Some plants you never heard of that will grow in New Jersey

Do you ever go to your local nursery and find the same plants year after year after year. Impatiens, Black Eyed Susans, Petunias, Hostas, etc, etc. None are bad plants, but everyone has them and that can get boring.

So how about some things you never thought would survive those freezing cold winters. Nothing like north of Bergen County, but nonetheless, it gets pretty cold here on the New Jersey/New York border during the winter.

How about an Impatiens that comes back year after year, even in New Jersey. Not from seed, but like any other perennial. What about a Begonia. Not an annual, but one that looks tropical and comes back year after year and also survives the snow and ice. Or something strange from China that looks like a purple bottle brush!

Here are some of the stranger plants that you might not find at your local nursery, ok you won't find at your local nursery, but can be grown just like any plant you would find locally in New Jersey. These plants are very hardy.

Impatiens Omeiana - The photo is not from our garden as my photographer (Chelsea, my daughter) is on vacation in Vancouver Washington. So I borrowed this from another website. But we have 6 clumps of this and they look about the same. They form a ground cover with yellow flowers in late summer/fall. Pretty deer resistant for some reason as well.

Easily divided to increase your plants. Plants never form seed pods. Someone who has more knowledge of this plant will probably tell me it doesn't go to seed.


Remember no photographer, so this is a photo from one of our favorite nurseries website, LazySSFarms. But our plants look just like this. Ours probably even have a bit larger leaves.

Begonia Grandis ssp evansiana - A bit late to come up in the spring which makes you worry each time that it may have succumbed to the cold.

Really easy plant to grow, multiplies well and can be divided easy as well to multiply your plants. Great woodland plant!






Japanese Shrub Mint. Leucosceptrum stellipilum. Pretty cool woodland plant. Deer have not touched this plant in over 8 years. Forms a nice low shrubby plant. In late fall, the blooms
appear, ours have many more flowers than this and are finer. Giving the impression of a bottle brush.

I have tried to grow this from cuttings but with no success. Not because they never rooted but chipmunks and squirrels have dug up each rooting I replanted as if I was hiding some nuts under the plant. Have no idea why, but the have done it time after time.

So I have patiently divided the original plant over the years. Now I have about 4 plants. The leaves look a bit velvety. I think this plant is related to Hydrangeas but I could be wrong. In any case, this is a really cool plant and deserves a chance in any ones garden.

While every garden looks good with some masses of plants, and we have that as well. It is the small nooks and crannies and the way plants grow together in size, leaf shape, leaf color, and flower that creates the perfect landscape. But our plants need to serve a purpose for wildlife. The begonia attracts the hummingbirds, as well as the Mint Bush that also serves a bit of nectar late in year for the Monarchs prior to their migration to Mexico. The Impatiens makes a great ground cover, growing along side ginger, it creates cover for toads, salamanders and Wood Frogs.

Will post another three really cool plants soon that should be in all nurseries and in your garden.