Garry Oak Habitat Plants That Are Usually Available From Local Suppliers
Plants for Sunny Areas
Type
Scientific
Botanical Name
Common
Name(s)
Tree
Quercus garryana
Garry Oak,
Oregon White
Oak
Flowering forb
Camassia quamash
Common Camas, 20 - 70 cm early-Apr Blue Camas
mid-May
Full sun
Dry to
Rich, moist
seasonally
soil.
moist soils.
Needs to dry
out after
flowering.
Flowering forb
Cerastium arvense
Field Chickweed
Full sun
Dry.
Flowering forb
Clarkia amoena
Farewell-to-spring 10 - 100
cm tall
June - July
Full sun
Flowering forb
Fragaria virginiana
Wild Strawberry, Low
Virginia
creeper
Strawberry
June
Full sun.
Flowering forb
Sedum
spathulifolium
Broad-leaved
up to 20
Stonecrop, Pacific cm
Sedum
late May end of June
Full sun. Very
shade
intolerant.
Grass
Achnatherum
lemmonii
Lemmon's
Needlegrass
Height
12 - 35 m
Blooming
Period
Feb - early
May
5 - 50 cm Apr - Aug
long or tall
15 - 90 cm June
tall
Light
Water
Shade tolerant Moist to dry.
as young
seedlings,
becoming shade
intolerant with
age.
Full sun
Soil
Ecological Setting
Rocky
Grows at low
outcrops to elevations on various
deep, rich,
sites and soil types.
well-drained
soils.
Mesic to vernally
moist meadows and
grasslands in the
lowland, steppe and
montane zones.
Wildlife
Valued species, particularly older
specimens with intricate
branching patterns. Widely used
as an ornamental in the Pacific
Northwest.
Propertius Duskywing host;
acorns for squirrels, Stellar's
Jays and many other
animals.
Use in meadows, grassy slopes
and banks. Showy bloom with
attractive seed heads. Excellent
in borders, mixed borders and
bulb beds. Very tough plant for
exposed, hot dry sites once
established.
Perennial
A good bee and butterfly
plant. Fencing may be
required Deer eat Camassia
leaves and flowers. Racoons
and squirrels dig up and
nibble on camas bulbs.
Rocky slopes,
outcrops, grassy bluffs,
meadows, gravelly
clearings.
Relatively
Sandy to clay Grassy open bluffs,
Annual. Beds, borders,
dry.
soils.
slopes and forest
containers, rock gardens,
edges.
meadows. Tolerates seaside
conditions.
Dry (drought Sandy, poor Moist to dry fields,
Groundcover substitute for
tolerant).
soils.
roadsides, meadows, lawns, combine with native
grassy slopes, thickets, plants such as nodding onion.
forest edges, and open
forests.
Mesic to
Shalllow,
Found on rocky
Showy plant (flowers and leaf
seasonally
coarse
outcroppings, coastal colour) in a rockery, front of a
dry.
textured
bluffs, cliffs and forest border, in containers, or as a
sandy or
openings.
ground cover.
gravelly soils.
Dry
Rocky,
gravelly.
Landscaping Uses
Coarse and
medium
textured
soils.
Rocky slopes, open
ground and open
woods.
Perennial. Meadows, slopes.
Bees, butterflies.
Butterflies (host)
Butterflies (host)
Birds.
Plants for Sunny to Partially or Lightly Shaded Areas
Type
Scientific
Botanical Name
Common
Name(s)
Light
Water
Soil
Ecological Setting
Tree
Arbutus menziesii
Arbutus,
6 - 30 m
Madrone, Pacific
Madrone
Apr - May
Sunny, open
sites;
moderately
shade-tolerant.
Dry to low
moisture in
summer
Rocky,
coarsely
drained
Dry, sunny open
forests and rocky
slopes on coarse or
shallow soils.
Tall shrub
Amelanchier
alnifolia
Saskatoon,
Serviceberry
mid-Apr mid-Jun
Full sun to
light/partial
shade.
Tall shrub
Holodiscus discolor
Oceanspray,
up to 4 m
Creambush,
Ironwood, Arrow
Wood
Jun - Jul
Full sun to
partial shade.
Prefers open
areas.
Med-tall shrub
Mahonia
aquifolium
Tall Oregongrape
0.5 - 2.5 m late Feb - late- Full sun to semi- Dry to
Apr
shade.
moderatelydry.
Med-tall shrub
Ribes sanguineum
Red-flowering
Currant, Blood
Currant, Oregon
Currant, Winter
Currant
1-3 m
Mar -May
Full sun to
partial shade.
