New Jersey State Plant: Common Meadow Violet
The common meadow violet (Viola sororia) is a low-growing perennial with heart-shaped leaves and five-petaled blooms in deep purple to pale lavender. It spreads quietly through damp meadows, woodland edges, and shaded lawns across New Jersey, flowering from early April into June.
Schoolchildren championed the violet for decades before the legislature finally named it the official state flower in 1971 — a modest, resilient native that thrives in nearly every county. Its nectar feeds early spring pollinators, and its leaves host the caterpillars of fritillary butterflies, making it as ecologically generous as it is beautiful.
- 1971 Designated state flower
- Apr–Jun Peak blooming season
- 21 Counties where it grows
From native wildflowers and trees to backyard tomatoes, herbs, berries, and colorful garden flowers, New Jersey can support an incredible variety of plants. Explore the different types of plants you can grow in the Garden State and learn how to choose plants that fit your garden, landscape, and local growing conditions.
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New Jersey Native Plants
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Native plants occur naturally in the region and are especially valuable for creating gardens that support New Jersey's native wildlife. Explore native wildflowers, grasses, ferns, shrubs, and other plants suited to the Garden State.
The Native Plant Society of New Jersey specifically categorizes native vegetation into forms including herbs/forbs, grasses and other graminoids, shrubs, trees, and subshrubs.
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Featured Plant — Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed
With clusters of bright orange flowers, Butterfly Weed is a New Jersey native milkweed that adds summer color to the garden while providing an important plant for native insects and pollinators.
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🍅 Vegetables
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Vegetables for New Jersey Gardens
Grow fresh vegetables right in your New Jersey backyard. This section will cover warm-season crops such as tomatoes and peppers as well as cool-season vegetables including lettuce, spinach, peas, and other garden favorites.
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Featured Plant — Tomato
Tomato
One of the most popular plants in the summer vegetable garden, tomatoes thrive during New Jersey's warm growing season when provided plenty of sunlight, fertile soil, and consistent care.
Rutgers recommends at least 8 hours of direct sunlight for tomatoes and provides a dedicated New Jersey home-garden tomato guide.
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🌱 Herbs
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Herbs
Herbs are ideal for garden beds, raised beds, and containers. Explore culinary and aromatic herbs that can be grown during New Jersey's gardening season and learn when to plant, harvest, and care for them.
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Featured Plant — Basil
Basil
A favorite warm-season herb, basil produces fragrant leaves throughout summer and pairs especially well with another New Jersey garden favorite—fresh tomatoes.
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🫐 Fruits & Berries
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Fruits & Berries
From backyard berry bushes to fruit trees, New Jersey gardeners can grow many kinds of fruit. Learn which plants fit your space and what they need to produce healthy crops.
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Featured Plant — Highbush Blueberry
Highbush Blueberry
Blueberries are closely associated with New Jersey and can make productive landscape plants when their specific soil and growing requirements are met.
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🌸 Flowers
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Garden Flowers
Add color to beds, borders, containers, and pollinator gardens with flowers suited to New Jersey's growing season. Explore annuals and perennials along with information about sunlight, bloom times, and garden care.
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Featured Plant — Zinnia
Zinnia
Zinnias are colorful warm-season annuals that flower through much of summer and provide an easy way to bring long-lasting color into a sunny garden.
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🌳 Trees
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Trees
Trees provide shade, structure, seasonal interest, and habitat. Explore trees suitable for New Jersey landscapes and learn about their mature size, growing conditions, and wildlife value.
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Featured Plant — Red Maple
Red Maple
A familiar native tree, Red Maple brings changing color to the landscape and can be found naturally across much of the eastern United States, including New Jersey.
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🌿 Shrubs
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Shrubs
Shrubs can form hedges, provide privacy, create wildlife habitat, or simply add flowers and foliage to a landscape. We'll explore both native and commonly cultivated shrubs appropriate for New Jersey gardens.
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Featured Plant — Spicebush
Spicebush
A native woodland shrub, Spicebush produces small yellow flowers early in the season and can be an excellent choice for adding native plant diversity to a partially shaded landscape.
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