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Eragrostis spectabilis

Purple Lovegrass is a warm-season grass with good drought-resistance. Its small, reddish-purple flowers bloom July-August and turn brown by the fall. The flowers add texture and year-round interest to the garden, and are excellent for dried flower arrangements. Purple Lovegrass is beneficial to multiple butterfly species. It grows best in hot, dry condtions and does not tolerate wet or shady sites. Use massed in borders, native plant gardens, or meadows. Recommended for butterfly gardens and wildlife habitat areas.

Echinacea purpurea

Purple Coneflower blooms, with their drooping, pinkish-purple rays and prominent centers, resemble badminton birdies. The showy, long-lasting, daisy-like flowers bloom non-stop throughout the summer and make excellent fresh-cut or dried flowers. While not native to all of New Jersey, this species is a native of similar ecoregions in North America. It tolerates a range of conditions, including drought and poor soil. Purple Coneflower is a wildlife-friendly plant, providing nectar for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds and seeds for birds. It also has multiple medicinal properties, and is commonly used as an herbal remedy. Plant in masses in beds, borders, wildflower gardens, and meadows.

Deschampsia flexuosa

Wavy Hairgrass is a winter-hardy, ornamental grass with fine-textured, hair-like blades. Feathery purple to bronze flowers appear July-September, turning gold during the winter; the flowers are good fresh-cut or dried. Wavy Hairgrass is one of the few grass species that will grow well in dry shade, although it flowers best in partly shady conditions. Clumping grasses like this one provide nesting sites and winter cover for birds, such as quail and sparrows, and shelter for small mammals. The seeds provide fall and winter food for a number of birds, including cardinals, sparrows, and finches. Use as a specimen plant, or plant in groups in shady borders, woodland gardens, or wildlife habitat areas.

Delosperma spp.

Ice Plant is a long-blooming, succulent plant with excellent drought resistance. Its attractive leaves reflect light in a way that makes them appear to be covered by ice crystals. Ice Plant flowers in a variety of bright colors (shades of pink, purple, and yellow) from June-September. It requires well-drained soils, so water sparingly. Plant it in an area protected from winter winds and cold temperatures. Ice Plant makes an excellent groundcover for south- or west-facing slopes. Also use in rock gardens and as an edging plant.

Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda

Shrubby Cinquefoil is a low-growing, long-blooming, deciduous shrub. It has small, grayish-green, compound leaves and is covered with showy, yellow flowers from June-September. This plant has excellent winter hardiness. Shrubby Cinquefoil has special value for native bees, and attracts beneficial insects, which prey upon insect pests. Use as a specimen plant, in shrub borders, or as an informal hedge.

Crocus vernus

Crocus is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. It grows from a corm, which is a bulb-like underground stem structure. White or purple flowers bloom for two or three weeks in late winter to early spring. Crocus flowers close at night and on cloudy days. Its grass-like foliage fades as the plants go dormant in late spring. Plant Crocus in groups in flower beds, borders, or rock gardens for early spring color. Great choice for mass planting in lawns or under trees.

Coreopsis lanceolata

Lanceleaf Tickseed’s yellow, daisy-like flowers with flat, yellow centers bloom May-July. The flowers are good fresh-cut. Butterflies, native bees, and other beneficial pollinators value the nectar. This plant aggressively self-seeds, but that can be minimized by removing spent flowers, which also encourages more blooms. Its common name originated from the resemblance of the seeds to ticks. Plants can be cut back in the summer to control straggly growth and divided every two to three years to maintain plant vigor. Use Lanceleaf Tickseed in masses in wildflower gardens, meadows, or other naturalized areas.

Comptonia peregrina

Sweet Fern is not a fern, but a multi-branched, mounded shrub with dark green, aromatic, fern-like leaves. Its inconspicuous, yellow-green catkins (elongated, drooping clusters of tiny flowers without petals) appear April-May, followed by small, burr-like nutlets. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). This plant fixes its own nitrogen, and can tolerate sandy, nutrient-poor soil. It also tolerates wet conditions, as well as drought. Sweet Fern will form dense colonies once established. Use in naturalized areas, rain gardens, and on slopes for erosion control.

Clethra alnifolia

Summersweet is a multi-branched deciduous shrub with dark green, aromatic leaves. It is one of the few summer-flowering shrubs that will bloom in shade. The sweetly fragrant, white flowers bloom in upright clusters on the tips of stems, July-August.

Chrysopsis mariana

Maryland Goldenaster’s clusters of daisy-like, bright yellow flowers bloom August-October, adding color to the fall garden. This drought-tolerant plant grows well in dry, sandy soils. Use it in borders or wildflower gardens, along woodland edges, or as a groundcover in partly shady areas.