Archives

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Hairawn Muhly is a clump-forming, warm-season grass. Pink to purple to red flowers bloom above the foliage September-November, offering attractive fall color. It tolerates heat, humidity, drought, and poor, dry, sandy soils, as well as flooding — perfect for Jersey-Friendly Yards! Plant Hairawn Muhly in groups along your borders and foundations and in naturalized areas of your yard.

Morella cerifera

Wax Myrtle is a densely branching, evergreen shrub. It is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate plants. The fertilized female flowers are followed by tiny, round, waxy, gray fruits, which persist through winter. The waxy coating is used to make candles, scented by the fragrance of the crushed leaves. The berries are an excellent food source for birds. Wax Myrtle is an important host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) and Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). Use Wax Myrtle in mass plantings for your shrub border or for naturalized areas in your yard. Its salt tolerance makes it an ideal choice for a seaside garden.

Monarda didyma

Scarlet Beebalm features scarlet red flowers, which bloom June-August on top of stiff, erect stems. Cultivars offer flowers in many colors, including shades of pink, purple, and coral. The nectar is a valued food source for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees — it will attract many pollinators to your garden! Deadheading the spent flowers will prolong bloom time. Scarlet Beebalm leaves contain oils that give off a pleasant herbal scent. This plant spreads quickly through re-seeding, so your small patch will grow into a large area in just a few seasons. Scarlet Beebalm is susceptible to powdery mildew; look for resistant cultivars, such as Jacob Cline. Use it in your perennial border, butterfly garden, meadow, and in naturalized areas of your yard.

Mirabilis jalapa

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.

Mertensia virginica

Virginia Bluebells provide early spring delight as clusters of pink buds emerge, blooming as blue-purple, trumpet-shaped flowers March through April. By midsummer, the foliage dies back as the plant goes dormant. Use it in your shade garden, woodland borders, or as a spring groundcover. Overplant with ferns or perennials that will fill in the empty space once the plants recede. A related species is Mertensia maritima (Sea Lungwort), which tolerates salt and can be used in coastal landscapes.

Magnolia virginiana

Sweetbay is a wildlife-friendly magnolia, native to New Jersey. This small, semi-evergreen, flowering tree offers creamy-white, waxy flowers, May-June. Cone-like fruits with red seeds mature in fall and are valued as a food source by wildlife. Sweetbay is a host plant for larvae (caterpillars) of the beautiful Sweetbay Silkmoth (Callosamia securifera). It prefers moist, acidic, organic soils, but will tolerate wet, boggy areas, heavy clay, and sandy loam. Use Sweetbay as a specimen tree in your yard, along borders, around foundations, along woodland edges, or in your rain garden.

Magnolia acuminata

Cucumber-tree is a medium-large, flowering deciduous tree, offering a full, rounded form. Upon maturity, small, slightly fragrant, tulip-like greenish-yellow flowers bloom April-May, usually towards the crown of the tree. Flowers are followed by cucumber-like, showy red fruits in late summer. The seeds are a food source for birds and small mammals. Use Cucumber-tree as an ornamental shade tree in your yard or neighborhood park.

Lyonia mariana

Staggerbush is a deciduous shrub featuring white, bell-shaped flowers, which bloom May-June. The flowers are pollinated by native bees. The seed capsules mature in September and persist through winter, offering additional interest in your garden. The leaves are toxic to livestock, and should not be ingested. A native of the Pine Barrens, Staggerbush can be used as an ornamental plant in the woodland edges and naturalized areas around your yard.

Lyonia ligustrina

Maleberry can be a single- or multi-stemmed deciduous shrub. Small, globular, bell-shaped white flowers bloom in June, followed by small, hard, berry-like capsules. Shiny green leaves turn orange-red in fall. Plant Maleberry in a mass as a shrub border in wet areas, woodlands, or naturalized areas around your yard.

Lobelia cardinalis

Cardinal Flower is one of the most attractive native wildflowers in New Jersey. The showy, scarlet-red flowers are a hummingbird magnet, blooming July through September and offering a late summer nectar source. Cardinal Flower requires moist-wet, humus-rich soil to ensure optimum growth. It prefers partly shady areas, but it can tolerate full shade. Enhance your yard’s perennial border, butterfly garden, rain garden, or moist woodland edge with this gorgeous native!