Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum)

Indian Plum is one of the first native plants to flower in the Pacific Northwest, pushing out loose clusters of small, almond-scented white flowers while the rest of the winter landscape is still dormant, often as early as February. The fresh, bright green leaves that follow the flowers are among the most cheerful signs of spring in coastal Oregon woodland edges and hedgerows, and the plant is a key early food source for hummingbirds, native bees, and butterflies emerging in late winter. It grows as a suckering, multi-stemmed shrub that can reach ten to fifteen feet in favorable conditions, though it responds well to cutting back and can be managed at a smaller size.

In the garden, Indian Plum works best in naturalized settings, woodland borders, or wildlife hedgerows where its thicket-forming habit is an asset rather than a constraint. It tolerates shade and handles most soil conditions once established, making it useful under large trees where few other shrubs succeed. Female plants produce small, olive-shaped fruits in summer that ripen to dark blue-purple and are highly attractive to cedar waxwings and other fruit-eating birds. You need both a male and a female plant nearby for fruit to set. If you're building a native plant garden on the southern Oregon coast, Oemleria is one of the first plants worth including.