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Deschampsia flexuosa

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.

Dennstaedtia punctilobula

Eastern Hayscented Fern is a deciduous fern with light-green, finely textured, lacy fronds. The fronds can be cut for use in flower arrangements. When crushed or dried, the fronds release a fragrance like freshly-mowed hay, inspiring its common name. This plant prefers moist, acidic, organically rich soils. It spreads by rhizomes to form colonies, making it useful as a groundcover in shady areas of the yard. Use it in woodland gardens, shade gardens, or under trees. The fronds can be used in cut-flower bouquets.

Delosperma spp.

Ice Plant is a long-blooming, succulent plant with excellent drought resistance. Its attractive leaves reflect light in a way that makes them appear to be covered by ice crystals. Ice Plant flowers in a variety of bright colors (shades of pink, purple, and yellow) from June-September. It requires well-drained soils, so water sparingly. Plant it in an area protected from winter winds and cold temperatures. Ice Plant makes an excellent groundcover for south- or west-facing slopes. Also use in rock gardens and as an edging plant.

Crocus vernus

Crocus is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring. It grows from a corm, which is a bulb-like underground stem structure. White or purple flowers bloom for two or three weeks in late winter to early spring. Crocus flowers close at night and on cloudy days. Its grass-like foliage fades as the plants go dormant in late spring. Plant Crocus in groups in flower beds, borders, or rock gardens for early spring color. Great choice for mass planting in lawns or under trees.

Cotinus coggygria

Common Smoketree is a deciduous shrub with bluish-green leaves. It gets its name from flower parts covering the shrub with attractive, smoke-like, pink to purplish-pink puffs throughout the summer. This shrub has colorful fall foliage, ranging from yellow to red to purple. Common Smoketree requires well-drained soil and is drought-resistant. Plant as a specimen, or in groups in shrub borders or hedges.

Cosmos bipinnatus

Cosmos is an easy-care, drought-tolerant annual, which flowers prolifically. Its red, pink, or white daisy-like flowers with yellow centers bloom June to frost. Taller varieties should be staked for support when flowering. Deadhead to prolong blooming, but leave some spent flowers in the fall to provide seeds for the birds. This plant will self-seed, sometimes aggressively. Excellent choice for beds, borders, and cutting gardens.

Corylus cornuta

Beaked Hazelnut is a small, deciduous shrub. Yellowish male catkins and inconspicuous female flowers appear in April. The female flowers are followed by ornamental nuts enclosed in a bristly husk with a beak-like appearance. The edible nuts were a food source for Native Americans; the nuts could be stored for a long period of time, eaten raw, or ground into a flour and baked. The nuts are a food source for birds and wildlife, including squirrels, deer, grouse, and pheasant. Use Beaked Hazelnut in mass plantings, shrub borders, or woodland gardens.

Corylus americana

American Hazelnut, a deciduous shrub, is monoecious (separate male and female flowers appear on the same plant); the light-brown male catkins and inconspicuous female flowers emerge March-April. The female flowers lead to uniquely shaped nuts, which mature in late summer. The nuts are edible, sweet, have high nutritional value, and may be eaten raw or ground into flour. The nuts were traditionally used by Native Americans to flavor soup. Many mammal and bird species feed on the nuts, including fox, deer, turkey, woodpeckers, and squirrels. The dense, low-growth characteristics of this species provide cover and nesting sites for wildlife. Its fall foliage colors range from yellow to red. Use American Hazelnut in naturalized areas or woodland gardens, where nut debris will not cause “tree litter.” It can also can be used as a screen planting, or in the back of a shrub border.

Cornus sericea

Redosier Dogwood is a deciduous shrub, which adds color to the winter landscape with bright red, multi-branching stems. Its small, white flowers bloom May-June. The flowers are followed by clusters of white, berry-like fruits, which are attractive to birds. Use it in shrub borders, as property screens, or along pond or steam banks to prevent soil erosion.

Cornus racemosa

Gray Dogwood is a flowering deciduous shrub. Clusters of white flowers appear in late May to early June. Flowers are followed by small, white, berry-like fruits, which attract many species of birds. The fruits are on top of branched, red twigs, which remain showy after the fruits have been consumed by the birds. Gray Dogwood is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Spring Azure (Celastrina “ladon”), and it provides habitat cover and shelter for wildlife. It will tolerate poor and somewhat dry soils. Use in masses in shrub borders, screen plantings, or wildlife gardens. It is also a good choice for rain gardens or the edges of ponds or streams. Visit Native Plant Society of NJ “Plant Profiles & Photos” for additional information and photos.