Archives

Nicotiana alata

Jasmine Tobacco is a tender perennial, which is grown and used as an annual in New Jersey. Its fragrant, tubular-shaped flowers in shades of red, white, green, and yellow bloom June to frost. This wildlife-friendly plant will attract a variety of pollinators to your yard, including hummingbirds and butterflies. Plant it in a mass to create borders, use it in your rock garden, or plant it in mixed containers to add color to your patio or yard.

Muhlenbergia lindheimeri

Lindheimer’s Muhly is a clump-forming, perennial grass. Its light-green to blue-green leaves surround delicate, lacy, white flower heads, which bloom May-November. Avoid cutting back the plants, since the leaves provide nesting material for birds through the winter. Use Lindheimer’s Muhly as a specimen in your yard, in groups for a screen, or next to foundations for wildlife-friendly appeal.

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Hairawn Muhly is a clump-forming, warm-season grass. Pink to purple to red flowers bloom above the foliage September-November, offering attractive fall color. It tolerates heat, humidity, drought, and poor, dry, sandy soils, as well as flooding — perfect for Jersey-Friendly Yards! Plant Hairawn Muhly in groups along your borders and foundations and in naturalized areas of your yard.

Mirabilis jalapa

Four o’clocks are tuberous perennials grown as annuals in New Jersey. Their fragrant, tubular-shaped flowers bloom June to frost. The flower buds open from late afternoon (four o’clock — as per their common name) until the next morning, then close during the day. Colors vary, including red, yellow, and pink, and the nectar is attractive to hummingbirds and moths. This plant adds nighttime color to gardens around outdoor living spaces. Use Four o’clocks in mixed borders, as an annual hedge, or in your patio containers.

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!

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.

Liatris pilosa

Shaggy Blazing Star is a graceful perennial with narrow, grass-like foliage. Spikes of purple flowers bloom from August-October. Flowers open first at the top of the stem and continue blooming downward. This plant mixes well with native grasses. Shaggy Blazing Star is a nectar plant for Monarch butterflies, and its seeds are a food source for birds. Use it in borders, edges, and meadows.

Lantana camara

Lantana is a tough, long-blooming plant, which thrives in summer heat. Round clusters of multi-colored flowers bloom non-stop from July to frost. Lantana tolerates salt spray, making it a good choice for seaside gardens. Use Lantana as bedding plants or in containers. Its leaves have an unpleasant odor if crushed, so avoid planting in areas of the yard where people might step on it.

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.