medium shrub that is a host for Lorquin’s Admiral butterfly larvae. Oregon sunshine (Eriophyllum lanatum), a low-growing herbaceous perennial, is both drought-tolerant and supports pollinators early in the season, and it is a host plant for Painted Lady Butterflies.
As with all plants, some native species do have a tendency to spread themselves, so before you make any final decisions about what to plant and where, just be sure that the particular natives you have in mind will be right for your garden in the long term. That said, when you are thinking about what to plant this season, please do consider native varieties. They really do embody the “right plant, right place” way of thinking in so many ways. If you decide natives are for you, I also encourage you to join the Central Gorge Master Gardeners for our annual plant sale on May 9, from 9-1pm at 2990 Experiment Station Drive, Hood River, OR.
Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteers provide free beginning gardening classes and continuing education to home gardeners. For research based information about specific gardening or pest questions, submit your concern online at extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/hoodriver or by phone at 541-386-3343. Home gardeners can also drop off plant or pest samples Monday - Thursday between 9 AM and 4 PM at the OSU Hood River County Extension Service, 2990 Experiment Station Drive, Hood River, OR.
The Central Gorge Master Gardener program is a division of the OSU Hood River County Extension Service. OSU Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials.
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