Native Plants for the Pacific Northwest: Wet-Side Picks

Native plants for the Pacific Northwest in zones 7–9 — wet-climate rainforest species, Mediterranean summer-dry natives, and the distinct ecotypes of Western Washington vs. Oregon's valley floors.

Two climates, two plant palettes

West of the Cascades, the Pacific Northwest receives most of its precipitation from October through April, with dry summers. Per Oregon State University Extension, this "Mediterranean-like summer drought" means many Pacific Northwest natives are not adapted to regular summer irrigation — in fact, summer irrigation can kill plants like camas (Camassia spp.) and native bunchgrasses that evolved to go dormant in dry summers. Understanding which plants want summer water and which are harmed by it is the defining skill for PNW native gardening.

East of the Cascades is a different world — colder winters, lower rainfall, and drier conditions year-round. Plants native to the wet west slope will fail in the inland Pacific Northwest without irrigation; true eastern-slope natives should be used for dry inland gardens.