Red-Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees while it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 5–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Oregon · Zones 4–9
Native Pollinator Plants in Oregon
Native plants that turn a yard into a season-long buffet for bees, butterflies, and the insects that keep the food web running. Oregon sits in a landscape of Willamette Valley, Cascades & high desert, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its wet west, dry summer-dry east character. The list below — led by Red-Flowering Currant and Rocky Mountain Penstemon — is filtered to species genuinely native to Oregon and the wider flora of the Pacific Northwest and hardy through zones 4–9. A garden that feeds pollinators all season needs something in bloom from the first warm days of spring through the last of fall. Aim for at least three species flowering at any given time, plant in generous drifts of one kind rather than singletons so foragers can work efficiently, and leave seed heads and hollow stems standing over winter to shelter the next generation.
The plants
19 native species for Oregon
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 4–9 · see this collection in other states.
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
California Poppy
Eschscholzia californica
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees as it blooms Mar through Jun.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–18 in
- Blooms Mar–Jun
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and butterflies right through when it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Douglas Aster
Symphyotrichum subspicatum
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees as it blooms Aug through Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and seed-eating birds as it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees as it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it blooms Mar through May.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
California Lilac
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Mar through May.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–20 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it blooms Jun through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, native bees, and specialist bees right through when it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
A pollinator magnet — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Western Columbine
Aquilegia formosa
A reliable nectar stop — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms Apr through Jul.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jul
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, native bees, and songbirds as it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it flowers in Apr and May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia
Works hard for pollinators — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees while it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Hairy Manzanita
Arctostaphylos columbiana
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees as it blooms Mar through May.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 3–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
Nectar and pollen for the garden — it draws pollinators, butterflies, and native bees right through when it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Oregon Grape
Berberis aquifolium
Keeps pollinators fed — it draws pollinators, hummingbirds, and native bees right through when it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Sourcing
Where to find these in Oregon
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.