The SJI Conservation District and Washington State University Extension collaborate to bring you an annual San Juan County Native Plant Sale.
The Native Plant Sale is an opportunity to pre-order and purchase a select few native plant species at reasonable cost to encourage conservation of our natural resources and habitat restoration.
ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT SALE is conducted on the last Saturday of February each year in one of three locations: Friday Harbor Grange, Orcas Island Grange, Lopez Island at Sunset Builders
•Please call WSU Extension at 378-4414 if you have any questions.
•Plants are 1-2 years old and are bare root or plugs sold in bundles of five plants, unless noted. Plants average
from 8” to 36” in height. Plants are conservation stock, not nursery stock and some plant loss should be expected.
These plants can be used for restoration of lost plant communities from development, erosion control, wildlife habitat development and agricultural uses such as windbreaks.
The plant stock is from the Washington Association of Conservation Districts Plant Materials Center (PMC) wholesale nursery in Bow, Washington.
The 60-acre bare-root nursery is located in Skagit County and produces over 70 species of conservation seedlings and cuttings.
2010 Native Plant Sale Order Form
For more information contact:
Kris Bayas at the WSU Extension at (360) 378-4414 or Susan Key, SJI Conservation District at (360) 378-6621
Plants must be pre-ordered by the first week of February and can be collected on Orcas, Lopez and San Juan Island at the end of February.
Plant Materials Center for Plant Information
PLANT DESCRIPTIONS
CONIFERS
DOUGLAS FIR (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Very common. Pointed needles, usually on all sides of branchlets. Buds are pointed, covered with reddish brown, overlapping scales. Cones with 3-forked bracts protruding between paperish scales, 2 - 4" long. Mature bark reddish-brown and heavily furrowed. Fastest growing evergreen, needs sunny, dry site, good windbreak or screen tree, can get over 200 ft. tall.
SHORE PINE (Pinus contorta)
Similar to lodgepole pine but shorter with tightly packed branches. Tolerant of salt spray, likes full sun & well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils. Good for bank stabilization & as windbreak, grows to 25 feet.
WESTERN RED CEDAR (Thuja plicata)
Excellent tree for damp, swampy spots. Large tree, 150 ft. tall and 6 ft. diameter.
DECIDUOUS TREES
BIGLEAF MAPLE (Acer macrophyllum)
Full sun, dry to moist sites often with Douglas fir, often on sites disturbed by fire, clearing or logging; at low to middle elevations; prefers open areas. Largest leaves of any maple. Yellow, fragrant flower clusters 4-6" long appear with leaves April to May.
BLACK COTTONWOOD (Populus balsamifera ssp trichocarpa)
Used extensively in riparian restoration projects and provides excellent soil stabilization. Large, tall tree; buds are very sticky and fragrant; old bark deeply furrowed, dark grey. Grows on low to medium elevations, moist to wet sites; forms extensive stands. Flowers are grape-like bunches of light-green capsules in May which release "cotton" in summer.
BLACK HAWTHORN (Crataegus douglasii)
Tolerates dry to moist sites, full sun to partial shade, and grows to a maximum of twenty-five feet. Makes an excellent hedgerow. Provides good wildlife habitat as a bushy tree or thicket.
CASCARA (Rhamnus purshiana)
Small native tree reaching 30'. It is best suited for shady moist areas most commonly in mixed woods, favors southern aspects with conifers or swampy bottomlands with red alder and vine maple; at low to mid elevations. Produces edible (but not incredible) dark berries in late summer. Conservation uses include wildlife habitat and streambank cover.
INDIAN-PLUM (Oemleria cerasiformis)
Shrub or small tree 3-16 ft. tall, one of the first plants to flower in the spring; bark bitter, purplish brown. Greenish-white flowers, appearing very early in the year. Grows in dry to moist, open woods, streambanks, open areas (especially roadsides); low elevations.
NATIVE CRABAPPLE (Malus fusca)
Prefers low and damp places. It is an ornamental, small scraggly tree with sharp spurs and white blossoms. Maximum height of thirty feet.
OREGON ASH (Fraxinus latifolia)
Medium sized tree; bark becomes grayish brown and fissured with age. Grows on wet soils at low elevations, often near streams or in other areas that are occasionally flooded.
PACIFIC WILLOW (Salix lucida ssp lasiandra)
This is one of our largest native willows. It grows on river banks, floodplains, lakeshores, and wet meadowns; often standing in quiet, shallow river backwaters at seal level to middle elevations.
QUAKING ASPEN (Populus tremuloides)
Likes full sun, mineral soils, and exposed sites yet will tolerate wet soil. Good firewood, wood pulp, and match stock. Maximum height of eighty feet.
RED ALDER (Alnus rubra)
Grows in moist, sunlit clearings. Leaves are egg-shaped, 3 - 6" long, have rounded teeth, dark-green above, paler with rusty hairs below. Leaf edges curl under slightly. Woody 'cones' are green, then brown. Showy male catkins hang like tassels in late March. Common west of the Cascades, grows in streams, valley bottoms and slopes with rich soil and full sun. Used in furniture making.
RED OSIER DOGWOOD (Cornus stolonifera)
Produces pretty white flowers and white berries. Good for holding soil on steep banks and for shade for fish. The attractive red bark makes it colorful all year.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAPLE (Acer glabrum)
Shrub or small tree grows to 33 ft. tall; branches opposite; young twigs reddish, older bark grayish. Leaves, typical maple-leaf shape, coarsely toothed; turning bright yellowish-orange to crimson in fall. Greenish-yellow, small flowers. Grows on dry ridges to moist but well-drained seepage sites; in the northern half of our region on the inner coast along the shoreline, rocky areas, forest edges and floodplains; usually on drier, more open sites than vine maple; low to middle elevations.
SCOULER'S WILLOW (Salix scouleriana)
Tall, spindly multi-stemmed small tree in moist, sunny areas; upland thickets, streamside areas, clearings, edges of forests and wetlands, open forests (deciduous and coniferous); at low to middle elevations. Male and female catkins ("pussy willows") occur on separate trees.
SHRUBS
BLUE ELDERBERRY (Sambucus caerulea)
Native shrub that grows from 6-20' forming cream colored flower clusters which produce edible berries throughout the summer. It grows well in all soil types; grows on dry to moist, fairly open, low-elevation sites. Conservation uses include wildlife habitat and streambank restoration.
DOUGLAS SPIREA (Spirea douglasii) Native shrub that grows to five feet tall. Fluffy pink flowers form in spring. It generally grows in clusters in wet areas with plenty of light. Provides a dense cover for wildlife.
RED-FLOWERING CURRANT (Ribes sanguineum)
Erect plant, unarmed, 3-9 ft. tall, stems crooked, bark reddish-brown. White to distinctive rose-colored flowers, form in erect to drooping clusters of 10-20 or more flowers. Grows well in dry open woods, rocky slopes, disturbed sites (e.g. roadsides, clearings); at low to middle elevations.
KINNICKINNICK (Arctostaphylos uvaursi)
Likes full sun and dry sites. This shrub is a native trailing evergreen and used for ground cover producing red berries. Maximum height is eight to ten feet.
MOCK ORANGE (Philadelphus lewisii)
Loosely branched shrub, grows to 9 ft. tall with brown bark and white, showing, fragrant flowers. Grows in a variety of different habitats, from open forests and forest edges on moist rich sites to open brush areas on dry, rocky soils; low to middle elevations. The wood is strong and hard; it never cracks or warps when properly prepared. It is most widely used for making implements among the Interior Salish.
NINEBARK (Physocarpus capitatus)
Erect to spreading shrub with small white flowers. Grows in wet, somewhat open places (streamside thickets, edges of moist woods, coastal marshed, meadows, margins of lakes and streams), occasionally on drier, shrubby sites; at low to middle elevations.
NOOTKA ROSE (Rosa nutkana)
Spindly shrub growing up to 9 ft. tall, with a pair of large prickles at the base of each leaf, other prickles usually absent except on some new growth. Large, pink flowers. Grows in a variety of generally open habitats (shorelines, meadows, thickets, streamside areas, roadsides, clearings), at low to middle elevations.
OCEAN SPRAY (Holodiscus discolor)
Grows in dry land in forested areas at lower elevations. It is a spreading shrub with creamy flowers and grows from eight to fifteen feet tall.
OREGON GRAPE -Tall (Mahonia aquifolium)
Holly-like leaves are glossy red-green that persist year round. Bright yellow flowers from May to mid-June followed by blue berries in mid-August. It grows to 6' and is shade tolerant. It provides excellent cover for small birds and animals.
RED ELDERBERRY / PACIFIC RED ELDER (Sambucus racemosa)
Five to seven opposite toothed leaves. This large shrub grows from 6 to 18 feet tall. Yellowish-white flowers bloom from May until June. It has small, smooth, red berries in July and August. Mostly found along streams and road sides. This native shrub is very similar to blue elderberry in growth and conservation uses however the berries are not edible by humans unless cooked. It grows well in all soil types. Excellent for streambank restoration and as wildlife habitat.
SALAL (Gualtheria shallon)
Salal has leathery, evergreen, oval shaped leaves. White-pink flowers are urn-shaped and blossom in late May throughout the summer. It develops edible, hairy, and dark berries in late July. Salal is a native evergreen bush that tolerates shade, grows to a maximum of six feet.
SERVICEBERRY (Amelancier alnifolia) Likes dry to moist sites. Tolerates full sun to partial shade. Serviceberry is a good food source for wildlife. Produces white flowers with red or half-black berries. Grows to a maximum height of fifteen feet.
TWINBERRY (Lonicera involucrata)
Grows in full sun to partial shade in wetland areas, especially coastal areas from sea level to mountain forests. It has yellow twin flowers with black twin berries.
VINE MAPLE (Acer circinatum)
Often grows with cluster of trunks and are often vine-like forming dense thickets. The leaves are 3 - 4" wide, with 7 - 9 short, pointed lobes and toothed edges. Loose clusters of purple-red flowers appear when leaves are half-grown in April to May. Leaves are yellow to scarlet in the fall. 'Wings' on seeds spread wide. Compact tree does well in moist, shady areas. Good wildlife cover, soil stabilization. Maximum height is thirty feet tall.
WOOD'S ROSE (Rosa woodsii)
Washington native rose with pink to red flowers growing to 5'. It prefers moist areas. Conservation uses include wildlife cover, stream bank revegetations and stabilization.
FERN
SWORD FERN (Polystichum munitum)
Large evergreen, with erect leaves forming a crown from a stout, woody, scaly rhizome. Grows well in moist forest at low to middle elevations; abundant and widespread from central Vancouver Island and adjacent mainland south, less common further north.