Plants that Need Extra Love
Some plants are hard to establish & need extra care.
But, we love them anyways.
This article addresses plants that are more difficult to establish in restoration settings. It is part of our Species Selection Guide where we share select collections of plants based on their ecosystem services, site condition needs, or material type.
Which Plants Need Extra Love?
Some of our favorite Pacific Northwest natives are difficult to establish in restoration sites. This article seeks not to dissuade you from installing these beauties in your landscape, only to better prepare you for facilitating their success!
These plants often grow abundantly in forests or on roadsides, but for various reasons don’t take well to transplanting into harsh sites. Most of these species require mature soils or shade as they settle in (also see our shade list) and are best suited for enhancement plantings.
Unless otherwise stated, all plant information comes from our Species Descriptions, where we invite you to read about more plants native to our Pacific Northwest.
Needs Extra Love Plant List
Plant lists are organized by layer. It is important to consider all layers in any project.
Tree Layer
Arbutus menziesii
Exposure: Sun to partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry and well-drained
Salinity tolerance: None
Fire tolerance: Medium
Transplanting success: Very low
Growth rate: Slow
Form: Broadleaf evergreen tree to 75 feet; deep taproot
Comments: Assume large transplanting losses; do not over-water
You can deep dive into the difficulties of transplanting Pacific madrone on our information sheet The Challenges Of Establishing Pacific Madrone!
Pacific flowering dogwood
Cornus nuttallii
Exposure: Part sun to part shade
Soil moisture: Moist to dry
Salinity tolerance: Medium
Fire tolerance: None
Transplanting success: Unknown
Growth rate: Moderate
Form: Multi-stemmed deciduous tree to 60 feet, often much shorter
Comments: Assume losses to disease. Plant at an edge with stem in shade
Data from the USDA Plant Characteristics Database and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Prunus emarginata
Exposure: Full sun to part sun
Soil moisture: Moist
Salinity tolerance: None
Fire tolerance: High
Transplanting success: Unknown
Growth rate: Moderate
Form: Small, deciduous tree or shrub
Comments: Assume losses to disease
Data from the USDA Plant Characteristics Database
Shrub Layer
Orange Honeysuckle
Lonicera ciliosa
Exposure: Full sun to shade
Soil moisture: Moist
Salinity tolerance: Unknown
Fire tolerance: Unknown
Transplanting success: Unknown
Growth rate: Unknown
Form: Deciduous vine to 20 feet
Comments: Assume transplanting losses; propagated by seeds or cuttings; super cool blue buds in the wintertime
Data from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Mahonia nervosa
Exposure: Shade
Soil moisture: Moist to dry
Salinity tolerance: None
Fire tolerance: High
Transplanting success: Medium
Growth rate: Slow
Form: Evergreen shrub to 2 feet; taproot, spreads by underground stems
Comments: Plant in shade; mulch; irrigate
Ribes sanguineum
Exposure: Sun to part shade
Soil moisture: Dry
Salinity tolerance: None
Fire tolerance: Medium
Transplanting success: Medium
Growth rate: Moderate
Form: Deciduous shrub to 10 feet; branching root system
Comments: Plant only in well drained soils; don't over water
Rhododendron macrophyllum
Exposure: Partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: Moderately moist to dry
Salinity tolerance: None
Fire tolerance: Medium
Transplanting success: Low to medium
Growth rate: Slow
Form: Evergreen shrub to 20 feet; fibrous, massive, and shallow roots
Comments: Mulch; shade; irrigate; be patient for it to grow
Vaccinium parvifolium
Exposure: Shade to deep shade
Soil moisture: Moist to dry
Salinity tolerance: None
Fire tolerance: High
Transplanting success: Low to medium
Growth rate: Slow until established
Form: Deciduous shrub to 12 feet; deep and spreading, woody roots
Comments: Plant in shade; mulch with wood chips; irrigate but don't over-water
You can deep dive into our PNW Hucks on our blog post Huckleberries as Specimen Shrub Candy for your Eyes and Tongue!
Floor Layer
Cornus unalaschkensis
Exposure: Partial shade to shade
Soil moisture: Moist
Salinity tolerance: None
Fire tolerance: High
Transplanting success: Moderate
Growth rate: Slow until established
Form: Soft herbaceous perennial to 10 inches, from slender, fleshy rhizomes
Comments: Incorporate composted wood into soil; plant in cool, shaded spot
You can deep dive into Bunchberry on our Plant of the Month Archive post!
Linnaea borealis
Exposure: Partial shade to deep shade
Soil moisture: Moist
Salinity tolerance: Unknown
Fire tolerance: Unknown
Transplanting success: Low to medium
Growth rate: Moderate
Form: Semi-woody evergreen to 4 inches with long, leafy runners (stolons)
Comments: Plant in dry shade, mulch lightly
