Landscape Plants That Are Common in New Jersey's Pinelands

Pineland Tree Species

• A good many familiar tree species grow throughout New Jersey’s Pinelands. The dominant species, pitch pine (Pinus rigida), has a distinctive unkempt growth habit on sandy soils and masses of pine cones. It grows between USDA plant hardiness zones 4 through 7. Red maple (Acer rubrum) is another common species, growing in USDA zones 3 through 9. More than a dozen cultivars exist, developed to emphasize various traits like fall color, size and shape. Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), hardy between USDA zones 5 through 9, is a semi-evergreen species with large, creamy-white and fragrant flowers, though the tree is more columnar and the leaves are lighter green in color than Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora, USDA zones 7 through 9). A very large species that is found in the Pinelands is the chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), growing in USDA zones 4 through 8, which can achieve heights of up to 80 feet.

Shrubs

• Many lovely shrubs that are valuable additions to a cultivated landscape also grow wild in the New Jersey Pinelands. Two plants for USDA zones 4 through 9 are red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), featuring clusters of bright white flowers in spring, crimson berries in summer and brilliant red foliage in fall, and swamp azalea (Rhododendron viscosum), which doesn’t require a bog to grow well and has showy flowers that can be smelled even when they can’t be seen. Sweetpepper bush (Clethra alnifolia) also has pleasantly scented flowers, irresistible to bees and butterflies, and grows well from zones 3 to 9. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), named for the curious bristly, round white flowers that appear in late spring, has a wider growing range than other Pine Barrens species, occurring from USDA zones 5 through 10. And no inventory of New Jersey natives would be complete without the highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), with its white bells of spring flowers that fade into June berries. Depending on the variety, highbush blueberry is hardy from USDA zones 3 to 5 through 7.

Groundcovers

• Several species of the New Jersey Pinelands are well suited for covering large areas in the landscape setting. Teaberry, or wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), is best known for the minty flavor of its berries and leaves, used in tea, gum and candy. Bear-berry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) has similarly shaped leaves, but is not fragrant and is technically a low, creeping shrub. The familiar cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) is also a low creeping shrub, producing its distinctive sour berries from September through November. All plants are hardy between USDA zones 3 through 7.

Wetland Species

• The New Jersey Pinelands hosts several water-loving species that would be at home in landscapes with naturally damp, low-lying areas or artificial wetlands. Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) is easily recognizable by its spear-shaped leaves and spikes of purple flowers, and is hardy from USDA zones 3 through 10. Fragrant water-lily (Nymphaea odorata) is a graceful addition to any pond, with its memorable flat, round leaves and sweet-scented, lotus-like flowers. Water-lily is widespread, growing from USDA zones 3 through 11. Finally, the alien-looking pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) hardly needs identification, distinctive with tall, urn-shaped leaves designed for trapping and digesting wayward insects. It truly shines in the wetland once it flowers, when a single rounded flower about the size of a golf ball appears atop long, slender stem. Pitcher plant grows between USDA zones 3 and 9.