Going Native in NJ

If you are planning this fall for your yard or garden next spring, pass up the imported ornamentals and go native instead.

Native plants are those that are naturally found in New Jersey. Because they have adapted to our climate and soil conditions they require far less care, fewer pesticides, fewer fertilizers, and less water than plants that aren’t native to New Jersey. They provide natural habitats and nesting areas for wildlife and birds, and provide beneficial biodiversity.

Many plants that people brought to New Jersey years ago as ornamentals – planted to be pretty and decorative – have escaped and become invasive. Invasive plants can come from anywhere in the world. Because they are have been removed their natural habitat they are free from their usual predators and competition. If growing conditions are just right, they can even out compete native plants, replacing healthy habitats with fast-growing monocultures.

Heidi Mass, a Master Gardener of Mercer County, points out a handful of escaped ornamentals that are taking over wild spaces in New Jersey, including the Plainsboro Preserve woodlands: Shrubs such as barberry and burning bush can now be found in the wild. The Ailanthus tree, originally from Japan, can grow in places most trees around here can’t. Pawlonia, the empress tree, with its huge leaves and fragrant purple flowers, can take over empty lots as well. Russian olive and multiflora rose, both imported originally to control erosion, out compete native plants so well that they now can be found almost anywhere. Even the pear tree has escaped.

eNature.com lists 38 common invasive ornamental plants in New Jersey. Among them are the Scots pine, Norway maple, northern catalpa, butterfly bush, border privet, several honeysuckles, and black locust. eNature.com also lets you search by state for native plants. Their New Jersey list gives 102 suggestions, from trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to aquatic plants and even cacti. If you’re looking for a comprehensive list of New Jersey’s native plants, the American Littoral Society provides one.

If you want to go native, Ms. Mass suggests taking a look at the Master Gardeners of Mercer County’s native plant garden at the Equestrian Center on Federal City Road in Hopewell. Unfortunately, native plants aren’t easily purchased because not many greenhouses specialize in them. The Native Plant Society of New Jersey lists sixteen retail and two wholesale native plant nurseries.