Osmanthus × burkwoodii

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Osmanthus × burkwoodii
Common Name: Burkwood Osmanthus
Family: Oleaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen shrub
Habit: Bushy shrub
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 8'
Leaves: Opposite, ovate to ovate-elliptic, tip narrow acute, base rounded to wedge-shaped (cuntate), margin slightly toothed, glossy, bright green.
Flowers: White, small, short tubular, 4-lobed, fragrant, similar to those of O. delavayi, cover the plant in spring.
Fruit: Seldomed produced, blue to purple, small, oval.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun to part shade.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Good hedge. Mixed shrub border.
Additional Information: Easy to grow. A hybrid between O. delavayi and O. decorus produced in England before 1928. Osmanthus: from Greek osme, fragrance, and anthos, flowers. burkwoodii: after Burkwood and Shipwith nursery in England, the raisers.

Osmanthus delavayi

Botanical Name: Osmanthus delavayi
Common Name: Delavay Osmanthus
Family: Oleaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen shrub
Habit: Shrub with twiggy growth, well covered by foliage, neat, with graceful arching branches.
Growth Rate: 
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 6' - 8'
Leaves: Opposite, simple, ovate, small, finely toothed, glossy dark green.
Flowers: White, numerous, small, 4 reflexed lobes, fragrant.
Fruit: Blue-black mature fruit.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or shade.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: 
Additional Information: Native to western and southwestern China. Osmanthus: from Greek osme, fragrance, and anthos, flowers. delavayi: after Abbè Jean Marie Delavay (1838-95), French missionary in China who introduced it to France in 1890.

Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’
Common Name: Burning Bush; Winged Euonymus
Family: Celastraceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous shrub
Habit: Dense, rounded form, formal "aristocratic" look, flat-topped.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 8' - 10'
Leaves: Opposite to sub-opposite, elliptic to obovate, acute, finely serrate, acuminate. Bright red fall color.
Flowers: Perfect, yellow-green, 3-flowered cyme, each flower 4-petaled. April-May.
Fruit: Reddish-purple, ovoid, fruits borne under foliage.
Buds/New Growth: Imbricate, green-red-brown, 6 to 8 pairs of bud scales, conical, ovoid, acute, glabrous, strongly divergent, actually bringing the continuous wing.
Stem/Bark: Stem green to brown with 2- to 4-armed, prominent corky ridges. Generally the more vigorous shoots have the biggest wings.
Culture: Sun to part shade
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Mixed shrub border, summer hedge, focal point (especially in fall)
Additional Information: alatus: winged, the shoots.

Skimmia japonica

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Skimmia japonica
Common Name: Japanese Skimmia
Family: Rutaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen shrub
Habit: Dense, rounded to haystack-shaped, evergreen shrub of rather gentle proportions.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 2' - 3'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, evergreen, crowded at end of branches and appearing whorled, elliptic-oblong to oblong-obovate, bright green upon emerging, finally dark green above, entire, glabrous, peppery citrus smell when bruised. Petiole short, glabrous, reddish purple.
Flowers: Dioecious. Glossy maroon-red in bud, creamy white when open, weakly fragrant, borne in 2-3" long upright panicles. March-April. Flowers on male plants larger and more fragrant.
Fruit: Only on female plant, bright red, globose drupe that ripens in October and persists into the following spring. Fruit is borne at end of shoots in panicles. About 1 male to 6 males is necessary for good fruit set.
Buds/New Growth: Imbricate, covered in with red scales, glabrous.
Stem/Bark: Stem stout, green with an overcast of reddish purple, glabrous, spicy fragrant when bruised. Pith: ample, excavated, green.
Culture: Part shade to shade.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: Skimmia mites.
Landscape Uses: Shade garden.
Additional Information: 

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Sungold'

