No matter where you live, planting native wildflowers is a great idea. It’s the perfect way to create a garden that is not only low-maintenance but excellent for the environment. If you’re a gardener in the Pacific Northwest, this article is especially for you!

Planting native wildflowers in the Pacific Northwest creates a garden that thrives with little intervention. It also does a lot to support your local ecosystem. Native plants are well adapted to your region’s conditions, so they thrive without a lot of care. They require less watering, fertilizer, and pest control than non-native species.

Beyond their tough constitution, native wildflowers play an important role in the life cycles of insects and animals. They provide nectar and pollen to beneficial insects, and seeds for birds and small mammals.

Planting native plants helps to restore your space to a healthy habitat for native wildlife. They reflect the beauty of the region, and give gardeners a chance to connect with the environment. Here are some wonderful wildflowers that are native to the Pacific Northwest.

Nodding Onion

This plant produces star-shaped pink flowers that bees love for their sweet nectar.

Nodding onion is a lovely and graceful wildflower that adds delicate beauty to Pacific Northwest gardens. It prefers well-draining soil and can handle both sunny and partially shaded locations. At one to two feet tall, nodding onion is native to much of western North America, including the Pacific Northwest.

This charming bulb has slender, grass-like foliage and produces distinctive nodding clusters of small pink to white flowers in mid to late summer. The drooping flower heads give this plant its common name. Bees and butterflies adore these blooms, making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens.

Western Columbine

Bees find steady nectar in their long bloom.

Western columbine is a stunning native wildflower that thrives in the cool, moist conditions of Pacific Northwest forests and meadows. It prefers shade to partial shade and rich, well-draining soil. At two to four feet tall, this columbine species is perfectly adapted to the region’s climate.

The plant has delicate, divided foliage and produces spectacular red and yellow spurred flowers from late spring through summer. The distinctive flowers face downward and have long spurs that make nectar accessible to hummingbirds. Butterflies will feed on them too, making this an essential plant for wildlife gardens.

Trillium

Delicate blooms appear before tall trees leaf out.

These sweet native wildflowers for the Pacific Northwest thrive in partially shaded, woodland conditions. They are spring ephemerals, so they bloom and fade before the canopy leafs out. You’ll find them in the wild carpeting moist, rich forest floors. 

Trilliums signal ecological health in their environment. They reproduce slowly and require stable conditions. They are sensitive to disturbance, so it’s best to plant them in spaces that don’t receive much traffic.

Common Camas

Their blossoms attract native pollinators.

Common camas is a spectacular native bulb that creates stunning displays in Pacific Northwest meadows and prairies. This resilient wildflower is perfectly adapted to the region’s wet winters and dry summers. It’s flexible about soil conditions but thrives in areas that are moist in spring and can dry out in summer.

The tall spikes of blue to purple flowers appear in late spring to early summer, creating breathtaking drifts in natural settings. Camas was historically important to indigenous peoples of the region. Today, it provides excellent value to pollinators and adds authentic Pacific Northwest character to gardens.

Scarlet Bee Balm

Bold summer blooms attract life to gardens.

Scarlet bee balm brings brilliant color to Pacific Northwest native wildflower gardens. It’s loved for its bold whorls of bright red blooms that appear in mid to late summer. This member of the mint family performs best in moist, fertile soils and is well-suited to the Pacific Northwest’s climate.

The best location for bee balm is one that is partly sunny to sunny, with good airflow to prevent powdery mildew. The striking scarlet blooms are always a favorite among hummingbirds and a wide range of pollinators. Plant this where you can enjoy watching the constant parade of visitors.

Narrow-leaved Milkweed

Green stalks host caterpillars before butterflies take flight.

As a butterfly lover, I personally believe that no Pacific Northwest garden is complete without some milkweed. Narrow-leaved milkweed is well-adapted to the region’s drier summer conditions. Always make sure you’re choosing a native species to best support the monarchs and other native butterflies.

Milkweeds are the sole larval food for monarch butterflies, so they play an important role in pollinator gardens. This species produces clusters of small white to pale pink flowers and has narrow, linear leaves. Once established, these wildflowers need little care or attention and can handle summer drought. Keep an eye out for caterpillars!

Douglas Asters

Strong stalks carry clusters of dazzling late blooms.

Douglas asters are wonderful native wildflowers that light up Pacific Northwest landscapes in autumn. These hardy plants produce masses of small white to pale purple flowers that cover the plant from late summer into fall. They’re perfectly adapted to the region’s climate and growing conditions.

Their late bloom time is what makes Douglas asters extra special. They provide crucial nectar when few other plants are flowering, supporting pollinators preparing for winter. If you love butterflies, this is a major butterfly magnet during migration season.

Blanketflower

Grows large red-and-yellow blooms that attract butterflies, bees, and seed-eating birds.

Blanketflower brings cheerful color to Pacific Northwest gardens with its bright daisy-like blooms in shades of red, orange, and yellow. This hardy wildflower is drought-tolerant once established and thrives in well-draining soils. It’s perfect for sunny, drier spots in the garden.

The colorful flowers bloom from early summer well into fall, providing a long season of nectar for bees and butterflies. Blanketflower is exceptionally low-maintenance and will self-sow readily if you allow it. The spent flowers also provide seeds for birds in fall and winter.

Common Evening Primrose

Early blooming primroses are perfect for borders and containers.

Common evening primrose is a fascinating wildflower that opens its bright yellow flowers in the evening. This biennial plant is perfectly adapted to disturbed soils and can be found growing in fields and along roadsides throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The flowers open dramatically at dusk and remain open through the night, attracting night-flying pollinators like moths. By morning, the flowers begin to fade, making this plant particularly magical to observe. It’s drought-tolerant and highly adaptable, requiring virtually no care once established.

Western Canada Goldenrod

Golden panicles brighten late gardens for hungry pollinators.

Western Canada goldenrod is a spectacular native plant that produces large plumes of golden flowers in late summer and fall. This Pacific Northwest native is perfectly adapted to the region’s conditions and provides crucial late-season nectar when many other flowers have faded.

I find that goldenrod is most appealing to bumblebees, which are my favorite. But I see many honeybees and native solitary bees visiting it as well. It’s drought-tolerant and highly adaptable, and naturalizes easily in appropriate conditions.

Globe Gilia

Blue thimble flowers fill meadows and roadsides with light blue-violet blooms that attract pollinators.

Globe gilia is a charming annual wildflower native to the Pacific Northwest. It produces distinctive spherical clusters of small blue flowers that appear to float above delicate, finely divided foliage. This plant thrives in well-draining soils and full sun conditions.

The unique globe-shaped flower heads make this plant a standout in wildflower meadows and naturalized areas. It blooms from late spring through summer and is particularly attractive to small native bees and beneficial insects. Globe gilia readily self-sows, creating beautiful drifts over time.

Lewis Flax

The rare blue flowers of Prairie Flax attract bees with their ultraviolet visibility.

If you want truly beautiful and ecologically friendly wildflowers for your Pacific Northwest garden, Lewis flax is fantastic. This delicate plant is excellent for pollinators and perfectly adapted to the region’s dry summer conditions. It blooms from late spring through summer and is a favorite of native bees and butterflies.

While this plant prefers well-draining soils, it’s highly adaptable to Pacific Northwest gardens. It grows one to three feet tall and produces masses of delicate, sky-blue flowers with five petals each. The graceful appearance and long blooming season make it an invaluable addition to any wildlife garden.