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.
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.
Spinulose Woodfern’s lacy, finely toothed fronds are bright green and may remain green during mild winters. It prefers moist, organically rich soils, and should be protected from drying winds. Use in mass plantings in woodland gardens or as an accent plant in shady garden beds. This fern species may be difficult to find commercially. Tell your local garden center or nursery about your interest in this plant.
Persimmon is a deciduous tree known for its edible fruit. Its white to whitish-green, fragrant flowers bloom in the spring. Persimmon is usually dioecious (separate male and female trees); a female tree needs a male in the area for pollination and fruit production. The green fruit is astringent, but becomes sweet when fully ripe. The orange to dark red, mature fruit is attractive and provides late fall/early winter color to the yard. Persimmon fruit is a food source for wildlife. This tree is also a host for larvae (caterpillars) of the Luna moth (Actias luna). The wood is especially heavy, hard, and strong, and is used for golf club heads, billiard cues, and flooring. Persimmon tolerates drought, air pollution, and a variety of soil conditions; it grows well in urban environments. Use as a specimen tree with edible fruit.
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.
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.