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Sungold'
Common Name: Sungold False Cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Loose, open shrub with numerous branchlets in slender feathery sprays.
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 3' - 5'
Leaves: Scale-like, golden color, thread-like branchlets, sharp pointed. White markings on underside.
Flowers: Monoecious. Insignificant.
Fruit: Cones look like shriveled peas. Crowded, short-stalked.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Thread-like branchlets. Bark is rather smooth, reddish brown.
Culture: Full sun
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Foundation plant, rock garden, specimen, somewhere that needs color.
Additional Information: 

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis'

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis'
Common Name: Slender Hinoki False Cypress
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Has a sculpted look, with cup-like and blunt branchlets.
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 12' - 20'
Leaves: Closely pressed, scale-like, white X and Y markings on underside, cupped branchlets. Dieback on inside in winter.
Flowers: Monecious. Insignificant.
Fruit: Soccer ball cones, short-stalked.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Reddish brown, shed in long narrow strips.
Culture: Full sun.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Woodland edge, alpine garden, specimen, foundation plant, line softener.
Additional Information: obtusa: blunt, the leaves

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula'

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula'
Common Name: Weeping Alaska Cedar
Family: Cupressaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen conifer
Habit: Upright, weepy, "wizard sleeves"
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: > 10'
Mature Height: 30' - 45'
Leaves: Closely pressed, same color on both sides, scale-like, feather-like leaflet, usually not glandular, gray-green to bluish green, rank-smelling when crushed.
Flowers: Monecious. April-May
Fruit: Male: creamy white tips. Female: Round and woody. Cones are like soccer balls: globose, with 4 (6) scales furnished with a triangular pointed boss, ripen in second year.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Branches usually pendulous. Reddish brown bark.
Culture: Full sun.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Specimen, focal point, screen, woodland edge, native area.
Additional Information: 

Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora'

Botanical Name: Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora'
Common Name: Japanese Kerria
Family: Rosaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous shrub
Habit: Arching, lanky, suckers profusely
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 6-8'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, double serrated, pleated, olive green, impressed veins.
Flowers: Double, bright yellow flowers that are ball-shaped.
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: Imbricate, greenish brown, glabrous, zig-zag stem
Stem/Bark: Distinct yellowish green to bright green in winter.
Culture: Full shade to full sun, but works best in part shade.
Pruning: After flowering.
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Woodland edge, mixed shrub border.
Additional Information: Can be invasive.

Pyrus calleryana

Botanical Name: Pyrus calleryana
Common Name: Callery Pear
Family:Rosaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Fastigiated
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 10', > 20'
Mature Height: 30-40'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, leathery, and lustrous lime green. Foliage can develop a spectacular reddish-purple in fall.
Flowers: White, borne in cymes, 5 petals. March-April.
Fruit: Small rounded pome. 1/2" or less across, russet-dotted, hidden by foliage. Marble-sized, drag olive green.
Buds/New Growth: Shaggy, imbricate, terminal buds.
Stem/Bark: Trunk bark is slightly furrowed and grayish brown at maturity. Lenticels. Thorns. Lots of spurs.
Culture: Sun.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Good street tree.
Additional Information: 

Prunus cerasifera 'Thundercloud'

Botanical Name: Prunus cerasifera 'Thundercloud'
Common Name: Thundercloud Plum
Family: Rosaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous tree
Habit: Shrubby, twiggy, rounded
Growth Rate:  fast
10-Year Height: > 10'
Mature Height: 20-30'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, ovate, elliptic or obovate, apex pointed, coppery purple, serrated margins.
Flowers: Single, pink, flowers before leaves, fragrant, perfect, solitary. 5 petals. March-April
Fruit: Edible. Size of ping-pong ball.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: No lenticels. Charcoal black bark.
Culture: Sun.
Pruning: After flowering to keep tree vigorous. In February and June, prune watersprouts.
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Accent tree. Street tree.
Additional Information: Short-lived: 40-60 years.

Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice'

Botanical Name: Daphne x transatlantica 'Summer Ice'
Common Name: Summer Ice Hybrid Daphne
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen (in PNW) shrub
Habit: Rounded, shrubby
Growth Rate: medium
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 3-4'
Leaves: Alternate, white margins. Smaller, thinner, less rubbery than D. odora. Pubescent on underside. Rounded apex.
Flowers: Soft, pink flowers with light fragrance. May-June
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: Leaf scars
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Full sun
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Mixed shrub border, foundation plant, somewhere the fragrance can be appreciated.
Additional Information: Sap may irritate skin. All parts of plant are toxic if ingested.

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'

Botanical Name: Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'
Common Name: Fragrant Winter Daphne
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen shrub
Habit: Mounded shrub, densely branched in sun, less so in shade
Growth Rate: slow
10-Year Height: < 6'
Mature Height: 4-6'
Leaves: Simple, alternate, crowded at ends of branches, oblongish to elliptic, narrowed at both ends but bluntly pointed, thick and glossy green. Unique waxy feel. Yellow margins.
Flowers: Reddish purple on the outside and lighter (nearly white) within. Fragrant. Funnel-shaped, 4-lobed. February-March.
Fruit: 
Buds/New Growth: Leaf scars are prominent.
Stem/Bark: Rubbery stem and feel.
Culture: Sun (best in morning sun, partial shade). Well-drained sandy soil. Doesn't like transplanting.
Pruning: Right after flowering. Can prune on bare wood.
Pests/Diseases: Cold sensitive 
Landscape Uses: Foundation plant by a door. Containers.
Additional Information: Poisonous to humans

Chaenomeles speciosa

Botanical Name: Chaenomeles speciosa
Common Name: Flowering Quince
Family: Rosaceae
Type of Plant: Deciduous shrub
Habit: Rounded outline, sometimes erect, tangled and twiggy mass, thorn branches
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: < 6, < 10
Mature Height: 6-10'
Leaves: Alternate, simple, ovate to oblong, sharply serrate, lustrous dark green above, stipules large on current season's growth. Glabrous. Reddish margins on leaves/stipules when it's hot.
Flowers: Red, pink to white. Start to appear before leaves in spring, solitary or 2-4 per cluster, showy. Five-petaled. Perfect. Lots of stamens. February-March.
Fruit: Pome, apple-shaped. Yellowish green often with a reddish blush, fragrant, speckled with small dots (glands), ripening in October. Fruits are bitter when eaten raw, but used for preserves and jellies when cooked.
Buds/New Growth: Bulbous flower buds similar to C. japonica, usually larger.
Stem/Bark: Slender, brownish, often slightly pubescent, zig-zag stem. Thorns are long and sharp.
Culture: Sun (best for flowering) to part shade. Easy to grow. Adaptable to many soil conditions. Does well in dry situations.
Pruning: Cut big canes to the ground to open it up.
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Mixed shrub border. Flower arrangements. Hedge (good barrier). Good shelter for birds.
Additional Information: 

Acer glabrum

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Acer glabrum
Common Name: Douglas Maple; Rocky Mountain Maple
Family: Aceraceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous tree
Habit: Often multi-stemmed, upright
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6
Mature Height: 30 feet
Leaves: Opposite, simple, 3-5 lobes (occasionally divided into 3 leaflets, more common in moist areas), coarsely double toothed, green above, blue-green below. Petiole long, slender, often red. Fall color yellow.
Flowers: Dioecious. Yellowish green, with 5 petals. April-May.
Fruit: Wings nearly parallel.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun to part shade. Found along streams and other moist sites.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native planting. Erosion control.
Additional Information: 

