Mountain Camellia is a small, flowering, deciduous tree. Its white flowers with orange anthers bloom July-August. This tree offers orange to scarlet fall foliage. Mountain Camellia is sensitive to drought and prefers moist, organically rich soil. Use it as a small specimen tree or tall shrub in shady areas of your yard.
Sweetbox offers showy, fragrant, white flowers, which bloom March-April. This broadleaf evergreen shrub tolerates heavy shade, and provides winter interest. Established plants have some drought tolerance. Plant Sweetbox around your yard as a low hedge or groundcover, or in your shade garden for a delightful early spring fragrance.
Shortbeard Plumegrass is a tall, clumping grass. Whitish-yellow flower plumes bloom July-October. Fall color is an attractive bronze. This southern United States native can be used in foundations or borders, or as a specimen plant in your yard.
Handsome Harry lives up to its name! Rose-pink to pale-pink petals surround yellow stamens to create an attractive flower, which blooms in May-September. It is cross-pollinated by bumblebees, which forage for its nectar and pollen. Its leaves contain “pulegone,” and can be rubbed on your skin to repel mosquitos. Handsome Harry is an important host plant to larvae (caterpillars) of the Large Lace Border moth (Scopula limboundata). Old seed heads offer shelter for over-wintering beneficial insects, which in turn provide food for birds in the spring. Handsome Harry prefers wet peat or sandy acidic soil. It grows best on the edges of moist woodlands or meadows. Plant Handsome Harry in masses along borders, beds, and moist natural areas of your yard. It propagates through self-seeding.
Clustered Mountainmint is a wildlife-friendly perennial, which features tubular pink flower clusters blooming July-September. It tolerates bright shade, but produces more flowers in full sun. It grows in densely-leaved clumps that may spread vigorously. Clustered Mountainmint is a valued nectar source for butterflies and bees. It attracts beneficial predatory insects that prey on garden pests. Clustered Mountainmint is most attractive when massed, and can be used in your herb garden, butterfly garden, or in mixed borders around your yard.
Phlox features fragrant, pink flowers May-July; the flowers decline in the summer heat. It prefers consistently moist soil, but can tolerate short periods of dryness. Many cultivars offer a variety of colors to choose from. Phlox will re-seed itself and spread. It offers a valued nectar source for butterflies. Use Phlox as edging for your borders and beds, in your rock garden, and in containers. Plant in masses to offer maximum appeal in your yard.
Allegheny-spurge is a low-growing, spreading perennial. Its dark green, toothed leaves crowd on top of short, erect stems. Small, fragrant, greenish-white flowers bloom March-May, before new leaves emerge. It spreads to form colonies, making it an excellent groundcover for your yard. Use it in shady areas in place of lawn, massed on banks or slopes, or in areas of your shade garden.
Cupflower is a tender perennial, which is grown and used as an annual in New Jersey. This genus offers several species to choose from, and many cultivars are available offering various shades of blue and purple. Perky, cup-shaped flowers bloom May to frost. Cupflower prefers consistently moist soil, and is not able to tolerate heat and humidity. Use mulch in your garden beds to keep the soil moist, and find a protected place along borders in your yard. Try planting Cupflower in your rock garden, mixed containers, and hanging baskets for a full season of enjoyment of this long-blooming plant.
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.
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.