Old Bumble’s Current Plant Availability List
We add more plants as they become ready for market, so check back for updates.
The first question may have: What is a Native Plant?
“What is a native plant?”
This is a common question we get from folks stopping by our tent at the farmers market. The answer is simple and also nuanced. The textbook USDA answer to this question is that they are “the indigenous terrestrial and aquatic species that have evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and habitat.” There’s a bunch buried in that very intersectional statement that places the plant in an evolutionary context, and also relates it to qualities of the place in which it developed, and the relationships it naturally has with the other living and non-living (climate, geology, etc) elements in its location. Native plants naturally grow well in the places they’ve historically developed, and also provide ecosystem services to the living food webs around them. They create habitat and provide food as host plants, and through the nectar and pollen they provide during the process of flowering.
A second part of the USDA description–where humans come in to the description–is that native plants (in the United States) are “those occurring on the continent prior to European settlement.” It is important to note that humans have been on our continent for thousands of years prior to the arrival of European immigrants, and for the majority of the time, the only plants that were here were “native” plants and these were often managed by the pre-colonial occupants of the continent. With the arrival of new peoples came new plants, introduced to the indigenous landscape for production of Western food, medicine, and other functional and ornamental uses. Many of these introduced plants benefited from general similarities of the environmental conditions of soil, hydrology and climate to their place of origin to allow transplantation, but without the evolutionary controls in which they developed. Because of this, these introduced plants often lack the reciprocal ecological benefits to their new ecological context. This concept of mutualism has been fundamental to how plants have existed and developed through the ages, as floral structures relied on pollinator physiology and how that physiology was, in turn, shaped by the changes in flower form.
Experienced gardeners will note it is always important to consider the needs of a plant you’ll add to your garden before adding the plant, but it is equally important to consider what that plant gives back. (photo: Helen’s Flower (Helenium autumnale)
Why Native Plants Matter
Why is it important to plant native plants?
Plants are the elemental building blocks of life on Earth. They create an atmosphere that is breathable, a climate that is habitable and the food that all diets are eventually built upon. Because of the fundamental role plants play in the ecological communities of a place, the presence of one type of plant versus another can determine how well that place will promote or inhibit biodiversity. While flower blooms often dictate if and which perennial plants will be selected for a home landscape, plants also serve as hosts for the larval stages of many insects, like the milkweed hosts Monarch butterfly caterpillars. Host plants feed through the consumption of their foliage. The continued presence of milkweed (Asclepias) plants will determine whether the Monarch butterfly will continue to grace our planet in the years ahead or succumb to extinction. The common violet which appears in your yard is the host plant for fritillary butterflies. Trees and shrubs are also host plants. The presence of healthy native oak, cherry and other trees will determine whether bird species like the Carolina chickadee will continue to be able to find enough spring and summer caterpillars to feed their nestlings. The birds evolved with reliance on the caterpillars as food source, and the caterpillars evolved with reliance on the host plants which grow where both birds and caterpillars make their home. Remove the host plant and you’ve removed all those who rely on its presence.
(Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS)
“What is a non-native plant?”
A non-native plant is a plant which hasn’t historically developed/lived in an area and has been introduced to that area–usually by some form of human activity. How the plant functions in its new location determines whether it is harmful to the ecological context of its surroundings, and that context results in some of these plants being labeled ‘invasive.’ Some of the most common invasive species in New Jersey are Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergia), Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), and Winged Euonymus known as Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) among others. English Ivy and Burning Bush have enjoyed many years of availability through the nursery trade. This recently changed with legislation signed by Governor Phil Murphy outlawing the sale of these two and other invasive plant species starting in 2027. Other invasive species like Japanese Stiltgrass, Multiflora Rose and Knotweed haven’t needed commercial distribution to spread across the New Jersey landscape in backyards, state parks and roadsides. They are skilled and opportunistic travelers.
Many of these plants are considered a nuisance in a garden setting, but some, like Japanese Barberry, are now considered a vector for Lyme and other tick-transmitted diseases, directly connecting human health with the proliferation of invasive species.
Not all non-native plants are invasive. But many non-native plants benefit from the fact that they are not a connected part of the ecosystem they find themselves in. Without having insects and herbivores to feed on them, some can out-compete native plant populations, displacing the not only the plants, but the services these plants provide to the environment. As a result, many species of animals who have developed with and rely on those native plant ecosystem services are disappearing with the displaced native plants, leaving an ever increasing proportion of plants which provide little or no ecosystem services. By selecting native plants for your garden, you’ll benefit from the formal qualities that plant, its flower and foliage bring to your garden composition, and the additional benefit of supporting local wildlife. (photo: Monarch caterpillar resting on the leaf of a native host plant Rose milkweed (Asclepias incarnata).
Current Plant Availability
We grow plants for sales between May and October. Unless a plant is in its second or third year of growth, many of our perennials will not flower in the first year of growth. With a few exceptions, all of our plants are considered ‘perennial’ plants–if planted wisely and given support during their establishment, they will return year after year. We note if a plant is an annual (lives one growing season only) or biennial (generally lives two growing seasons, with flowering usually in the second year). Some perennials are short-lived, behaving more like a biennial (or ‘triennal?’) Most native perennials will thrive year after year if planted in an appropriate location. Our plants are grown with the expectation that they’ll be planted in New Jersey and specifically in the Ecoregions in and around Burlington County, New Jersey.
