Local gardening experts recommend beginning home gardeners just starting the hobby can benefit from growing plants native to this region.
Throughout the year, members of the Ridgefield Garden Club maintain a collection of native plants in the downtown district. Carol Tocco, a long-time club member, emphasizes their importance, noting that the environment thrives on these plants. Enthusiasts including Tocco encourage the use of native plants for aspiring gardeners.
“They are extremely beneficial for pollinators, birds and other small animals that live off their berries, seeds and foliage,” Tocco said.
Because native plants thrive in this climate, gardeners do not have to care for them as much as imported plants. Mature native plants generally do not require frequent watering except during seasonal heat waves.
Tocco advises that, unless plants show heavy sun damage, drooping during the afternoon is not a cause for concern. Overwatering in response to drooping can lead to further damage. She recommends watering in the morning before evaporation sets in.
“Just because they’re drooping in the afternoon doesn’t mean they’re dying,” Tocco said. “...Plants will usually droop during the hottest part of the day to save water. They’re holding their water back internally, and then they send it back out when the temperatures drop.”
The Clark Conservation District also promotes including native plants in gardens. Mary Kinney, communications director of the conservation team and an experienced native plant gardener with a gold-certified backyard habitat, recommends them for beginners. She explained plants native to the west of the Cascades are particularly suited for Clark County’s climate. Imported plants are less likely to survive the area’s particular temperature and weather changes.
“They’re built for our climate,” Kinney said. “They require less water in the summer months once they’re established, [and] can handle the rain that we get closer to the winter time.”
For gardeners with suitable balconies or backyards, Kinney suggests using planter boxes to grow native species such as mock orange, red flowering currant, Oregon grape and vine maple. These plants are well-suited for compact spaces and are ideal for attracting pollinators. Edible native plants such as woodland strawberries and blackcap raspberries also thrive in well-drained, larger containers. Red flowering currant, in particular, is a magnet for local pollinators.
“It [blooms] in early spring. It’s just littered with hummingbirds, so it’s quite a delight,” Kinney said.
Kinney advises that smaller native plants can thrive in containers on apartment balconies, but gardeners should consider the amount of shade the plants will receive. Balconies with more sunlight can accommodate small plants like nodding onion and common yarrow. For shadier balconies, she recommends local ferns, such as sword ferns, which provide shelter for insects.
“Most native plants are helpful to pollinators, even if they are not a flowering plant,” Kinney said. “For example, sword ferns don’t flower in the same sort of way, but they do provide shelter for a lot of the insects that we have.”
For more information, including a list of native plants and optimal shade and container size, visit backyardhabitats.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Condensed-Portland-Plant-List-Plants-by-Condition.pdf. Readers can find a list of local native plant nurseries at plantnative.org/nd_or.htm.
