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Lobelia cardinalis

Cardinal Flower is one of the most attractive native wildflowers in New Jersey. The showy, scarlet-red flowers are a hummingbird magnet, blooming July through September and offering a late summer nectar source. Cardinal Flower requires moist-wet, humus-rich soil to ensure optimum growth. It prefers partly shady areas, but it can tolerate full shade. Enhance your yard’s perennial border, butterfly garden, rain garden, or moist woodland edge with this gorgeous native!

Liriodendron tulipifera

Tuliptree is a large, fast-growing, flowering, wildlife-friendly deciduous tree. Yellow-and-orange bicolor flowers blooming May-June are valued by bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Flowers lead to ornamental, cone-shaped fruits bearing numerous winged seeds. Large, tulip-shaped leaves give this tree its common name. It is favored by wildlife for nest sites, cover, and food. Tuliptree is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Tuliptree Silkmoth (Callosamia angulifera) and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus). Use it as a specimen tree or shade tree for your large yard or landscape.

Liatris spicata

Dense Blazing Star is a tall, native perennial. Spikes of fluffy, purple flowers on rigid stalks bloom from the top down July-August. While this plant prefers moist fertile soil, it will tolerate poor, dry soil. Dense Blazing Star is a valuable food plant for native bees and bumblebees. Plant in masses or as vertical accents in borders.

Liatris scariosa

Eastern Blazing Star is a tall, upright perennial. Rose, lavender, or white feathery flowers open from top to bottom from August-October, and make excellent cut or dried flowers. Eastern Blazing Star is a valuable nectar plant for native bees and bumblebees. It does well in dry soils or rocky soils. Use it in borders, meadows, and naturalized areas, and as vertical accent plants.

Itea virginica

Sweetspire has long tassels of fragrant, small white flowers, which bloom in early summer. Its leaves turn attractive shades of red to purple in the fall. Use in mass plantings in shrub borders or woodland gardens. Good plant for wet locations, such as rain gardens, or along edges of ponds or other water features.

Iris versicolor

Blue Flag is a native iris with attractive sword-shaped, blue-green leaves. Bluish-purple flowers with yellow markings bloom on tall, sturdy stalks, May-June. Blue Flag spreads by rhizomes (underground stems); the rhizomes can sometimes cause minor skin irritation when touched. It will tolerate a couple of inches of shallow standing water. Use in mass plantings in wet areas; good choice for rain gardens, water gardens, or pond borders.

Hyssopus officinalis

Hyssop is a shrubby, semi-evergreen perennial with fragrant leaves. Fragrant, blue-violet flowers bloom June-September. Use as an ornamental or herb garden plant.

Hibiscus moscheutos

Rose Mallow is a shrub-like perennial with large, heart-shaped leaves, which are smooth on top and “hairy” underneath. Its large, showy, red, pink, white, or bicolor flowers bloom non-stop from midsummer to frost. This plant prefers moist, organic soil. Use it as a specimen plant or plant in masses. Good choice for low, wet sites and edges of ponds or water features.

Heuchera americana

Coral Bells is an excellent foliage plant with deep-green leaves turning to purple, red, and yellow in the fall. Clusters of tiny, greenish-white, delicate flowers on slender stalks rising above the leaves bloom in late spring to early summer. Use it as an edging plant, or plant in masses as a groundcover. Good choice for shade gardens.

Hemerocallis spp.

Daylily is an easy-care perennial with attractive, arching, blade-like leaves. Varieties are available in a wide range of flower colors, mainly shades of yellow, orange, and red. Its large, lily-shaped flowers bloom continuously from midsummer to fall. Use in the perennial flower border, massed in beds, or as a groundcover.