Groundcovers & herbaceous
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PO Box 7505
Olympia WA 98507
Phone: (360) 352-4122
Fax: (360) 867-0007
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Terms defined

Current inventory may include species not on this listplease inquire.

Bleeding-heart Kinnikinnik Sword fern
Coastal strawberry Lady fern Twinflower
Common camas Oregon grape Western meadowrue
False lily-of-the-valley Pacific waterleaf Wild ginger
False Solomon's seal Piggyback plant Woodland strawberry
Fringecup Red columbine Wood-sorrel
Goat's beard Salal Yellow (evergreen) violet
Inside-out flower Starry false Solomon's seal Yellow monkey flower

Aquilegia formosa   Red columbine
Exposure: full sun to partial shade
Soil moisture: moist, well-drained okay, dry soil in shade okay
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: moderate
Form: perennial herb to 3 feet, with taproot

Red columbine grows in moist, open sites or in partial shade one the edge of woodlands. It may spread by seed, but generally doesn't compete well with invasives. It is a nectar plant for hummingbirds.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi   Kinnikinnik
Exposure: full sun to partial shade
Soil moisture: moist to dry, well-drained
Transplanting success: medium
Growth rate: slow until established
Form: evergreen shrub or groundcover to 8 inches, mat forming

Once established, kinnikinnik withstands drought and full sun exposure and does best in coarse, low-nutrient soils. It is not competitive on richer sites. It is slow to start growing, so plant densely or intermix with a fast grower if quick coverage is important. After a year or two, kinnikinnik will spread more rapidly to form mats. We often recommend this species for erosion control projects in full sun. An important food plant for wildlife. "Kinnikinnik" is the longest palindrome (a word spelled the same forwards or backwards) in the English language.

Aruncus dioicus (sylvester)   Goat's beard
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist, dry in shade okay
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: herbaceous perennial to 6 feet, short rhizomes, seperate male and female plants

Goat's beard has attributes that may serve you well on restoration sites: it transplants fine, tolerates some sun, and is much larger than most of our perennials so it's less likely to get lost or stepped on. Seeds are food for song birds.

Asarum caudatum   Wild ginger
Exposure: partial shade to deep shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: medium
Growth rate: slow
Form: evergreen perennial, mat forming, to 10 inches, from thick rhizomes and woody stem

Wild ginger requires shade and soil rich in organic matter. It may not grow noticeably for a year or so following transplanting, but once established it begins to spread moderately by rhizomes and can put on several new leaves a year. It is common under western red cedar. We consider this a species for enhancement projects, not for revegetating open sites.

Athyrium filix-femina   Lady fern
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: wet to moist
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: moderate to high
Form: deciduous fern with fronds to 6 feet, from stout rhizomes

With ample moisture, lady fern is a vigorous grower; it is common on mucky streamside terraces. With very moist soil and fall installation, it may tolerate full sun.

Camassia quamash   Common camas
Exposure: full sun to partial shade
Soil moisture: moist to dry, well-drained
Transplanting success: unknown
Growth rate: moderate
Form: herb to 25 inches, from a deep bulb

Common camas is abundant in meadows of western Washington, most typically in the prairies formed on gravelly glacial soils. For best results, outplant in the fall when camas is dormant--bulbs generally don't transplant well when disturbed during the growing-season.

Dicentra formosa   Bleeding heart
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist, dry in shade okay
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: soft herbaceous perennial to 20 inches, from slender, fleshy rhizomes

Bleeding heart needs soil rich in organic matter to really shine--given moist , fluffy soil, this plant will spread rapidly. In poorer soil, bleeding heart will do reasonably well, as long as it is protected from the sun. Bleeding heart can provide food and nectar for wildlife.

Fragaria chiloensis   Coastal strawberry
Exposure: full sun to partial shade
Soil moisture: moist to dry
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: leathery, somewhat evergreen perennial to 10 inches, spreads by runners

Very successful in coarse, poor soils characteristic of the early stages of restoration. It is competitive in disturbed, weedy sites and grows vigorously through the winter following fall planting in the Puget Sound area. It generally grows on sand dunes and sea bluffs, and it is well adapted to droughty, exposed conditions. We recommend it for erosion control projects because it spreads quickly and anchors the surface layer.

Fragaria vesca   Woodland strawberry
Exposure: full sun to shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: herbaceous perennial to 12 inches, spreads by runners

Woodland strawberry will accept a fairly wide range of soil and light conditions, from dry soil in shaded areas to moist soil in the open sun. It spreads very quickly, and if the soil is rich, it will grow lushly to provide good cover and weed competition. Fruit is eaten by birds and small mammals (and humans if they're quick enough).

Gaultheria shallon   Salal
Exposure: partial shade to deep shade
Soil moisture: moist to dry
Transplanting success: medium to high if shaded, low if not
Growth rate: slow until established
Form: evergreen shrub 2-5 feet, sometimes more; very shallow and fibrous root system, spreads vigorously by underground stems once well established

Salal does not like to be transplanted. For best results, plant into shade or partial shade and add woody mulch. If planted into full sun, it will require a lot of babying to survive. Once transplanted, salal generally remains small for a few years following planting as it becomes established. When it begins its more typical, rampant growth, it may require regular pruning to maintain it as a “groundcover”. It generally grows to around three feet at maturity, except in the wettest coastal climates where it may tower overhead.