Med-tall shrub
Philadelphus lewisii Mock Orange,
Lewis’ Mockorange, Indian
Arrow-wood,
Indian
Arrowhead,
Syringia
To 3 m
late June July
Shrubby
groundcover
Arctostaphylos uva- Kinnikinnick,
ursi
Common
Bearberry,
Mealberry,
Sandberry
5 - 15 cm
Mar - Jun
Climbing vine
Lonicera ciliosa
Shrubby
Lonicera hispidula
groundcover or
crawling vine
Height
1-5m
Blooming
Period
Western
up to 9 m May
Trumpet, Orange
Honeysuckle
Hairy or Pink
3.5 m long Jun - Jul
Honeysuckle
Landscaping Uses
Highly ornamental species prized
for its crooked beauty, colourful
bark, showy flowers and brightlycoloured fruit. Underplant with
kinnikinnick, Henderson’s
shootingstars.
Moist to dry. Coarse
Rocky shorelines,
Showy, abundant blossoms.
textured,
bluffs, talus slopes
Good fall colour. Attracts wildlife
free-draining meadows, dry to moist to the urban garden. Use as a
soil.
open forests.
single specimen, hedge or
background to borders.
Very dry to
moderately
dry, moistureshedding
soils
Welldrained,
coarsetextured soils
Cool temperate and
cool mesothermal
climates. Found from
sea level to 2100 m.
Rocky sites
with coarse
and medium
textured,
well-drained
soils.
Mesic to dry open or
closed forests and
thickets. Prefers open
exposed sites.
Wildlife
Butterflies (host), berries for
birds. Eaten by many types
of wildlife; the tree is used
by both open-nesting and
cavity-nesting birds.
Butterflies (host). Fruit eaten
by a wide range of birds and
mammals. Preferred
browsed species for many
wild ungulates. Wildlife
keystone species.
Creamy-white panicles of "soft Butterflies (host). Important
lace". One of the top ten native food source for small, seedshrubs in the Pacific Northwest. eating birds. ModeratelyBeautiful as a background to
important browser species
herbaceous borders, particularly for Coastal Blacktail Deer.
of tall perennials such as blueflowered delphiniums.
High quality landscaping plant.
Useful in shrub borders, mixing
well with other evergreen
species. Showy, fragrant yellow
flowers; edible berries;
evergreen with some colour
change in winter.
Moist soils
Coarse, well- Dry open woods,
Excellent, showy, back-of-border
preferred but drained soils. rocky slopes, disturbed shrub for the home garden.
fairly droughtsites.
Beautiful in groups and drifts in
resistant
larger settings such as barriers
once
and borders. Flowers best in full
established.
sun.
Leaves and fruit eaten by
small birds and mammals.
Occasional winter browse of
deer and elk.
Full sun to
moderately
shade tolerant.
Moderately Organic soils
dry to moist. on forest
sites; rocky
soils on
brushy, dry
sites.
Showy, aromatic flowers.
Potential use in both native
plant and mixed gardens. Good
for hedges and shrub borders.
Attracts bees and
butterflies. Moderately
important winter forage for
deer and elk. Seeds eaten by
birds and rodents. Dense
shrub habitats provide good
summer and winter wildlife
cover.
Full sun to
partial shade.
Dry to welldrained.
Well-drained Dry rocky slopes, dry
sandy and
forest and clearings.
gravelly soils.
Rockeries, banks and any open,
dry, sunny location; also under
pines, arbutus. Good soil
stabilizer use as ground cover or
bank cover and good alternative
to lawn in hard to mow places.
Also in rockeries or rock wall;
evergreen; salt tolerant; grows
well with Ceanothus velutinus.
Butterflies (host). The fruit is
eaten by birds, deer, elk,
small mammals and bears.
Browsed by Coastal Blacktail
Deer.
Full sun to
partial shade.
Dry to
moderatelydry.
Dry.
Well-drained Woods and thickets
soils.
from sea level to
middle elevations.
Coarse,
Dry, open forests,
shallow,
thickets and rocky
rocky soils. ridges.
Climbing vine (trellis, fence,
rockwall, on other plants).
Hummingbirds; berries for
birds.
Groundcover, or lateral vine
(rockwall).
Hummingbirds; berries for
birds.
Full sun to
partial shade.
Habitat varies from
open forests and forest
edges to open brushy
communities at low to
middle elevations.
Critical source of earlyspring nectar for
hummingbirds, bumblebees.
Fruits eaten by other birds.
