Why choose native plants? Pacific Northwest native plants know how to live here and how to thrive here. They often need much less water and less fertilizer. They spread slowly and are not invasive. They support a wide diversity of wildlife. And best of all, they look great!
Western serviceberry, also known as saskatoon, is a silver-barked large shrub or multi-stemmed small tree that is beloved equally by gardeners and wildlife. Each spring, it becomes covered with fragrant, white, one-inch flowers that supply food for native bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. By summer, these flowers transform into edible reddish berries that eventually turn black when ripe. The berries are delicious, good for jellies, and high in vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and iron – but good luck getting any because they are adored by robins, chickadees, tanagers, and waxwings! Its attractive bluish-green leaves also provide food for many types of butterfly larvae and, in sunnier sites, they will reward you with autumn colors. Grows 4-12 inches tall. Blooms March – August. Full to partial sun in moist-to-seasonally-wet soil. Needs less water once established. Image courtesy of Sparrowhawk Native Plants.
