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Sambucus racemosa

Red Elderberry’s clusters of creamy-white flowers bloom May-June, and provide nectar to native bees and butterflies. The berries are reputedly poisonous and are inedible to humans, but are an attractive food source for birds. Hollow stems offer nest sites and nest materials to native bees. Red Elderberry attracts beneficial predatory insects, which prey on garden insect pests. Use Common Elderberry as a small specimen tree or large shrub in borders around your yard.

Sambucus canadensis

American Black Elderberry is a spreading, deciduous shrub with clusters of white flowers from June-July. It provides an attractve nectar source for butterflies and bees. Berries ripen in late summer and provide a food source for birds. The fruit can be used in jellies, pies, juice, and wine. Use American Black Elderberry in shrub borders, moist roadside plantings, or as a privacy screen around your yard.

Saccharum giganteum

Sugarcane Plumegrass is a showy, tall grass, which grows best in wet areas in full sun. Clusters of coppery-rose flowers bloom in October, followed by fluffy, peach-colored seed heads. Fall foliage color is brown with shades of red and purple. Use Sugarcane Plumegrass as an accent plant, or plant in masses. It is a good grass for rain gardens. Sugarcane Plumegrass may be difficult to find commercially. Tell your local garden center or nursery about your interest in this plant.

Rudbeckia hirta

Blackeyed Susan features daisy-like flowers with bright yellow-orange rays and brown center disks. The long bloom time lasts from June-September. This plant provides a nectar source for bees, and birds eat the ripe seeds. Blackeyed Susan is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia) and Gorgone Checkerspot (Chlosyne gorgone). It does not tolerate prolonged, wet weather. Use Blackeyed Susan in your borders, beds, meadows, and naturalized areas. It also makes an excellent fresh-cut flower for bouquets.

Rosa virginiana

Virginia Rose features pink flowers which bloom June-August. This plant provides a nectar source and nesting material for native bees and honeybees. Virginia Rose is valued by beneficial predatory insects, which prey on garden pest insects. The fruit, called “hips,” contain vitamin C. Fall foliage is purple, to orange-red, to crimson and yellow. The red fruit and canes can be attractive in winter. Use Virginia Rose in the back of borders, along foundations, and in natural areas of your yard.

Rhus copallinum

Winged Sumac features yellowish-green flowers blooming July-August. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. Both male and female plants are needed to produce fruit. Flowers provide nectar for native bees. Fertilized female flowers lead to large clusters of edible, sour, red berries which ripen in August. The berries provide a valuable food source for birds. Fall foliage is a rich red, crimson, and scarlet. Winged Sumac provides habitat for birds, bees, and wildlife. Use Winged Sumac in dry rocky places, coastal gardens, along stream banks, in naturalistic plantings, and in large areas of your yard. It will spread to form colonies.

Rhododendron viscosum

Swamp Azalea’s fragrant clusters of white to pale-pink flowers with extended stamens bloom mid-May-July. The flowers have a clove-like scent, and the nectar is attractive to bumblebees. Swamp Azalea leafs-out before blooming. Its native New Jersey habitat includes swamps and bogs, so it prefers a moist substrate in a partly shady area in your yard. Swamp Azalea is flood-tolerant, but is intolerant of juglones (chemical in the roots of Black Walnut). Use Swamp Azalea in rain gardens, woodland gardens, shade gardens, and massed in shrub borders. As with many Azaleas and Rhododendrons, all parts of this plant are poisonous.

Rhododendron periclymenoides

Pinxterbloom Azalea, or Pink Azalea, features fragrant clusters of cotton-candy pink to white flowers, which bloom in April to early May, before leaves emerge. The nectar is a valued food source for bumblebees. Plant it in well-drained soil — it does not tolerate “wet feet,” and poor drainage leads to root-rot. Pink Azalea spreads by stolon (a horizontal plant stem or runner that takes root at points along its length to form new plants). Use it in shrub borders, foundation plantings, shade gardens, natural areas, or as a hedge. As with many Azaleas and Rhododendrons, all parts of this plant are poisonous.

Rhododendron mucronulatum

Korean Rhododendron is a deciduous shrub, which is unusual for Rhododendrons. It features rosy-purple flowers which bloom in early spring, from mid- to late-March to early April. Situate this plant in a northern exposure in the yard or garden to avoid blooming too early, as buds are susceptible to frost. Use Korean Rhododendron in shrub borders, foundation plantings, or natural areas. As with many Azaleas and Rhododendrons, all parts of this plant are poisonous.

Rhododendron maximum

Great Laurel is a broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree. Clusters of white to purplish-pink flowers bloom in June, providing a valued food source for bumblebees. Use Great Laurel in shrub borders, foundation plantings, and natural areas around your yard. As with many Azaleas and Rhododendrons, all parts of this plant are poisonous.