· Gardening · Ortiz Landscaping & Tree Services
Native plants have spent thousands of years adapting to New Jersey's soils, summer heat and cold winters. Once they are established, many need less watering and less care than imported ornamentals, and they feed the bees, butterflies and birds that depend on them.
Sunny beds
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): tough, long-blooming and a pollinator favorite. Leave the seed heads in fall for goldfinches.
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia): bright gold flowers from mid to late summer and very easy to grow.
- Bee balm (Monarda): loved by hummingbirds and bees. Give it good air flow to limit mildew.
- Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa): an orange milkweed for dry, sunny spots and a host plant for monarchs.
- Little bluestem: a compact native grass with blue-green summer color and copper tones in fall.
Shade and part shade
- Wild geranium and foamflower: spring-blooming groundcovers for woodland edges.
- Christmas fern: an evergreen fern that stays green through winter.
- Coral bells (Heuchera americana): colorful foliage for lightly shaded beds.
Native shrubs
- Inkberry holly: an evergreen alternative for foundation plantings.
- Summersweet (Clethra): fragrant late-summer flowers and tolerant of damp soil.
- Arrowwood viburnum: white spring flowers, berries for birds and good fall color.
- Oakleaf hydrangea: large flower panicles and striking red fall foliage.
Getting started
Match each plant to its light and soil. Plant in groups of three or more of the same plant for a fuller look, and mulch new beds to hold moisture and limit weeds while plants fill in. Natives still need regular water during their first season; after that, many get by on rainfall in a normal year.
A tidy look with natives
A native garden does not have to look wild. Crisp bed edges, a clean mulch layer, a defined lawn border and plants grouped in drifts keep it looking intentional, especially in a front yard.
Want help planning a new bed? Our seeding and planting and mulching services can get it in the ground. Call (609) 454-7355 or request a free quote.