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| Photo Credit: Lane Greer |
| The shockingly blue flowers of azure penstemon are a welcome sight in early summer. |
When I moved to Portland two years ago, I was looking forward to taking lots of hikes and seeing wonderful native plants. And I wasn’t disappointed! There are lots of great natives here, and lots of great native plant nurseries – so you can see nature’s beauty on a morning hike and then buy them in the afternoon.
It’s too difficult to pick two or three plants as my favorites, since there’s such an abundance. Instead, I have some favorite groups. My first are the penstemons. I was so inspired by what I saw in the wild, that I’m now growing seven species in my yard. | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Lane Greer | | The nodding pink flowers of this Erythronium make the plant a real charmer. |
Penstemons are primarily dark pink, blue or purple and range in size from 4 inches to 3 feet tall. Here in the Northwest, penstemons bloom from spring through fall, depending on the variety and their elevation. Perhaps my favorite is azure penstemon (Penstemon azureus), with its electric-blue flowers. The plant grows 12-18 inches tall. Like most penstemons, P. azureus needs full sun. Many of the native penstemons have been hybridized to create types with larger flowers. I like to grow them beside each other, but they also combine well with late spring and early summer bloomers.
Another favorite group includes the Erythroniums, called dog tooth violets, trout lilies and fawn lilies. There are white ones, like Erythronium oregonum, and pink ones, like E. revolutum and E. hendersonii. They grow 12-15 inches tall and need a shady spot. Erythroniums flower early in spring and are easy to tuck into a shady spot beside bleeding hearts and pansies. After the flowers fade, their mottled foliage creates interest throughout summer.
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