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Prunus angustifolia

Chickasaw Plum is a thicket-forming shrub with a tendency to form large colonies. It features clusters of white flowers which bloom in March, offering early spring appeal. The nectar provides an important food source for early emerging butterflies and bees. Edible, cherry-like, reddish plums ripen in midsummer and provide an excellent source of food for birds and wildlife. Fruits can be made into jellies and jams. Chickasaw Plum has medium-high wind resistance. Use Chickasaw Plum in sunny woodland areas of your yard, as a screen or hedge, in shrub borders, or along stream banks for erosion control.

Prunus americana

American Plum is a small, wildlife-friendly tree or multi-stemmed shrub. Aromatic clusters of white flowers bloom in mid-March, followed by edible red plums with yellow pulp, which ripen in midsummer. The nectar and fruit provide food sources for butterflies, bees, and birds. The fruit can be used for jams and jellies. American Plum can be used as a hedgerow, along borders, as a screen, or as a specimen in your yard.

Portulaca grandiflora

Portulaca is a long-blooming, succulent annual with a low, spreading form. It comes in a variety of colors (including red, orange, yellow, and white) and blooms from June to frost. Portulaca tolerates heat, humidity, and poor, dry soil, making it an excellent plant for seaside gardens and New Jersey yards. Use Portulaca as an edging plant, in rock gardens, containers, hanging baskets, or as a groundcover in your yard.

Populus tremuloides

Quaking Aspen is a medium-sized deciduous tree. It is dioecious; inconspicuous flowers bloom in April on separate male or female trees. It features beautiful, white bark, and deep-green “quaking” leaves, which tremble in the wind. Fall foliage is a rich golden-yellow. Quaking Aspen prefers cooler climates, and is intolerant of heat and humidity. Quaking Aspen provides birds with nesting material and food. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Great Ash Sphinx (Sphinx chersis), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Plant Quaking Aspen as a specimen tree or in woodlands and natural areas of your yard.

Populus deltoides

Eastern Cottonwood is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree. It is dioecious; catkins bloom on separate male or female trees in March-April before leaves emerge. The female trees have fruit capsules packed with numerous, tufted seeds with silky white hairs, giving the appearance of cotton. Seeds provide a valued food source for birds. The “cotton” provides birds with nesting material. Eastern Cottonwood can be a messy tree, as it drops leaves, flowers, fruits, twigs, and branches. Although it is not typically used as an ornamental tree, you can plant it in rural areas along streams, where it may be difficult to grow other trees.

Polystichum acrostichoides

Christmas Fern is a clumping evergreen fern. It displays leathery, lance-shaped fronds. Emerging fiddleheads are silver in the spring. Christmas Fern does not spread; instead, the clump will increase in size as the plant ages. Christmas Fern has been known to attract ruffed grouse. Use it as a groundcover or in borders. It adds winter interest to your yard.

Polygonatum biflorum

Smooth Solomon’s Seal features small, bell-shaped, greenish-white flowers, which bloom April-May. The flowers occur under arching stems and are followed by blue-black berries in the fall. The showy, smooth leaves turn yellow in fall. Smooth Solomon’s Seal can be planted in naturalized areas of your yard, shade gardens, woodlands, or in a shady part of your perennial border.

Platanus occidentalis

American Sycamore is a very large, deciduous tree, achieving massive height and girth. It is monoecious; male and female flowers appear on separate trees. Fertilized female flowers give way to spherical, airy balls of seeds, which disintegrate as they are weathered. Sycamore features large, lobed, dark green leaves and irregularly exfoliating (peeling) bark, revealing an attractive pattern of jigsawed colors. Sycamore is tolerant of urban conditions and highly valued as a native tree. It is susceptible to anthracnose (a fungal plant disease), which causes temporary defoliation, but the leaves grow back quickly. Plant it as a specimen in your large yard, or as a street tree in your neighborhood.

Pinus virginiana

Virginia Pine is a wildlife-friendly, small to medium, short-needled evergreen conifer. It prefers sandy soils, but does well in heavy clay, where it is difficult to grow other pines. The cones contain sharp-tipped scales, which house seeds eaten by birds and wildlife. Virginia Pine is a host plant for butterfly larvae (caterpillars) of the Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon). Plant Virginia Pine along woodland edges or borders in your yard for added winter interest.

Pinus taeda

Loblolly Pine is a large, long-needled evergreen conifer, taller than it is wide. It features spreading branches and a full crown. Its lower branches drop off with age, leaving an open, rounded crown. It is among the fastest growing southern pines. Select a sunny area in your yard because Loblolly Pine has no shade tolerance.