Arbutus menziesii

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Arbutus menziesii
Common Name: Pacific Madrone; Madrona
Family: Ericaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen tree
Habit:
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: < 10
Mature Height: 20 - 60 feet
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oval, broad, thick and leathery, base subcordate to broad-cuneate, apex obtuse or somewhat acute, margin entire, lustrous dark green above
Flowers: White, urn-shaped, honey-like fragrance. April-May
Fruit: Ellipsoid or obovoid, orange-red. Edible fruit. Seeds ripen in October.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Mature bark reddish brown, exfoliating, bark on stems smooth and reddish
Culture: Sun to dappled shade
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native planting. Sunny edge. Lawn specimen.
Additional Information: Messy tree, sheds leaves and bark irregularly. But it's still a lovely tree. The inner bark was sometimes used by native North Americans to make dresses. A brown dye can be obtained from the bark (doesn't need a mordant). The bark is a rich source of tannin, which has been used medicinally and also as a preservative on wood, ropes, etc. The wood is very hard, durable in water, close grained, heavy, and does not split when it dries, making it good for carving and furniture. Also produces a fine grade of charcoal.

Aucuba japonica

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Aucuba japonica
Common Name: Japanese Aucuba; Japanese Laurel
Family: Cornaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen shrub
Habit: Densely upright-rounded to rounded, forming a thicket of arching branches, tidy and neat in appearance
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6
Mature Height: 6 - 10 feet
Leaves: Opposite, simple, leathery, apex acute to acuminate, base broad wedge-shaped, margin entire to coarsely dentate toward the apex, lustrous dark green above and lighter below
Flowers: Dioecious (male and female plant). Purple, male in upright terminal clusters, female flowers axillary. June-July
Fruit: Red fruit
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Shade
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Hedge. Screen. Background. Tubs, planters and containers for patios and terraces. Window boxes.
Additional Information: 

Alnus rubra

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Alnus rubra
Common Name: Red Alder
Family: Betulaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous tree
Habit: In the open, has a broadly conical shape with spreading branches. In the forest, has a straight trunk visible to a narrow, rounded crown.
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 20
Mature Height: 50 feet
Leaves: Alternate, simple, oval to rhombic, tapered from the middle to both ends, 8-15 vein-pairs, dull dark green above, grayish and pubescent on veins below, margin coarsely toothed, rolled under (revolute)
Flowers: Male (pollen) catkins in small clusters at stem tips. Female flower catkins visible in winter in small clusters below male catkins
Fruit: Mature seed catkins (cones) barrel-shaped
Buds/New Growth: Twigs triangular or rounded in cross section, buds stalked, 2-3 pubescent scales
Stem/Bark: Smooth, light gray, but usually almost white with lichens.
Culture: Sun. Tolerates infertile soil because it forms an association with a small soil bacteria, Frankia, resulting in root nodules that transform the tree into a nitrogen fixer. Likes moist soil.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: In the landscape, red alder is a favored host for tent caterpillars.
Landscape Uses: Fill in gaps in the landscape where soil is too wet for other plants. To harvest its awesome nitrogen-rich wood and leaves. To add nitrogen to the soil. Dividers along property lines. Erosion control. Firewood and smoking chips.
Additional Information: 

Acer circinatum

Source: www.nwplants.com

Botanical Name: Acer circinatum
Common Name: Vine Maple
Family: Aceraceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf deciduous tree
Habit: Multi-stemmed, shrubby, spreading, sprawling and vine-like in forest shade but bushy and dense in sun. Can bend over easily, which can sometimes cause the top of the tree to grow into the ground and send out a new root system, creating a natural arch.
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 10
Mature Height: 16 - 26'
Leaves: Opposite, simple, almost circular in outline, heart-shaped at base, (5)7 to 9(11) lobed, lobes unequal or doubly toothed.  In sun develops red, orange, and yellow fall colors.
Flowers: In clusters of 3-6, perfect or staminate (male), long stalk, sepals deep red, petals greenish white, 6-10 stamens. April-May
Fruit: Wings horizontally spread, deep red at maturity.
Buds/New Growth: New growth and branchlets are a soft green while older growth becomes reddish-brown.
Stem/Bark: Bark is usually smooth, but is also sometimes finely fissured.
Culture: Sun or deep shade. Prefers moist, shady conditions, but tolerates sun.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Native plantings, shade tree. Low water requirements makes them attractive in xeriscapes.
Additional Information: 
Google images of Ace circinatum