Plants for Sunny to Partially or Lightly Shaded Areas
Type
Scientific
Botanical Name
Common
Name(s)
Height
Blooming
Period
Flowering forb
Achillea millefolium Yarrow
up to 50
cm
mid-May Aug
Flowering forb
Allium cernum
Nodding Onion
10 - 50 cm May - July
Flowering forb
Anaphalis
margaritacea
Pearly Everlasting 30 - 60 cm Aug - Oct
Flowering forb
Aquilegia formosa
Red or Sitka
Columbine
15 - 100
cm tall
Flowering forb
Camassia leichtlinii
Great Camas
Flowering forb
Light
Water
Full sun to
partial shade.
Moist to dry. Well-drained Dry to moist, wellsandy and
drained, open sites,
gravelly soils. meadows, clearings,
and sometimes open
forests.
Dry to
Sandy, well- Dry open woods,
moderately drained soil. exposed grassy places
dry.
and rocky crevices.
Full sun to
partial/ light
shade.
Full sun to
partial shade.
Soil
Ecological Setting
Dry
Well-drained Rocky slopes, open
sandy and
forest, clearings,
gravelly soils. meadows.
May - August Full sun to
partial shade.
Mesic to
moist.
Rich, moist
soil.
20 - 120
cm
mid-Apr end of May
Full sun to
partial shade.
Dry to
Rich, moist
seasonally
soil.
moist soils.
Needs to dry
out after
flowering.
Claytonia perfoliata Miner's Lettuce
5 - 30 cm
tall
Mar - Apr
Full sun to
partial shade.
Dry to moist. Grows in
Forests, thickets,
most wellmeadows.
drained soils.
Flowering forb
Clinopodium
douglasii
Yerba Buena
1 m long
creeper
Flowering forb
Collinsia parviflora
Small-flowered
Blue-eyed Mary
Flowering forb
Delphinium
menziesii
Flowering forb
Landscaping Uses
Wildlife
Well-suited for a broad range of Butterflies and bees.
growing sites. May need to be
contained because it can spread.
Spring-flowering bulb suitable
for areas receiving no summer
irrigation. Showy long season
bloomer. Good rockery plant or
for front borders in a bed,
spaced 15-30 cm apart.
Attractive when mixed with
harvest brodiaea.
Late bloomer that flourishes in a
broad range of growth
conditions. Can become weedy,
so may need to be contained.
This plant is attractive to
bees, butterflies,
hummingbirds and other
birds.
Bees, butterfies (adults and
larvae).
Variety of moist, open Formal flower beds or informal
to partly shaded sites; rock or woodland gardens.
meadows, rocky
slopes, beaches, forest
glades, and clearings.
Flowers very attractive to
butterflies and
hummingbirds. Fencing may
be required to prevent dear
from eating.
Vernally moist
meadows in the
lowland zone. Grassy
slopes and meadows.
Use in meadows, grassy slopes
and banks. Showy bloom with
attractive seed heads. Very
tough plant for exposed, hot dry
sites once established. Use in
containers or along pond edges.
A good bee and butterfly
plant. Fencing may be
required. Deer eat Camassia
leaves and flowers. Racoons
and squirrels dig up and
nibble on camas bulbs.
Annual
Edible for people and
wildlife.
mid-Jun-July Full sun to
partial shade.
Ground cover, rock walls,
containers.
Bees.
3 - 40 cm
tall
Mar - July
Annual. Containers; groundcover Bees, butterflies.
in dry beds, borders, rock
gardens.
Menzie’s
Larkspur
up to 50
cm
May
Well-drained. Thin, gravelly Open, well-drained,
soil.
Garry Oak, Arbutus or
coniferous forests and
thickets.
Full sun to semi- Dry to moist. Well-drained Open, grassy slopes,
shade
soil.
open forest, mossy
rock outcrops, gravelly
flats, sand.
Full sun to semi- Dry to
Well-drained Found on grassy bluffs,
shade
moderately soils.
vernal grassland and in
dry.
rocky openings and
dry meadows.
Sunny meadow or middle of a
border bed.
A source of pollen for
butterflies and the longproboscis bumblebees.
Dodecatheon
hendersonii
Broad-leaved
Shootingstar,
Henderson’s
Shootingstar
10 - 30 cm Apr - June
Full sun to
partial shade.
Dry to
moderately
moist.
Use in rockeries or meadow
communities, can also be
planted in lawns or used in
containers.
Bumblebees
Flowering forb
Eriophyllum
lanatum
Woolly
10 - 60 cm May - Jul
Sunflower,
Oregon Sunshine,
Woolly
Eriophyllum
Full sun to
partial shade.
