Euonymus occidentalis - Western WahooEuonymus occidentalis is an uncommon native shrub west of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington. It also occurs in Northern California and on Vancouver Island, BC. It occurs in moist woodlands usually near water, however, it can handle some drought when planted in more shade. Deciduous leaves are elliptical in shape and medium green. Small 1 4 strange but interesting burgundy red flowers appear in spring and sometimes a reddish orange fruit appears.

bees and butterflies

USDA Zone: 6b-11

It has cute little white flowers in the spring and the leaves of this mint relative can be used to make a refreshing tea

Known for its exceptional drought tolerance

Penstemon euglaucus performs best with good drainage and appreciates a bit of afternoon shade in particularly hot areas

or a small farm patch

While not as showy in the garden as our other native honeysuckle vine Orange Honeysuckle (Lonicera Ciliosa) it has some advantages in that its semi-evergreen foliage that turns purple in cold weather adds winter interest and it tends to perform better it hot sunny locations without supplemental water

This isn’t your typical mow-and-blow approach

attracting a wide variety of native bees and serving as a host plant for multiple butterfly species

USDA Zone: 5a-10b

In the wild it is often growing on rock outcroppings where soil is shallow

Size: 6-8’ tall x 8-12’ wide