Abies procera

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Abies procera
Common Name: Noble Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen Conifer
Habit: Symmetrically pyramidal to narrow, bark shows resin blisters on young trees
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: > 10
Mature Height: 50 - 100 feet; can get over 200 feet in the wild
Leaves: Needles, blue-green, whitish stomatal lines on both upper and lower surfaces, hockey stick shape at base, spreading in two rows, flat, grooved above, rounded or slightly notched at apex (emarginate), crowned and curved upward, more or less flat on lower branches, but conspicuously 4-sided on mid and upper branches.
Flowers: Insignificant
Fruit: Cones 14-25 cm long and 7-8 cm thick, green when young, purple-brown when ripe; bracts prominent, long pointed, reflexed so as to hide scales.
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: Twigs slender, reddish brown, and minutely pubescent the first few years.
Culture: Sun. Difficult to grow under lowland conditions unless in a cool, moist, but well drained soil.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses: Often grown as a Christmas tree.
Additional Information: 

Abelia x grandiflora ‘Edward Goucher’

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Abelia x grandiflora ‘Edward Goucher’
Common Name: Edward Goucher Glossy Abelia
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Type of Plant: Broadleaf evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub
Habit: Arching. Similar to Abelia grandiflora from which it was derived, but slightly lower growing.
Growth Rate: Medium
10-Year Height: < 6
Mature Height: 3 - 5 feet
Leaves: Leaves simple, opposite (in whorls of 3 on new shoots), ovate, surface often bumpy, entire to dentate margin, dark green; purplish in fall.
Flowers: funnel-shaped, pink or violet, with 2 persisting sepals. July-August.
Fruit:
Buds/New Growth:
Stem/Bark:
Culture: Sun (best) to part shade, acid peaty soil.  Easily grown.
Pruning:
Pests/Diseases:
Landscape Uses: Hedge
Additional Information:

Abies lasiocarpa

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Abies lasiocarpa
Common Name: Alpine Fir, Subalpine Fir, Rocky Mountain Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen Conifer
Habit: Crown narrow, dense, branches short drooping
Growth Rate: Slow
10-Year Height: < 6
Mature Height: 100 feet
Leaves: Grayish-green to light bluish-green, crowded, curving upward on upper twigs, sometimes 2-ranked, flat, stomatal lines on both surfaces
Flowers: Insignificant
Fruit: Cones erect, barrel shaped, grayish-brown, resinous
Buds/New Growth: 
Stem/Bark: 
Culture: Sun or part shade. Best if grown in a cool, moist situation in the Pacific Northwest.
Pruning: 
Pests/Diseases: 
Landscape Uses:
Additional Information: 

Abies grandis

Source: OSU Department of Horticulture

Botanical Name: Abies grandis
Common Name: Grand Fir
Family: Pinaceae
Type of Plant: Evergreen Conifer
Habit: Large, conical tree with slightly drooping branches
Growth Rate: Fast
10-Year Height: > 20
Mature Height: 100 - 200 feet
Leaves: Needles flat, spreading almost at right angles in 2 rows, crowded and turned upward on upper branches, often alternating short and long needles, apex notched, grooved, shiny and dark green above, silvery-white beneath, odor of oranges when crushed
Flowers: Insignificant
Fruit: Cones cylindrical and upright
Buds/New Growth:
Stem/Bark:
Culture: Sun or Part Shade. Adaptable with regard to soil.
Pruning:
Pests/Diseases:
Landscape Uses: Commonly grown as a Christmas tree
Additional Information: Roots deep and wide spreading.