Use these lists to choose native plants for New Jersey gardens, landscapes, restoration projects, and research. The most practical resources are first; deeper county lists and botanical databases follow.
The live page was rebuilt here as a resource hub so visitors can quickly tell whether they need a beginner guide, a garden list, a county spreadsheet, or a research database.
Start Here
These are the best entry points for most gardeners and new members.
| Resource | Best for | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Going Native: Barnegat Bay Watershed | A practical starter guide for landscaping with native plants, created by the Barnegat Bay Partnership and Jersey Friendly Yards. | |
| Going Native Northern NJ | A northern New Jersey adaptation created by Friends of Foote’s Pond Wood with NPSNJ. | |
| Guia de Plantas Nativas | A Spanish translation of the Northern NJ edition. | |
| Jersey Friendly Yards | Garden planning, watershed-friendly landscaping, and plant search tools. | Website |
| Replacing Invasive Plants with Natives | Better alternatives when removing invasive plants from gardens or landscapes. | NPSNJ page |
Garden Plant Lists
Recommended plants for common garden conditions, wildlife goals, and landscape uses.
| Resource | Use it for | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Beautiful Native Plants Year-Round | Seasonal interest across the year. | |
| Native Plants for Wet Places | Rain gardens, damp soil, and wet sites. | |
| Plants for Semishade & Dry Sites | Dry shade and partly shaded gardens. | |
| Plants for Woodland | Woodland edges and shady naturalized areas. | |
| Wildflowers for Shade | Shady gardens and woodland wildflowers. | |
| NJ Native Butterfly Host Plants | Larval host plants for butterflies. | |
| NJ Butterfly Nectar Plants | Nectar resources for adult butterflies. | Excel |
| Plants for Pollinators | Regional pollinator planting recommendations. | |
| Deer “Resistant” Native Plants | Plants deer tend to browse less heavily. |
Native Trees
Tree and tall shrub lists are grouped separately because many visitors arrive here looking for landscaping or street tree choices.
| Resource | Use it for | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Trees by County: Atlantic to Essex | County-level native trees and tall shrubs. | Excel |
| Trees by County: Gloucester to Morris | County-level native trees and tall shrubs. | Excel |
| Trees by County: Ocean to Warren | County-level native trees and tall shrubs. | Excel |
| Small Native Trees for Landscaping | Smaller trees for yards and gardens. | |
| Large and Small Native Trees for Landscaping | Broader landscape tree selection. | |
| Street Trees for NJ Outside the Pine Barrens | Street tree choices outside the Pine Barrens. |
County Native Plant Lists
These spreadsheets list native vascular plants by New Jersey county. Vascular plants include trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, sedges, rushes, and ferns. The lists are based on the USDA PLANTS Database and are useful starting points, but botanical databases vary in accuracy and update frequency.
State Conservation Data
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Natural Heritage Program tracks rare plant species and plant species of concern. These sources are most useful when you need status, distribution, or conservation context rather than a simple garden recommendation.
| Resource | Use it for | Format |
|---|---|---|
| NJDEP Natural Heritage Biotics Database | Lists of rare plants and Natural Heritage Program data, including county-level information. | Website |
| All NJ Vascular Plants – Scientific Name Sort | Sortable spreadsheet of New Jersey vascular plants, native and introduced. | Excel |
| All NJ Vascular Plants – Common Name Sort | Sortable spreadsheet of New Jersey vascular plants, native and introduced. | Excel |
How to read the plant data columns
Some spreadsheets include scientific name, common name, native or introduced status, family, plant category, wetland indicator status, ecoregion distribution, growth form, and conservation fields such as coefficient of conservatism. These fields are useful for restoration planning, but they can be more detailed than most home gardeners need.
Wetland indicator abbreviations include OBL for obligate wetland plants, FAC for facultative plants, and UPL for upland plants. Coefficient of conservatism values can help identify plants associated with less disturbed habitats. Plants with high conservation value may not be the easiest choices for ordinary garden conditions.
Research Databases
These databases can disagree because they have different purposes, update cycles, and geographic methods. For garden decisions, start with the NPSNJ guides above. For range, taxonomy, and conservation questions, compare multiple sources and use scientific names whenever possible.
| Database | What it is good for | Links |
|---|---|---|
| BONAP | Detailed North American plant distribution maps, including county-level range information and native/introduced distinctions. | BONAP Taxonomic Data Center Genus maps by county Genus maps by state Map color key |
| USDA PLANTS Database | A broad, searchable plant database with standardized plant names, maps, characteristics, and ecological information. | USDA PLANTS Database |
| bplant.org | Plant distribution and ecology organized around ecoregions rather than only political boundaries. | bplant.org |
| NatureServe Explorer | Conservation status, taxonomy, distribution, life history, and conservation data. | NatureServe search Conservation status ranks About the data |
| Flora of North America | Botanical treatments for native and naturalized plants in North America north of Mexico. | Flora of North America |