Dry to
moderately
dry.
Moist, often saline
meadows, wet coastal
rocks and bluffs,
stream banks.
Sporadic in opencanopy forests on
water-shedding sites,
or in meadow-like
communities where
early spring moisture
is followed by midCoarse, well- summer
Dry, opendrought.
habitat,
drained.
rocky slopes. Low to
middle elevations.
Flowering forb
Erythronium
oregonum
White Fawn-lily
Full sun to
partial shade.
Moderately
dry to
moderately
moist soils.
Well-drained Common in meadowsoils.
like communities and
open-canopy rocky
woodlands on welldrained dry to moist
(mesic) sites.
Excellent groundcover once
Hummingbirds (nectar).
established and mixed with
Fencing may be required to
native grasses; also for rockeries. prevent deer from eating.
15 - 35 cm Mar - Apr
Dry to
moderately
moist soils.
Good as rockery plant, for dry
Butterflies (nectar)
banks and the perennial border.
Long blooming period and
silvery-green foliage.
Plants for Sunny to Partially or Lightly Shaded Areas
Type
Scientific
Botanical Name
Common
Name(s)
Flowering forb
Fragaria vesca
Woodland
Strawberry
Flowering forb
Lomatium
nudicaule
Flowering forb
Blooming
Period
Light
Water
5 - 20 cm June - July
tall,
runners up
to 2 m
long. Low
creeper
Barestem Desert- 20 - 90 cm mid-Apr parsley, Barestem
mid-May
Lomatium, Indian
Celery, Wild
Celery, Indian
Consumption
Plant
Semi-shade to
shade.
Dry to moist. Moist, well- Open forests,
drained soils. streambanks,
meadows.
Lomatium
utriculatum
Spring Gold, Fine- 10 - 60 cm mid-Mar leaved Desertend of May
Parsley
Full sun to light Dry to
shade.
moderately
dry.
Flowering forb
Olsynium douglasii
Flowering forb
Plectritis congesta
Satinflower,
15 - 30 cm late-Feb Purple Blue-eyed
early Apr
Grass (var.
inflatum),
Douglas’ Blueeyed Grass (var.
douglasii), Grass
Widows
Sea Blush
10 - 60 cm late Mar end of May
Flowering forb
Symphyotrichum
subspicatum, Aster
subspicatus, Aster
douglasii
Triteleia
hyacinthina,
Brodiaea
hyacinthina
Flowering forb
Height
Full sun to light Dry to
shade.
moderately
dry.
Soil
Ecological Setting
Landscaping Uses
Wildlife
Good groundcover for shady
areas.
Butterflies (host), birds,
mammals.
Coarse free- Dry, open, sparsely
Potentially useful ornamental for Important nectar source for
draining soils treed sites, rocky
the dry rock garden.
many butterflies.
slopes and grassy
bluffs at low to middle
elevations.
Coarse sandy It occurs on dry, open,
soil.
rocky slopes, grassy
bluffs and vernal
meadows at low
elevations.
Full sun to light Wet spring
Shallow,
Dry rocky bluffs and
shade.
soil and dry mossy soil. meadows, open oak
summer soil.
woodlands at low to
middle elevations.
Suitable ornamental for a border
or rockery in full sun to light
shade in combination with
common camas and shooting
stars.
One of the showiest early spring
flowers. Wonderful for sunny
rock gardens, low border,
planter and meadow.
Full sun to light Moist winter Moderately Streambanks, moist
shade.
soil, dry
well-drained meadows, open
summer soil. soil.
forests, thickets.
Rocky outcrop, planter, or sunny Bees, butterflies.
edge of a border.
Bees. Fencing ay be required
to prevent deer from eating.
Douglas' Aster
20 - 80 cm Jul - Sept
Full sun to light Moist to
shade.
moderately
dry.
Fool’s Onion
50 - 70 cm late May early Jul
Full sun to
partial shade.
Moist winter Light, sandy
soil, dry
soil with
summer soil. good
drainage.
Open, grassy areas,
rocky slopes and
coastal bluffs.
Rockeries or sunny borders.
Bees, butterflies.
Full sun to
partial shade.
Dry to very
dry. Good soil
drainage and
does not
tolerate
winter soil
saturation or
flooding.
Occurs on moderately
dry to moist southfacing prairies,
savannahs, meadows,
and grassy openings
within Douglas-fir and
Garry Oak forests.
While drought tolerant
with extensive roots, it
is found on somewhat
more mesic (moist)
sites such as the edges
of grassy balds.
