Published in the News-Review August 29, 2025

By: Julie Burchstead

“A Pearl of a Native”

Question: As this gardening season winds down, I am thinking about next year. Is there one native plant I could add to my garden that attracts a wide variety of pollinators?

Answer: In my Roseburg garden, Anaphalis margaritacea, commonly known as Pearly Everlasting, has proven itself to be an often overlooked high performer in attracting pollinators across a long blooming season.

As August gardens grow tired (along with their weary caretakers), we often look forward to the slowing growth of fall and dormancy of winter. It is a time of reflection, savoring moments, and planning for our garden’s future.

Some of my favorite moments included watching bumblebees roll in delight in the cups of California poppies, the joy of discovering the first tiny new pears on my espalier (alas soon followed by the despair of accidentally having pruned them off), and watching the diverse and peaceful colony of pollinators abuzz in my stand of native pearly everlasting. 

Pearly everlasting is not a delicate or showy plant, but it has presence. The blooms look rather like clusters of miniature strawflowers. In the wild, it handles pretty harsh conditions, but when I have observed it there, it is a diminutive, easy to overlook plant. In the home garden however, it flourishes – reaching nearly 4 feet in the clay soil of my garden. It has long narrow leaves, sturdy stems (though at a height that can appreciate staking), and small white flowers with yellow centers that turn dark with age. 

Pearly everlasting is on many of the recommended native plant lists put out by the OSU Extension, including the top ten tested in their Garden Ecology Lab. I have most of the top ten plants for pollinators in my yard. But I have to say, the stand of Anaphalis margaritacea is what is always continuously abuzz. It has a longer bloom time than Farewell to Spring and yarrow – though the season for all three can be extended with dead-heading. But for months now, and as other flowers have faded, the pearly everlasting has been alive with honeybees, non-aggressive pollinator wasps, syrphid flies, and an assortment of native bees.

Like its name suggests, cut stems of pearly everlasting flowers can be dried for winter wreaths and bouquets just like lavender, baby’s breath, or statice. I tie the stems and hang them upside down until they are completely dry to prevent the blossom ends from drooping. 

If you have concerns about pearly everlasting spreading, you can simply dead-head the blooms before they go to seed. I prune and dry most of mine, so it has been polite in my garden over the past several years. 

Like all natives, new plantings will need some water for the first several years until they are established. A perennial, pearly everlasting will return year after year. It prefers full sun, but on a hot summer afternoon, it can look a bit wilty, but it recovers quickly with minimal water. I have mine in a planting with hollyhocks and salvia, and it looks lovely.

Pearly everlasting provides nectar, and is also a host for the caterpillars of native butterflies. This spring, Oregon experienced an alarming 47% drop in migrating birds. Though we do not yet understand all the whys, we know insect numbers are also in decline. The more plants we can include in our gardens that support the fat-rich caterpillars birds rely on to raise their young successfully, the better. According to scientists, it can take 6,000-9,000 caterpillars to raise a single clutch of chickadees to maturity. The more caterpillars, the more to support birds, and also the more caterpillars that will survive to mature into pollinators.

If you are thinking of adding a native plant to your garden next year, pearly everlasting should be a strong contender. But as you consider, perhaps while you wearily drag the hose around yet another time in the August heat, take a moment as well to recall those special moments your garden filled you with delight.

Do you have a gardening or insect question? Contact the Douglas County Master Gardeners at douglasmg@oregonstate.edu or 541-672-4461 or visit 1134 SE Douglas Ave., Roseburg. Douglas County Master Gardeners are trained volunteers who help the OSU Extension Service serve the people of Douglas County.