When you select flowers to plant in your garden, you want to take many things into consideration.
Flowers should:
- Thrive in your planting zone
- Need your garden’s light and soil conditions
- Bloom when you want color
- Be able to co-exist with your property’s wildlife (deer and smaller critters)
- Fit any specific height requirements
In New Jersey, we are lucky to have many beautiful flowers to choose from. Here are some of the most popular garden flowers—beautiful flowers to plant in your garden in New Jersey.
Petunias
Petunias are among the most popular garden flowers in New Jersey,. You see petunias in so many gardens, but you never tire of them. They are brightly colored, bloom for months, and fill the area with an inviting fragrance.
Some gardeners enjoy the fact that old blooms don’t need to be removed to make room for new blooms. This process is called deadheading. And this makes petunias low maintenance.
Petunias also do well in the heat. You don’t need to worry about them wilting or stop blooming during the summer months.
Since most varieties of petunias don’t grow too tall, they make a colorful edging for your garden space.
- Planting Zone—Grow as annuals in all zones, tender perennial in zones 9-11
- Size at maturity—6”-24” tall, up to 36” wide
- Bloom time—From spring to early frost
- Attracts—Hummingbirds and butterflies
- Color varieties—A wide variety of colors including yellow, pink, purple, red, blue, white, striped, or multicolored
- Deer Resistant—No. Deer find them delicious
- Light—Do best with 5-6 hours of sunlight every day
- Heat—Thrive at 40°-90° Fahrenheit temperatures
- Soil Needs—Drought tolerant but flowers best when in well-drained, moist soil
- Critter Concerns—Enjoyed by chipmunks, mice, squirrels, and rabbits
- Grows Well In—Gardens and containers
Aster
The aster is a colorful, hardy perennial flower that is a staple in many New Jersey gardens.
It’s one of the last plants to flower in NJ gardens, so they are a popular addition to gardens planted for year-round color.
Aster blooms are at their finest from late summer until late fall. When other garden flowers are fading, asters are just starting to delight!
They have a high drought tolerance. If you go away on vacation and you’re not expecting rain, you won’t need to worry about the asters.
- Planting Zone—Zones 3-8
- Size at maturity—12 inches to 4 feet
- Bloom time—Flowers in late summer through fall
- Attracts—A late season source of pollen for bees and food source for butterflies
- Color varieties—Cool blues, hot pinks, bright purples, reds, whites, lilac and mauve
- Deer Resistant—A good deer resistant flower
- Light—Enjoy full sun. Tolerate part shade but will reduce the number of blooms.
- Heat—Heat-tolerant
- Soil Needs—Soil should be moist but well-drained. Does not do well in wet clay or dry sandy soil. Is drought-tolerant and tolerates poor soil conditions.
- Critter Concerns—Check for spider mites and lace bugs
- Grows Well In—Can grow in gardens or containers. Containers should have plenty of space for root expansion but avoid too-large containers
Snapdragons
Intricately shaped snapdragons are a favorite of New Jersey gardeners. These tubular flowering perennials grow on a tall stem. They add depth, interest, and variety to your garden landscape.
The flowers come in dwarf, intermediate or tall varieties, so they can play different roles in your garden—from borders to backdrops.
Snapdragons bloom best in the cool spring and fall. In milder climates, they can even bloom throughout the winter.
Snapdragons are comfortable in a light frost down to 28° Fahrenheit, or possibly even colder. They enjoy cooler weather as opposed to heat. Snapdragons are in their glory when nighttime temps are in the low 40s and daytime temperatures reach the low 70s.
Mulch these perennials in the fall and you should see healthy regrowth in the spring.
- Planting Zone—winter hardy in planting zones 7-11
- Size at maturity—grow from a few inches to almost 4 feet tall
- Bloom time—Blooms in cooler or milder weather, not in summer heat, and then re-blooms in the fall
- Attracts—Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds
- Color varieties—Come in almost every color from pastel to vivid hues of pink, yellow, orange, purple, white, red, and bicolor
- Deer Resistant—Deer avoid these flowers, they are sometimes used to repel deer and other wildlife
- Light—Blooms best in full sun or partial shade
- Heat—Will not bloom in heat
- Soil Needs—Require rich, frequently watered, well-drained soiled
- Critter Concerns—Wildlife does not eat snapdragons
- Grows Well In—Containers and garden
Daylily
Daylilies are a favorite for adding drama to New Jersey gardens. They are showy with their impressive height, have uniquely beautiful blooms, and provide lots of color. Daylilies are also low maintenance, thriving in both warmer and cooler climates.
Their cup-like shape blooms make them a popular nectar source for hummingbirds.
Daylilies are great for starter gardens. They will quickly fill out your garden, giving it a well-established look in a shorter amount of time.
Their impressive height makes them a good flower to add color in front of your home foundation or shrubs.
They are excellent for erosion control, groundcover, and weed control.
Most varieties bloom in early summer, but different varieties can bloom in spring through fall. Some daylilies even have two blooming seasons.
- Planting Zone—Zones 4-9
- Size at maturity—Can range in height from 8 inches-5 feet tall. Flowers can range from 2”-8”
- Bloom time—Most varieties have peak blooms in early summer
- Attracts—Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds
- Color varieties—All colors, including many shades of colors from palest to deep yellows, gold, oranges, reds, and pinks
- Deer Resistant—Deer will happily munch on these
- Light—Enjoy six or more hours full sun/day
- Heat—Cold-hardy and heat-tolerant
- Soil Needs—Do best in slightly moist, well-drained soil
- Critter Concerns—Squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits enjoy the vitamin-rich bulbs
- Grow Well In—Containers and garden
Looking for more ways to have a beautiful garden? Read our blog posts on
Need help to plan a beautiful garden for your home, community, or business? Contact us at Landscape Solutions for great design ideas and landscape services.
