July 2013
Maybe a year ago or more now, someone put a “poison pen” note in my mailbox. It said, “Ten years ago this house was so beautiful and now it is the worse [sic] house on the block. You should be ashamed!” My landscaping is definitely unconventional. I recycle old car tires and use them as raised beds. I have lots of unruly bushes and trees in my front yard, as well as a cinder-block cold frame. My flower beds are always absolutely overflowing with an exuberance of plants. Since I don’t use pesticides or herbicides (other than an occasional shot of Poison Ivy killer), a host of bumblebees, butterflies, and other assorted insects are always buzzing around, and my lawn is full of clover, violets, and other “weeds” that I often actually planted in the grass myself on purpose (although I wish I could get rid of the Creeping Charlie that came uninvited).
I’m proud of the many kinds of plants that I’ve collected and successfully grown over the last nine years. I think of myself very much as a plant collector (or maybe even a plantaholic). My gardens may not always be the most beautiful to everyone (as the “poison pen” note certainly illustrates), but my life is full of flowers and fruits and bumblebees and stories about plants (where they came from, how they grew in my grandmothers’ gardens or down by the creek behind my childhood home in Illinois, how they were grown by medieval monks or by the Founding Fathers or by the Victorians, how the most unexpected plants can be tasty to eat and healthy too, which plants are native here and which are guilty pleasures – i.e., exotic invasives).
I’ve had lots of failures. I can’t seem to grow tomatoes, for example. I’ve been unable to get Cosmos or Bachelor’s Buttons to self-seed. Sometimes I feel as though easy plants won’t grow for me, but I can get really temperamental stuff to thrive. Of course, I haven’t had the best of luck at growing Frangipani either, and I’m pretty sure that my Cinnamon Tree, which I was so excited to get last year, is dead (because I put it out on the sun porch too early this spring). So, maybe I’m not all that foolproof even with the temperamental stuff.
Below is an attempt to list all the plants that are growing in my gardens right now (July 2013). A few (as noted below) are not necessarily thriving or may even be dead at this point, although I’ve tried to leave out plants that have definitely died out. Sometimes it’s hard to tell in the crowded flower beds whether something is still there or not. I’ve also probably forgotten a few things here and there; I’ll be sure to add to the list anything that I remember or re-discover during the course of this summer. There are also a few plants that I haven’t been able to identify, because they just showed up spontaneously in my flower beds – invaders from the wild. I think I’ve got some kind of wild Fleabane, for example, in several beds now (4 feet tall with lots of small, white, Fleabane-like flowers). Given the list below, I figure that I’m currently growing around 300 different species of plant on just a third of an acre, most from seed that I planted myself and painstakingly nurtured along. When my Flowering Maple last year produced seed, I planted those seeds and got a new generation of Flowering Maples. I almost felt like a grandfather. The original Flowering Maple was one of the first plants that I ever started to grow in this house.
I’m not going to keep this list updated in the future (as new plants germinate and grow – and old plants disappear). I want to leave this page unchanged – as a snapshot of what my plant inventory was during one particular summer. I like the idea of re-compiling this list every few years from scratch and then comparing to see which plants have thrived and which have failed over time – to have a record of how my gardens change and evolve as the years go by.
I should probably say that I live in Ewing, New Jersey (on the cusp of American Horticultural Society plant hardiness zones 6 and 7). If you have questions about my experiences with any of the plants listed here, feel free to email me (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu). I’ll be happy to share anything that I know or have learned through my trials and (many) errors. Incidentally, I list the source(s) where I got the seed or plants for each entry below, but 1.) I’m not always 100% sure that the source I’ve listed is really the source of my plants/seed, and 2.) I’m not necessarily endorsing these sources (especially since, in some cases, I’ve stopped doing business with some of them because of the poor performance of their plants/seed or because of poor customer service). If you have questions about online nurseries or seed retailers, I recommend that you visit the Garden Watchdog Guide to Gardening by Mail at Dave’s Garden; it’s a great resource with customer reviews of mail-order gardening companies. Some of the other web sites that I’ve had occasion to consult frequently include (roughly in order of greatest usefulness to me)
-
- the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder,
- Dr. John Hilty’s Illinois Wildflowers,
- Plants for a Future,
- Rob’s Plants,
- Floridata,
- Paghat’s Garden,
- the Native Plant Database of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,
- the Connecticut Botanical Society’s Gallery of Connecticut Wildflowers,
- the Plant Fact Sheets of North Carolina State University’s Department of Horticulture,
- the Garden Web,
- Minnesota Wildflowers,
- the Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin,
- the Native Plant Society of New Jersey,
- USWildflowers.com, and
- Grow Native!.