Many native perennials like Mountain Mint and Coreopsis do well when you divide them in the late fall or early spring. This allows you the opportunity to limit growth in one spot and add more plants to another location on your property. Do some research on the plants in your garden about if/when to divide, but in general, it is never a good idea to divide plants when they are flowering, which is a big energy drain on the plants.
Click here to see our current plant availability and search by plant features, planting conditions and ecological benefits. (Photo: Agastache foeniculum / Anise hyssop at the Farmers Market)
Plant Lists by Site Conditions
The lists below group plants we usually grow by general site conditions, or environmental benefits or pressures. These lists are intended as a starting point for exploration and it can be helpful to look for overlap between lists that represent the conditions of your planting location. Note plant availability varies and we may not have all plants listed at all times.
Plants for sunny, dry conditions
Click here for a list of our plants for full and part sun with mostly dry soil.
Plants for sunny, wet conditions
Click here for a list of our plants for full and part sun with moist soil.
Plants tolerant of Walnut Trees
Juglans nigra, the Black Walnut tree, is a common shade tree with graceful, vase-shaped form in the Eastern United States. It is a great wildlife tree and also the source of walnuts for foraging. It presents challenges to the gardener in its reported use of a natural chemical chemical called ‘juglone’ in a processed called allelopathy, a form of arboreal chemical warfare. Juglone is harmless to animals who come in contact with the tree or consume walnuts, but it is known to present challenges to nearby plants which come into contact with tree roots or leaves. Some research has stated the allelopathic properties of juglone is overstated. Click here for a list of our plants known for tolerance to be near Walnut trees.
Plants with clay soil tolerance
Click here for a list of our plants known to have tolerance to heavy, clay soils.
Plants with deer browse resistance
Click here for a list of our plants known to resist browse by deer, rabbits and groundhogs. Be sure to investigate further if browse by any one animal is particularly of issue on your property–sometimes deer will avoid a plant that rabbits consider a delicacy!
Beneficial plants for birds
Almost all native plants provide benefits to birds in the insects they host (which baby birds eat in great quantities), the seeds or nectar they provide to adult birds, and the habitat they create when allowed to persist through the seasons. Click here for a list of particularly beneficial plants, but almost any native plant will have multiple benefits to birds.
Planting Tips
Gardening is a process. Discovery and failure are an important part of that process. Here are some tips to help avoid the latter.
Know your soil before planting (or even buying). Know the soil pH (acidity to alkalinity). Does it drain well or hold water. If you’ve not done a soil test, consider doing one.
Don’t have a big/yard? You can plant many native plants in pots. We experiment in the nursery and have had success with a variety of perennials including Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum), Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa), and more! Try to keep the container you are planting in shaded and use a good potting mix.
It is best to make a garden plan before installing plants. Consider mature height and width of plants, access to sunlight, access to rain water, and composition.
Never plant plants on very hot days or in hot soil. Try to plant when it is cool–in early morning or evening. Don’t install plants when the soil is waterlogged after heavy rain.
Keep plants watered, but not over-watered. Water at the base of the plant whenever possible. Avoid spraying on top of the plant, if possible. Be sure to get the plant through its establishment period-especially the first year of establishment. Many plants should be good on their own after being established in the first season, but take your cues from the plant.
You can free plant roots from the shape they developed in the nursery pot, but be gentle. Roots are complex structures designed for feeding, breathing and holding a plant to the earth. In perennial plants, they are the full-time living part of the plant. Be gentle with them, especially if the plant is small.
Don’t over-mulch. Much can form an impenetrable barrier for rain and watering, especially if it is applied too thick. Much can steal nitrogen from the soil that you plant in as it breaks down. Mulch can also prevent plants from self-seeding and filling is the spaces in your garden. Pine bark mulch (not wood chips) adds to soil quality, rather than detracts. Use only organic mulch if you use it and never use rubber, plastic, stones or other inorganic materials. Mulch can also prevent bumblebees and other pollinators and members of the food web from moving from ground to surface. Consider ‘leaving the leaves’ as a mulching practice and skipping hardwood mulch, altogether. Mother Nature doesn’t use it!
Avoid pesticides of all types, including those labeled organic. Most are non-selective and will harm all insects, which impacts birds and the other residents of your property. If you see a caterpillar, aphids or another insect on your plant, don’t panic. Check to see if they are significantly damaging the plant before removing. Many native plants are ‘host’ plants–they host the larval stage of a butterfly or moth before it becomes the butterfly or moth. When we remove the caterpillars, we remove the butterfly and the baby birds who are fed caterpillars.
Take time to watch who visits your garden of native plants. Look at different times of day and from different vantage points. The more you look, the more you’ll start to see the amazing variety of life that surrounds us when we choose plants that provide ecosystem services. It is at this point that your garden will become a botanical theatre of life, rather than a collection of landscape objects to look at and maintain.
