If you live in New Jersey and want to know which flowers to plan for each month of the year, check out this handy flower guide and spice up your garden!

Choosing the best foliage and flowers for your garden isn’t all about aesthetics. In fact, it should largely be based on your local climate and what will thrive throughout the year.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if our yards could remain as bright and beautiful as they are in the spring and summer? Unfortunately, this just isn’t a realistic expectation. But with the right flower and foliage choices, your landscape doesn’t have to be a sight for sore eyes as the cool weather approaches.
Check out this handy flower guide on what to plant to suit the New Jersey planting zone…

A Monthly Flower Guide for New Jersey Homeowners

So, what are planting zones anyway?

The USDA has divided the United States into zones based on hardiness. The plant hardiness map considers factors such as sunlight hours, weather changes, and local temperatures. The zone’s proximity to water, elevation, and urban heat effects are also closely monitored.

New Jersey is divided into four planting zones: 6a, 6b, 7a, and 7b. This means that planting and growing in these zones runs, on average, from mid-March to mid-November.

Here are some of the best flowers to plant according to the season and its months…

Spring (March, April, and May)

Spring is a time of new growth and rejuvenation. Every homeowner should capitalize on this time to overhaul their gardens after the frigid winter months.

This is the best time to fill your garden beds with bulbs, and annuals, and perennials that that bloom during late spring, summer, and fall.

Some of the best annual flowers to plant during these months include:

• Pansies
• Bush morning glory
• African marigolds
• Begonias

This is not forgetting a little extra foliage too, such as needle-leafed evergreens. These range from pines, firs, cypress, and spruce trees. They add great depth and texture to your landscape and will keep your yard ”alive” in the cold winter months.

Summer (June, July, and August)

It’s wise to plant in summer to ensure your garden does not look barren as the fall and winter months approach. It is also important to water your plants during the hot summer months to ensure they last through the seasons.

To maintain a little color in your landscape during fall, these are some of the best fall-blooming perennials to plant in summer:

• Sedums
• Asters
• Coneflowers
• Chrysanthemums

These types of perennials tend to bear beautiful, bright blooms including gold, red, and deep purple colors. Plant them in beds, along your garden walkways, as patio borders or in small containers.

Ornamental Grasses
To maintain plenty of texture throughout your landscape during fall, you might want to consider planting ornamental grasses in the summer too. These months are a good time to plant most varieties such as Mondo grass, cattails, baby bamboo, and golden pheasant’s tail.

Ground Cover
Ground cover foliage is also a great way to keep your landscape looking full and lush, even in winter and fall. They are strong, durable plants that carpet the ground and require very little maintenance. Popular ground cover variations include brass buttons and hens-and-chicks.

Drought-Resistant Foliage
Finally, drought-tolerant plants should be any homeowner’s go-to as they are likely to withstand almost any type of weather, year-round. Some fantastic options include butterfly milkweed, crimson-eyed rose mallow, New England aster, and New York ironweed.

Fall (September, October, and November)

You’d be pleased to know that there is a wide variety of colorful plants that do bloom in the fall and some in the winter, too. These flowers are known as fall perennials and include:

• Asters
• Black-eyed Susans
• Russian sage

Otherwise, fall-blooming bulbs are also a popular choice. These can either can be planted in spring or early fall and include:

• Crocus
• Emberglow
• Star-of-Bethlehem

Other late fall and winter-flowering bulbs include the likes of alliums, daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips. But these should always be planted in early to middle fall before the winter cold descends.

Winter (December, January, February)

Should you do much gardening in the winter months? Well, it largely depends on which part of New Jersey you’re based in. The winter months in Northern New Jersey make planting difficult. However, there are still a few hardy variations that can be planted during these months:

• The Christmas rose – these should be planted in shady pots and will bloom from December through to March
• Evergreen camellias – these flowers tend to open up in January and show off a beautiful display of blooms
• Flowering quince – these red-colored blossoms are extremely hardy to winter temperatures
• Snowdrops – unlike other flowers, the snowdrop tends to do the opposite of lie dormant in winter, producing elegant white blooms
• The winterberry – a version of holly, they lose their leaves in late fall, leaving behind bright red berries as ornamental decoration

It’s a known fact that your landscape becomes more about the display of texture than color in the winter months. If you don’t want to fuss over planting blooms in winter, then focus on planting evergreens, ornamental grasses, and ground covers in spring and fall.

Remember that it’s ok to prioritize a mixture of textures during this time. Think tree bark, evergreen foliage, beautiful berries, and subtle blooms.

Looking For Expert Landscaping Services?

We hope this flower guide has given you a good idea of how to plant and grow a beautiful garden, year-round.

If you’re in need of expert landscaping advice or services, High Tech Landscapes is your New Jersey go-to! We specialize in landscape design and build, as well as lawn, tree, and shrub care, and landscape lighting.

Contact our team today for all your professional landscaping needs.