2015 Update:
I’ve changed my mind, and I’m going to make notes and additions below to update the information as of June 2, 2015, but I will leave all the 2013 information intact as I originally recorded it.
2018 Addition:
While reading La Nouvelle Héloïse, Part 4, Letter XI, on August 11, 2018, I came upon an apt epigraph for my gardens from Jean-Jacques Rousseau:
En entrant dan ce prétendu verger, je fus frappé d’une agréable sensation de fraicheur que d’obscurs ombrages, une verdure animée et vive, des fleurs éparses de tous côtés, un gazouillement d’eau courante et le chant de mille oiseaux porterent à mon imagination du moins autant qu’à mes sens; mais en mème tems je crus voir le lieu le plus sauvage, le plus solitaire de la nature, et il me sembloit d’être le premier mortel qui jamais eut pénétré dans ce desert…. Que fera donc l’homme de goût qui vit pour vivre, qui sait jouïr de lui-même, qui cherche les plaisirs vrais et simples, et qui veut se fair une promenade à la porte de sa maison? Il la fera si comode et si agréable qu’il s’y puisse plaire à toutes les heures de la journée, et pourtant si simple et si naturelle qu’il semble n’avoir rien fait. Il rassemblera l’eau, la verdure, l’ombre et la fraîcheur; car la nature aussi rassemble toutes ces choses. Il ne donnera à rien de la simétrie; elle est ennemie de la nature et de la variété, et toutes les allées d’un jardin ordinaire se ressemblent si fort qu’on croit être toujours dans la même. Il élaguera le terrain pour s’y promener commodément; mais les deux côtés de ses allées ne seront point toujours exactement paralleles; la direction n’en sera pas toujours en ligne droite; elle aura je ne sais quoi de vague comme la démarche d’un homme oisif qui erre en se promenant: il ne s’inquiétera point de se percer au loin de belles perspectives.
| Plant | Botanical Name | Source(s) | 2013 Notes | 2015 Update |
| African Gardenia | Mitriostigma axillare | Logee’s (plant) | indoors year round (not thriving) | better after overwintering on the sun porch, so now sun porch year round |
| African Violet | Saintpaulia | Park’s Gardens (seed), Diane Steinberg (plant), Paulette Labar (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Agapanthus | Agapanthus ‘Headbourne Hybrid Blue’ | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch, garage |
|
| Aglaonema | Aglaonema | Home Depot (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Allium | Allium | various sources (bulbs) | sunny side of house and elsewhere (dead?), under composter | only under composter left? |
| Aloe, Cape | Aloe ferox | Horizon Herbs (seed) | indoors or sun porch year round | |
| Amaryllis | Hippeastrum | J. L. Hudson (seed), gift (plant), Elizabeth Blazejewski (plant), Cecilia Colbeth (plant; ‘Red Lion’) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
five (no, six!) out of twelve blooming this summer |
| Amazon Lily | Eucharis amazonica | Logee’s (plant) | indoors year round (no flowers for years now) | bloomed this spring |
| Anemone | Anemone blanda | bought (bulbs) | under Pink Dogwood, under mailbox, former side deck (not thriving anywhere) | disappearing, disappeared? |
| Arrowhead, Common | Sagittaria latifolia | TCNJ woods (plant) | in and around “swamp,” between raised bed and retaining wall (dead everywhere?) | never took, all gone |
| Arugula | Diplotaxis tenuifolia | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed), Territorial Seed Company (seed) | former side deck, cold frame, front yard tires | self-seeding and spreading |
| Aster, Blue Wood | Symphiotrichum cordifolium | Shooting Star Nursery (plant) | under Pink Dogwood (not thriving but returning each year) | |
| Aster, New England | Aster novae-angliae | Prairie Moon Nursery (plant) | former Iris bed | |
| Astilbe | Astilbe | Harold Eickhoff (plant) | in and around “swamp” | moved one plant under Pink Dogwood – if it’s not the ‘Vision in Pink,’ then the ‘Vision in Pink’ is dead and gone |
| Astilbe ‘Vision in Pink’ | Eckerts (plant) | |||
| Autumn Olive | Elaeagnus umbellata | Forestfarm (plant) | front, back | |
| Avens, White | Geum canadense | Everwilde Farms (seed) | outside living room window, former leaf pile | |
| Azalea | Rhododendron | Gaynors (plant; magenta) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Lowe’s (plant; orange-red) | under Pink Dogwood | also now outside living room window | ||
| Baboon Flower | Babiana stricta | McClure & Zimmerman (bulbs) | summer – outside, garage winter – sun porch |
|
| Baby’s Tears | Soleirolia soleirolii | Logee’s (plant) | summer – anywhere winter – sun porch, indoors (not thriving) |