Hydrophyllum tenuipes   Pacific waterleaf
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: moderate to rapid
Form: herbaceous perennial to 30 inches, from short, thick rhizome and fleshy roots

Waterleaf is common in moist, open forests in the lowlands. We have seen it spread copiously, once established. This species must be planted in shade and will benefit from light organic mulching (not more than an inch).

Linnaea borealis   Twinflower
Exposure: partial shade to deep shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: low to medium
Growth rate: moderate
Form: semi-woody evergreen to 4 inches with long, leafy runners

We have found twinflower somewhat difficult to transplant successfully--it may rot if too wet or get crispy if too dry. Twinflower does well in shaded, organically rich habitats, free of invasives. It does not compete well with weeds.

Mahonia (Berberis) nervosa   Low Oregon grape
Exposure: shade
Soil moisture: moist to dry
Transplanting success: medium
Growth rate: slow
Form: evergreen shrub to 2 feet; taproot, spreads by underground stems

The common names "long-leafed", "low", and "dull" all apply to this one species of Oregon grape! Its needs are very different from tall Oregon grape. It requires shade to survive transplanting, and on drier or nutrient-poor soils, we advise an organic mulch such as wood chips. We have found this species difficult to establish except as an understory planting.

Maianthemum dilatatum   False lily-of-the-valley
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist, dry in shade okay
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: herbaceous perennial (somewhat evergreen) to 12 inches, from slender, branching rhizomes

False lily-of-the-valley does not like being in a pot, but once released into the soil, it spreads abundantly. For best results, with this species and many other native perennials, plant in at least partial shade and top-dress lightly with organic mulch.

Mimulus guttatus   Yellow monkey-flower
Exposure: full sun to partial shade
Soil moisture: wet, well-drained okay
Transplanting success: medium
Growth rate: moderate
Form: herbaceous perennial or annual to 30 inches, from creeping stolons and rhizomes

This species is found along streams, in wet meadow, seeps, and other wet places. It does not require rich soil, but does need a steady supply of moisture. It spreads well by seed.

Oxalis oregana   Wood sorrel
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist to dry
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: herbaceous perennial to 6 inches, from rhizomes

Wood sorrel spreads very well once established. It will tolerate fairly dry soil if planted in the shade. It is one of our most robust groundcovers, but still has trouble in open, weedy sites.

Polystichum munitum   Sword fern
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist to dry
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: moderate
Form: evergreen fern with fronds to 5 feet, woody rhizomes

We often see sword fern planted in full sun, but transplants usually don’t survive in the open unless there is ample soil moisture. However, with suitable conditions this plant will thrive with little or no care after planting; it is highly successful when planted in partial or full shade and mulched. Sword fern is also tough and competitive against invasive species once established.

Smilacina (Maianthemum) racemosa   False Solomon's seal
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: medium
Growth rate: moderate
Form: herbaceous perennial to 3 feet, from stout rhizomes

False Solomon's seal is found in moist forests and on stream banks in mature soils. Unless it will be receiving irrigation, transplant at the end of the growing season, in September through November. We consider false Solomon's seal and other lilies for enhancement projects, rather than for revegetating open sites.

Smilacina (Maianthemum) stellata   Starry false Solomon's seal
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: medium
Growth rate: moderate
Form: herbaceous perennial to 20 inches, from thin rhizomes

Starry false Solomon's seal grows in similar habitats to false Solomon's seal, sometimes in slightly drier (or better-drained) substrates. For best results, transplant in the fall or provide irrigation and put into rich soil.

Tellima grandiflora   Fringecup
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: moderate
Form: herbaceous perennial to 30 inches, with short rhizomes

One of our customers says that this is the toughest flowering upland herb he knows: it competes with invasive species and tolerates disturbed soil and drought. For best results in full sun, provide an inch of mulch and some irrigation. This species transplants well and spreads well from seed.

Thalictrum occidentale   Western meadowrue
Exposure: full sun to shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: herbaceous perennial to 2 feet, from fleshy rhizomes, separate male and female plants

Our native meadowrue grows and spreads vigorously in fluffy, rich soil, but it also will tolerate less ideal soil as long as some moisture and an inch of mulch are available through the summer.

Tolmiea menziesii   Piggyback plant
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist to wet
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: rapid
Form: herbaceous perennial to 30 inches, well-developed rhizomes

Piggyback plant is very common along streamsides, wetland edges, and moist forests. It requires plentiful moisture and some shade. Given these conditions, it can establish itself quickly and spread.

Vancouveria hexandra   Inside-out flower
Exposure: partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: high
Growth rate: moderate
Form: herbaceous perennial to 10 inches, from rhizomes

Inside-out flower spreads extensively in fertile, mature soils. We advise planting it in at least partial shade and, if soils are poor in organic matter, mulching lightly with wood chips.

Viola sempervirens   Evergreen violet
Exposure: partial shade to deep shade
Soil moisture: moist
Transplanting success: medium
Growth rate: slow
Form: evergreen perennial to 3 inches, scaly rhizomes, mat forming

Evergreen violet will tolerate fairly dry conditions in the shade. It is tricky to transplant successfully, but once it has put down roots, it will flower frequently and spread by seed.

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Page Last Updated: Friday, December 14, 2007 3:01 PM