Perennial bunchgrass. Good for
dry sites; clump forming so can
become large and wide
spreading; use in rockeries, as
bank covers, in containers,
lawns. May be too aggressive for
meadow conversions.
Forage value and
palatability for wildlife and
livestock are unknown, but
may be similar to Idaho
Fescue (rated as fair to good
by USDA)
Grasslands, meadows, Perennial bunchgrass. Meadows,
open woodlands,
slopes.
sandy and rocky
ridges.
Deer resistant. Seeds eaten
by small birds and
mammals. Leaves eaten by
butterfly larvae and used for
bird nests.
Grass
Festuca roemeri var. Roemer’s Fescue 30 - 100
roemeri
cm
Grass
Danthonia
californica
California
Oatgrass
May - Jun
15 - 80 cm May - Jul
Moist, but
Meadows, moist
Mid - to back of beds, or moist
well-drained clearings,
meadow setting.
soils.
streambanks, beaches.
Food source for larval and
adult stages of some
butterflies.
Shallow and
or strongly
drained soils
on stony and
rocky sites.
Fine to
medium
textured
mineral soils.
Gravelly,
sandy.
Full sun to light Dry to moist. Wide variety
(dappled) shade.
of soil types well drained
sandy loam
to less
permeable
silt and clay.
Butterflies (host, nectar),
bees, flies, winter seed for
birds (particluarly sparrows).
Plants for Sunny or Shady Areas
Type
Scientific
Botanical Name
Common
Name(s)
Blooming
Period
Light
Shrub
Mahonia nervosa
Water
Dull Oregonup to 60
grape, Longleaf
cm
Hollygrape,
Creeping
Hollygrape,
Cascade Oregongrape
mid-Apr May
Full sun to
shade.
Moderately Coarse,
dry to slightly shallow,
moist.
rocky soils.
Fern
Polypodium
glycyrrhiza
Licorice Fern
up to 70
cm
n/a
Full sun to
shade.
Fern
Polystichum
munitum
Sword Fern
up to 1.5
m
n/a
Flowering forb
Heuchera
micrantha
Small-flowered
Alumroot
30 - 60 cm May - midJun
Flowering forb
Montia parvifolia
Flowering forb
Tellima grandiflora
Small-flowered
10 - 30 cm May - July
Montia;
tall
Streambank
Springbeauty;
Little-leaf Miner's
Lettuce
Fringecup
up to 30
Apr - Jun
cm
Height
Soil
Ecological Setting
Landscaping Uses
Wildlife
Popular ornamental. Good
ground cover under conifers or
deciduous trees. Four season
characteristics – showy bright
yellow flowers; grape-like edible
fruit; good fall/winter colour.
Use on banks or as a ground
cover. Good compact habit so
could be used in a short border
and for ground cover in a
woodland setting.
Moist to dry. Shallow
On wet mossy ground, Useful and attractive rock garden
humic or
logs and rocks
plant and areas where winter
rocky soils to (sometimes forms
greenery and ground cover is
rock faces.
large sheets over rock desired.
slabs). Also common
as an epiphyte on the
trunks and branches of
broad-leafed trees
(especially bigleaf
maple).
Nectar eaten by Anna's
Hummingbird. Browsed by
Black-tailed Deer and
Roosevelt Elk; foliage eaten
by various small mammals,
and fruit eaten by many
small birds and mammals.
Full sun or
shade.
Moist to
moderately
dry.
Provides cover for wildlife
and host plant for some
butterfly larvae.
Part sun to
shade.
Dry to moist. Well-drained Rocky crevices,
Semi-shaded border or rockery.
soils.
streambanks, mossy
talus slopes.
Moist to wet. WellMossy rock outcrops, Perennial
drained.
rocky gulies, rocky
beaches, streambanks.
Hummingbirds (nectar).
Moist, but
Moist,
Streambanks, moist
well-drained. humus-filled forests, glades,
mulch, good clearings, thickets.
drainage.
Hummingbirds (nectar).
Partial sun to
shade
Full sun to
shade.
Dry to fairly moist,
open to closed forests.
Can grow in the
understory of 300-600year-old forests and in
open meadows and
recent clear cuts.
Moist, but
Moist forest at low to
well-drained middle elevations.
soils.
Large, attractive fern that offers
year-round colour and texture.
Great as a centerpiece or for
back of flower beds, along
rockwalls, or under trees.
Mass plantings in borders,
ground cover, or along mossy
paths.
Licorice fern provides food
for herbivorous insects and
mammals. Epiphytic flora
like licorice fern is important
because it is a habitat niche
for organisms.