all gone |
| Banana Tree, Dwarf | Musa | Park’s Gardens (plant) | summer – sun porch winter – indoors |
trying both outside this summer |
| Banana Tree, Raja Puri | Musa | Wellspring Gardens (plant) | getting too tall and leggy? | |
| Basil, Green Pepper | Ocimum selloi | Companion Plants (seed) | summer – outside (partial shade) winter – sun porch |
maybe sun porch year round? |
| Basil, Tree | Ocimum gratissimum | J. L. Hudson (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
intentionally left out to die over winter |
| Bay Tree | Laurus nobilis | bought (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Beach Plum, ECOS | Prunus maritima | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | back yard (not thriving) | better but may have lost one (pollinator)? |
| Beardtongue, Foxglove | Penstemon digitalis | Everwilde Farms (seed) | sunny side of house | only about half survived last winter |
| Bear’s Breeches | Acanthus mollis | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | under Pink Dogwood (not thriving but returning every year) | |
| Acanthus spinosissimus | Tripple Brook Farm (plant) | surprised still there, replacement backordered (to go outside living room window) | ||
| Bee Balm | Monarda didyma | Burpee (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | outside raised bed | |
| Begonia, “Angel Wing” | Begonia x corallina | woman from church group | indoors year round | |
| Bellflower, Peach-Leafed | Campanula persicifolia | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | between raised bed and retaining wall (dead?) | all gone |
| Sheffield’s (seed) | seedlings | |||
| Bergamot, Wild | Monarda fistulosa | Everwilde Farms (seed) | north side of house | |
| Bishop’s Weed | Aegopodium | Diane Gruenberg (plant) | north side of house, back fence, Forsythia fence | not thriving!?! |
| Black-Eyed Susan | Rudbeckia | Stokes Seeds (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | sunny side of house, under Lilac, under Pink Dogwood, between raised bed and retaining wall | |
| Black-Eyed Susan, Sweet | Rudbeckia subtomentosa | Easyliving Wildflowers (seed) | ||
| Black Pepper Vine | Piper nigrum | Companion Plants (plant) | summer – outside winter – indoors (may not be Piper nigrum but instead Piper betle?) |
|
| Bleeding Heart | Dicentra | TCNJ woods (plant) | under Pink Dogwood | |
| Blueberry, Bluecrop Highbush | Vaccinium | Fedco Trees (plant) | back yard | no fruit yet, not thriving? |
| Blueberry, Blueray Highbush | Fedco Trees (plant) | |||
| Blueberry, Chandler | Nourse Farms (plant) | |||
| Blueberry, Duke Highbush | Fedco Trees (plant) | |||
| Blueberry, Elliott | Nourse Farms (plant) | |||
| Bluestar, Ozark | Amsonia illustris | Prairie Nursery (plant) | sunny side of house, front yard tires | |
| Bougainvillea | Bougainvillea spectabilis | Flora Exotica (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Boxwood? | Buxus | Gaynors (plant) | under Pink Dogwood | |
| Burnet | Sanguisorba minor | Park’s Gardens (seed) | back yard tires (not thriving) | all gone, never thrived |
| Butterfly Bush | Buddleia | Burpee (seed) | sunny side of house, back yard | no longer thriving in back yard |
| Butterfly Weed (aka Rose Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed) | Asclepias incarnata | Burpee (seed), Hardyplants.com (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Everwilde Farms (seed) | between raised bed and retaining wall (dead?), outside living room window (not thriving), north side of house (not thriving), more seeds for planting | very few left, mostly outside living room window/north side of house |
| Prairie Moon Nursery (seed), Everwilde Farms (seed) | seedlings | |||
| Butterfly Weed | Asclepias tuberosa | Everwilde Farms (seed) | sunny side of house (no luck?) | |
| Cactus, Christmas | Zygocactus | Paulette Labar | sun porch year round | |
| Calla Lily | Zantedeschia hybrid | Park’s Gardens (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Calla Lily | Zantedeschia aethiopica | Buggy Crazy (bulbs) | summer – outside, garage winter – sun porch |
few blooms, needs dividing |
| Calla, Wild | Calla palustris | Tripple Brook Farm (plant) | in and around “swamp” (dead?) | dead, but replacement backordered |
| Campion, Rose (aka Dancing Ladies) | Lychnis coronaria | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed), Select Seeds (seed) | former Iris bed | |
| Canada Mayflower | Maianthemum canadense | wild at Echo Lake in Rhode Island | outside living room window | |
| Canna Lily (aka Indian Shot, Achira) | