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Nyssa sylvatica

Blackgum is a medium-sized, flowering, deciduous tree, which offers many benefits for wildlife. White, inconspicuous flowers bloom May-June. It is primarily dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees, although trees typically host a few “perfect” flowers. Blackgum offers an excellent nectar source for bees. Fertilized female flowers are followed by edible sour fruits, which provide an important food source for birds and wildlife. It is a host plant for many inconspicuous insects, which provide food for migrating and resident birds. It offers showy, red color in fall. Its medium-high wind resistance and tolerance to flooded and salty conditions makes it a valuable Jersey-Friendly tree for your yard!

Nipponanthemum nipponicum

Montauk Daisy offers white, daisy-like flowers, which bloom July-August. Deadhead flowers to stimulate a continuous bloom. Montauk Daisy forms rosettes of succulent green leaves above leafless stems. It grows well in nutrient-poor, sandy soil. Its high drought and salt tolerance, as well as its ability to grow in sandy soils, makes it a perfect plant for the seaside garden. Use it in mid-borders mixed with diversely textured and colored flowers. Montauk Daisy makes an excellent cut flower for bouquets.

Morella pensylvanica

Northern Bayberry is a densely branching, evergreen shrub. The waxy coating is used to make candles, scented by the fragrance of the crushed leaves. The berries are an excellent food source for birds. Use Northern Bayberry in mass plantings for your shrub border or for naturalized areas in your yard.

Morella cerifera

Wax Myrtle is a densely branching, evergreen shrub. It is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate plants. The fertilized female flowers are followed by tiny, round, waxy, gray fruits, which persist through winter. The waxy coating is used to make candles, scented by the fragrance of the crushed leaves. The berries are an excellent food source for birds. Wax Myrtle is an important host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) and Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Use Wax Myrtle in mass plantings for your shrub border or for naturalized areas in your yard. Its salt tolerance makes it an ideal choice for a seaside garden.

Monarda punctata

Spotted Beebalm features yellow-purple, bicolor, tubular flowers, which bloom June-July. The nectar is a valued food source for butterflies, native bees, bumblebees, and honeybees, and will attract many pollinators to your garden. Aromatic, toothed leaves offer an interesting display on its squared, stiff stem. Monardas are susceptible to powdery mildew; however, Spotted Beebalm offers some resistance to this nuisance. Use it in your perennial border, mixed bed, herb garden, and meadow for a wildlife-friendly addition to your yard.

Magnolia virginiana

Sweetbay is a wildlife-friendly magnolia, native to New Jersey. This small, semi-evergreen, flowering tree offers creamy-white, waxy flowers, May-June. Cone-like fruits with red seeds mature in fall and are valued as a food source by wildlife. Sweetbay is a host plant for larvae (caterpillars) of the beautiful Sweetbay Silkmoth (Callosamia securifera). It prefers moist, acidic, organic soils, but will tolerate wet, boggy areas, heavy clay, and sandy loam. Use Sweetbay as a specimen tree in your yard, along borders, around foundations, along woodland edges, or in your rain garden.

Magnolia grandiflora

Southern Magnolia is a flowering, broadleaf, semi-evergreen (deciduous in colder climates) tree with a full, pyramidal shape. Its fragrant, large, creamy-white flowers bloom April-June, offering a stunning display. Southern Magnolia must be protected from winter winds, and is sensitive to frost. Plant it as a specimen, or as a shade tree in your yard or neighborhood park; select an appropriate place to ensure optimum growth. It is intolerant of urban conditions.

Lobularia maritima

The showy, white flowers of Sweet Alyssum provide spring blooms from April through June. There are many cultivars that offer a palate of colors to choose from. To encourage a second bloom, shear spent flowers from the first bloom. Blooms can be so profuse, they sometimes hide the foliage! For continued enjoyment later in the season, sow seeds in August for an additional fall bloom. Find a protected area in your yard for these fagrant beauties, as they are somewhat intolerant of heat and humidity. Part-shade is preferred, but they can tolerate full sun. Try using Sweet Alyssum in containers for your patio, at the edge of borders around your yard, on cascading walls, and in rock gardens. Sweet Alyssum is native to the Mediterranean, and is commonly associated with sandy beaches and coastal landscapes.

Liquidambar styraciflua

Sweet Gum is a large, low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly deciduous tree. It is monoecious; yellow-green male and female flowers bloom separately on the same tree, April-May. Female flowers are followed by “gum balls” — hard, spherical, pointy seed pods, which house seeds that are an attractive food source for birds and wildlife. The seed pods may be considered unsightly litter by some, but the benefits to wildlife far outweigh this minor nuisance. Sweet Gum trees also provide nesting sites and cover for birds and wildlife. Select its placement carefully, as it is intolerant of alkaline soils and shade. Use it as a specimen tree or shade tree in your yard. It can also be used as a stately street tree; however, clean-up of the gumballs must be managed.

Limonium latifolium

Sea Lavender’s loose and airy, blue-violet flowers resemble Baby’s Breath and bloom July-August. The flowers appear in clumping masses on wiry, nearly leafless stems. Use Sea Lavender in your perennial border, rock garden, seaside garden, or as fresh-cut or dried flowers in bouquets.