Proper Planting
Believe it or not, fall or winter is the best time to plant native plants, especially trees and shrubs. Planting after March requires more supplemental watering in order to establish a healthy root system. Before planting add three to four inches of good quality compost to the entire planting area and work it into the soil well. Amending the entire site with compost will give your plants a much better start than simply adding compost to the planting hole. Before planting, set the plants in their pots where you want them and rearrange for the look you like. General guidelines for plant spacing are 10-15 feet apart for trees, 5-10 feet apart for shrubs, and 1-3 feet apart for groundcovers. Planting shrubs under the tree canopy provides a layered habitat that will attract birds and other wildlife.
Using plant names from Table 1: Native Plant List Table 1, go to the website,
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/, to find more information and pictures of a particular plant.
Planting Steps
1. Take the plant out of its pot to see the root size. Keep roots damp.
2. Dig a hole two or three times the width of the root mass and about as deep.
3. Build a mound of soil at the bottom of the hole.
4. Loosen bound roots and gently shake off excess potting soil.
5. Gently spread the roots evenly over the soil mound. The roots should not circle in the hole.
6. Place the plant so the root flare (where the roots join the stem) is at the soil surface.
7. Replace the soil in the hole so it fills the space between the roots. Tamp down gently to avoid any air spaces around the roots.
8. Water and add more soil to fill the hole up to the root flare.
After planting it is always a good idea to mulch around each plant. To reduce weeds and hold water around the roots of the plant, consider mulching. Compost makes excellent mulch because it helps filter pollutants and immediately improves the soil. Relatively coarse wood mulch holds moisture in the soil well and provides good weed control. Avoid fine bark dust which washes away easily and can clog storm drains.
Maintenance
While well adapted to our climate, it is still best to water your native plants deeply and frequently during the first two summers to encourage vigorous growth. Hand pull weeds as they come up to keep then from robbing your new plants of water and nutrients. Once established, maintenance is minimal. Established natives will only need water during the driest part of summer and will out-compete many weeds when properly mulched.
Native plants mix well with many ornamentals. Robust perennials like Daylily, Coneflower, Helianthus, or Joe-Pye Weed add color during the summer. Well adapted plants like lilacs, rhododendrons, ceanothus, and hydrangeas, complement natives well and require very little maintenance. Don’t try and mix natives with tender plants like hybrid tea roses or annuals. These plants require so much water and fertilizer that they defeat the purpose of creating a low maintenance native landscape.
Don’t hesitate to change your landscape from time to time. As time goes by conditions change: an area that was in full sun may become shady as trees mature or an area that used to remain dry may become wet much of the time due to changes in drainage. If a plant does not thrive in one current location, move it where it may do better.
Resource ListWSU Extension guide to native plants
http://gardening.wsu.edu/text/nwnative.htmKing County Native Landscaping
http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/pi/Go-Native/index.htmPortland Eco-Trust Plant Native office
http://www.plantnative.org/index.htmMetro guide to natural gardening
http://www.metro-region.org/pssp.cfm?ProgServID=4
Guide to Northwest native plants
http://www.tardigrade.org/natives/index.htmlOregon State University guide to landscape plants
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/Washington State Native Plant Society
http://www.wnps.org/landscaping/plantselect.htmlGrow Your Own Native Landscape, Michael Leigh, WSU Extension Thurston County
Gardening with Native Plants, Arthur R. Kruckeberg University of Washington Press
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Pojar and McKinnon Lone Pine Press
