Quick answer: 23 native plants for shade are native to Washington, 14 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
23 species
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bog Labrador tea Ledum groenlandicum · 11 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Bunchberry Cornus canadensis · 18 states
- California bay laurel Umbellularia californica · 3 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Crevice alumroot Heuchera micrantha · 4 states
- Douglas iris Iris douglasiana · 3 states
- Farewell-to-spring Clarkia amoena · 4 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Henderson's shooting star Dodecatheon hendersonii · 3 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Pacific trillium Trillium ovatum · 3 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Tall Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium · 3 states
- Vine maple Acer circinatum · 3 states
- Western azalea Rhododendron occidentale · 3 states
Native plants for shade in Washington: what to know
23 of the 78 plants native to Washington in this directory fit this need: 29% of the state's list, well below the 47% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 14 are also good for pollinators, 12 are also good for birds, 8 are also drought-tolerant.
9 of them grow in full or partial sun and 23 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bog laurel and Creeping Oregon grape to trees such as Bearberry and California bay laurel. For wildlife, 14 support pollinators, 12 provide food or cover for birds and 7 are caterpillar host plants.
14 of the 23 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Harebell: common listings for it are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun