Ask the Master Gardener — Landscaping with native plants | Community

A native plant is one that grows wild in a local region. Our local region is called the “Puget Trough,” which lies between the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountains and includes Mount Vernon and Burlington.

Before European settlers arrived, coniferous forests dominated the region, and even today, tall Douglas firs dot the urbanized landscape. For the purposes of this article, however, all native plants in Washington will be considered native.

The key to success in choosing native plants for landscaping is matching the plants to the site — the closer the…