Swamp Verbena features purplish-blue flowers, which bloom on tall spikes, a few at a time from bottom to top, June-September. The flowers are a nectar source for bees and butterflies. Swamp Verbena is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). This plant prefers moist soil conditions. Use it in rain gardens, along water features, or in other moist areas of the yard. It can also be planted in borders and meadows.
Cranberry is a low-growing, woody vine with small, white-pink flowers, which bloom in abundance, May-July. The flower nectar offers a valuable food source for native bees. The edible, tart fruit, which ripens in September-October, is used in pies, muffins, sauces, and other dishes. The small green leaves turn bright red in fall. Cranberry grows in wet, boggy areas in the wild. It can be used as an evergreen groundcover in moist areas of your yard, or grow it as a specimen plant in your small garden. It is typically grown in a mass for commerical production.
Mother-of-Thyme features tiny, red-purple flowers, which bloom in abundance, June-September. The nectar offers a valuable food source for native bees and butterflies. Mother-of-Thyme is easily grown in dry, sandy, rocky, gritty soil in full sun. This plant withstands light foot traffic. Use Mother-of-Thyme as a groundcover, edging plant, or along walkways or cascading borders. Mother-of-Thyme also tolerates drought well, making it a good choice for Jersey-Friendly Yards.
Goat’s Rue features attractive, yellow-pink bi-colored flowers, which bloom May-August. The nectar is a valued food source for native bees and butterflies. Goat’s Rue is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus). The seeds are eaten by ground birds. The roots fix nitrogen in the soil; they also contain rotenone, which is toxic to insects and fish. Goat’s Rue can be planted by seed; plant it in meadows, borders, and naturalized areas of your yard. It is difficult to transplant once established.
Japanese Tree Lilac is a small to medium, deciduous tree with large clusters of creamy-white, fragrant flowers. The flowers bloom in June, later than most other lilac shrubs. For best blooms, plant Japanese Tree Lilac in full sun. The flowers provide a rich nectar source for native bees and butterflies. Use Japanese Tree Lilac as an ornamental specimen tree in your yard, or a street tree in your neighborhood.
New York Aster features violet-purple flowers, which bloom July-October. This prolific bloomer provides fall color to the yard. It offers a valuable nectar source for native bees and butterflies, and its dried seeds provide food for birds. Use New York Aster in the front of borders, as an edging plant, or in sunny meadows and naturalized areas of your yard.
Lamb’s Ear is grown for its fuzzy, soft, ornamental leaves. The non-descript flower is often removed by gardeners to enhance the appeal of the foliage. It prefers sandy, dry soil and full sun. Lamb’s Ear is susceptible to midsummer foliage decline in humid climates; pick off the browned leaves to stimulate new leaf growth. This hardy plant tolerates rabbit, deer, drought, Black Walnut, air pollution, and a range of undesirable conditions that deter many other plants from optimum growth. Use Lamb’s Ear along edges of walkways, in mixed borders to offer texture, or as a groundcover in a small area of your yard.