Native plants are ones that were originally grown wild in Oregon! This means that they are well-adapted to Oregon’s climate, so once established, they won’t need much ongoing care to thrive (but our climate also keeps them in check from taking over- it’s a perfect balance). These plants are the ones our native wildlife use for food and shelter, so they provide the best possible habitat.

Healthy native plant communities include several different types of plants, of different sizes and different root depths. These roots do a great job at holding together stream banks and preventing erosion, and native trees growing over a waterway provide shade to keep the water cool. When our native trees die and fall into the streams, they provide great fish habitat, nutrients to water-dwellers, and decrease flood impacts by dispersing and slowing down water flow. Native plants are also able to take up storm water from nearby roads and buildings to keep the stream from being “flashy” during heavy rains, and they even filter out pollutants!

You can see why native plants are so good for Oregon!

• To provide shade for streams – Cold water holds more dissolved oxygen and better supports native wildlife, including stronger immune systems in fish.
• To provide root structure for stream banks – A diversity of native plants adds varying root depths that hold the soil better than a monoculture like English ivy.
• Habitat for wildlife – 93% of all wildlife in Oregon utilizes riparian (riverside) corridors during some point in their life cycle.
• To filter pollutants from runoff – A diversity of trees and shrubs slow down the flow of urban and agricultural runoff, and can filter out pollutants, particularly heavy metals.

• Greenbelt Consulting - Great information on the benefits of planting native trees and shrubs
• Clean Water Services Native Plant Finder
• Native Plant Society of Oregon
• Oregon Flora Project
• Bosky Dell Natives
• King County Native Plant Guide
• City of Portland Native Plant List

• The Oregon Garden - Call 503-636-4112 Ext. 22 for a brochure and registration materials.
• County Extension Agents

• Oregon Department of Forestry
• Oregon Department of Agriculture - Choose databases, search nusery licenses
• Oregon Association of Nurserymen Buyers Guide
• Leach Botanical Garden - 503-761-9503 (Portland Only)
• Your local Watershed Council or Soil and Water Conservation District - Contact SOLV for help reaching your local resource.

Oregon's Natives

The following are a list of some of Oregon's native plants that SOLV volunteers commonly plant. For a more complete list and for profiles on these plants, visit

Douglas Fir	Douglas Spirea
Sword Fern	Snowberry
Ponderosa Pine	Salmonberry
Red Elderberry	Western Red Cedar
Salal	Oregon Grape
Nutka Rose	Swamp Rose
Cascara	Pacific Ninebark
Red Flowering Currant	Vine Maple