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Need shade-loving planting ideas for backyard nature-scaping #798691

Asked June 29, 2022, 8:00 PM EDT

Hello. My wife and I live in North Gresham at the north-eastern end of the Willamette valley, near the mouth of the Columbia gorge. We have a pretty decent sized back yard that is nicely shaded on the south side by a patch of large, healthy, Douglas fir trees. We want to renovate this space with native plants to give it some color, some life, and hopefully attract friendly and helpful critters like native birds, bees, ladybugs, etc. We're going to be planing under the tree cover in two areas: one to the left(south) of the path (about 12' x 22') and one to the right(north) of the path (about 4' x20'). The goal is to use a variety of shade-loving, native plants, mostly perennials, in groupings/arrangements that once established help take care of each other and require less maintenance than non-native landscaping. Sort of mimicking what you'd find under the trees in a doug-fir forest, but won't overrun the rest of the yard. We've read through native plant guides but don't know what to get or how to place them. So we ask: What are some good plant ideas to use in this landscape? And how should we place them? And/OR do you know of a good resource to use as a guide? Attached for reference is a scale map of the yard (planting areas are shaded) and a photo of the planting areas taken facing west at @4pm, late June. Thank you!

Multnomah County Oregon

Expert Response

Hi Mikolai- Yes, Douglas firs can be tricky to plant under. Yours look like there is some light getting through so maybe some of the shade tolerant natives in the attached pamphlet will work. This is my favorite resource because it starts out with big trees then goes to small trees, then shrubs and then flowers. This resource also tells what animals and insects are attracted to each plant an how much water they need.

https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2018/01/24/native-plants-willamette-valley-yards-booklet.pdf

Some plants that immediately come to my mind are rhododendrons, salal and Oregon grape, all great plants for under these trees.

There are several nurseries in the Portland area that specialize in native plants and many of the larger plant stores carry them. The advantage of going to a nursery specializing in native plants is that you are unlikely to get an cultivar which is not really native but a cross between two natives and sometimes are not as attractive to wildlife.

What a fun project and congratulations for helping restore native habitat!
Rhonda Frick-Wright Replied June 30, 2022, 10:41 PM EDT

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