Native plants.
Flowers, shrubs, and trees native to New Jersey — with what they attract, when they bloom, and how to grow them.
- VdNative · NJ
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Multi-trunked native shrub with flat-topped clusters of small white flowers in late spring, followed by clusters of dark blue-black berries…
- Type
- Shrub
- Bloom
- May–Jun
- AtNative · NJ
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
The orange one. A dry-meadow milkweed with clusters of small vivid blooms that hold a huge diversity of pollinators through the hot months.…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug
- CoNative · NJ
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
The pom-pom shrub. Perfectly spherical white flower heads — like small sputniks or crystal ornaments — open all summer long, held above dark…
- Type
- Shrub
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug
- LcNative · NJ
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
The reddest red in the native palette. Vertical spikes of brilliant scarlet blossoms shaped precisely for a hummingbird's beak — plant it an…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jul–Sep
- LsNative · NJ
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Purple bottlebrush spikes that bloom from the top down — unusual for a spike-flower — creating a moving line of color that a butterfly can l…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jul–Aug
- CcNative · NJ
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
The magenta-pink flowers open directly on bare twigs in April, before the leaves — an unforgettable sight against a spring sky. Heart-shaped…
- Type
- Tree
- Bloom
- April
- ZaNative · NJ
Golden Alexander
Zizia aurea
Flat yellow umbels — the shape of dill flowers but earlier and more compact — hovering above shiny divided leaves. Blooms in that awkward la…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Apr–Jun
- VcNative · NJ
Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
The native fruit that put New Jersey on the map. White bell-shaped flowers in April and May, glaucous blue berries in mid-summer, brilliant…
- Type
- Shrub
- Bloom
- Apr–May
- EfNative · NJ
Joe-Pye Weed
Eutrochium fistulosum
The gentle giant — 7 feet of dusky mauve flower clusters held above whorled leaves, humming with swallowtails for a solid month of late summ…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jul–Sep
- PmNative · NJ
Mountain Mint (Short-toothed)
Pycnanthemum muticum
Silvery-green bracts flare around clusters of tiny pale-lavender flowers, making the whole plant look frosted from a distance. Xerces Societ…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jul–Sep
- SnNative · NJ
New England Aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
The tall violet-pink daisy that ends the season. Blooms when almost nothing else is blooming, on stiff dark stems that stand up to fall wind…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Sep–Oct
- CaNative · NJ
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
Small mound-forming shrub covered in frothy white flower clusters in early summer. The leaves were dried and brewed as a tea substitute duri…
- Type
- Shrub
- Bloom
- Jun–Jul
- EpNative · NJ
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
The classic pink-purple prairie daisy with a raised copper-brown center. Blooms for months in the height of summer and holds up in a vase or…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Sep
- AcNative · NJ
Serviceberry / Shadbush
Amelanchier canadensis
The first small tree of spring. Clouds of white petals open the same week the shad run in New Jersey rivers — hence 'shadbush' — and small p…
- Type
- Tree
- Bloom
- April
- AiNative · NJ
Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
The pink milkweed. A tidy, upright plant that stays where you plant it — no aggressive runners like Common Milkweed — with clusters of small…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug
- MfNative · NJ
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
The lavender bee balm — cousin of the garden Monarda but tougher, drier, and more disease-resistant. Whorled tufts of dusty-lavender bloom o…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Jun–Aug
- AcNative · NJ
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Nodding red-and-yellow lantern flowers on wiry stems that dance in every breeze. Blooms in April and May when the woodland edge has almost n…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Apr–Jun
- SrNative · NJ
Wrinkleleaf Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa
The workhorse goldenrod. Arching plumes of tiny yellow flowers open on tall stems in late summer and feed more species of pollinator than al…
- Type
- Perennial flower
- Bloom
- Aug–Oct