Native Plants for New Jersey

The New Jersey Pine Barrens occupy a large share of the southern half of the state: more than a million acres of pitch pine and scrub oak growing on deep, acidic, nutrient-poor sand over an enormous aquifer. Fire has shaped the whole system, and many of its plants depend on it.

The flora there is genuinely distinctive. Acid-loving heaths, carnivorous plants in the wet swales, orchids, and a set of species with narrow ranges make the Pinelands one of the more remarkable botanical regions in the eastern states. Gardeners on that sand should plant into it rather than against it: blueberry, sheep laurel, bearberry, and the pine barrens grasses ask for exactly what the ground provides.

North and west, the state changes completely. The Piedmont across the center carries clay soils and the state's densest development. The Highlands and the Kittatinny Ridge in the northwest are older, rockier, and colder, with limestone valleys in places. Along the shore, salt and wind dominate.

The most crowded state, and what that means

New Jersey has the highest population density in the country, and most gardens here are small, near pavement, and surrounded by development. Two consequences follow.

Urban and suburban heat raises effective winter minimums, and compacted fill soil around newer construction behaves nothing like the region's natural soils. Test what you actually have rather than assuming the county soil survey applies to a yard that was graded twenty years ago.

Small gardens also mean species choice matters more. Aggressive spreaders that would be an asset on an acre become a problem on a quarter of one. Choose clump-forming natives for small beds and save the colonizers for larger ground.

Deer, and planting for pressure

Deer pressure is high through much of the state. Build a planting mainly from low-preference species, and protect the rest while it establishes. Ferns, sedges, grasses, mountain mint, and the aromatic-leaved natives fare best.

Fall planting works well across most of New Jersey, with a long enough autumn to root before summer.

Confirming what is native to your county

The Native Plant Society of New Jersey runs chapters statewide and maintains guidance on locally appropriate species, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Natural Heritage Program documents rare species and natural communities. The Pinelands Commission publishes plant guidance specific to the Pinelands National Reserve, which is where a Pine Barrens gardener should start.

Sources: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Natural Heritage Program (natural communities and rare species); New Jersey Pinelands Commission (Pinelands flora and landscaping guidance); USDA PLANTS Database (native status by state).