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Symplocos paniculata

Sapphire-berry has white flowers, which bloom late-May to early-June. The ornamental fruit appears in shades of blue, and ripens September-October. The fruit is a food source for birds. Plant more than one for cross-pollination and to ensure fruiting. Sapphire-berry can be trained as a shrub or small tree. Use it for screening at the back of a shrub border, or as a specimen tree in your yard.

Symphyotrichum lateriflorum

Calico Aster features white flowers, which bloom September-October. The nectar offers a food source for native bees. Calico Aster attracts beneficial insects, which prey upon garden pest insects in your yard. It is a host plant for butterfly larvae (caterpillars) of the Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) butterfly. Use Calico Aster in borders, planted in groups for hedges or screens, or along walkways in your yard.

Symphyotrichum laeve

Smooth Blue Aster features violet-purple flowers with yellow centers, which bloom August-October. The nectar provides a food source for native bees. It is very tolerant of drought and dry, rocky soils, making it a good choice for Jersey-Friendly Yards. Use Smooth Blue Aster in borders, butterfly gardens, and naturalized areas of your yard.

Stewartia ovata

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.

Staphylea trifolia

American Bladdernut is a fast-growing, suckering, small tree or large shrub. Greenish-white, bell-shaped flowers bloom April-May, leading to showy fruit in the fall. The dried seed capsules, called “bladders,” hang in clusters from the tree and offer late fall and early winter interest. The dried seed capsules also add ornamental value to dried flower bouquets.

Stachys byzantina

Lamb’s Ear is grown for its fuzzy, soft, ornamental leaves. The non-descript flower is often removed by gardeners to enhance the appeal of the foliage. It prefers sandy, dry soil and full sun. Lamb’s Ear is susceptible to midsummer foliage decline in humid climates; pick off the browned leaves to stimulate new leaf growth. This hardy plant tolerates rabbit, deer, drought, Black Walnut, air pollution, and a range of undesirable conditions that deter many other plants from optimum growth. Use Lamb’s Ear along edges of walkways, in mixed borders to offer texture, or as a groundcover in a small area of your yard.

Sporobolus heterolepis

Prairie Dropseed is an ornamental grass with pink- and brown-tinted flowers blooming August-October. Prairie Dropseed provides nesting material and structure for native bees. It tolerates air pollution and Black Walnut, as well as a wide range of soils, including clay. Prairie Dropseed creates good groundcover for hot, dry areas, or use it as an accent plant around your yard.

Sorghastrum nutans

Indiangrass is a beautiful native grass with blue-green blades and tall golden to purplish-brown flowering plumes.

Solidago sempervirens

Seaside Goldenrod features dense, deep-yellow flowers, which bloom on terminal stalks, August-October. The thick, waxy leaves deter salt and sand penetration, making this plant a good choice for coastal gardens. Seaside Goldenrod provides a nectar source for native bees, honeybees, and butterflies. The dried seeds provide a food source for birds. It attracts beneficial predatory insects, which prey on garden pest insects in your yard. Use Seaside Goldenrod in borders, butterfly gardens, seaside gardens, and coastal landscapes.

Solidago rugosa

Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod features yellow flowers, which bloom September-October. The nectar provides a food source for native bees and honeybees. The dried seeds provide a food source for birds in fall and winter. Use Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod in borders, butterfly gardens, and naturalized areas in your yard.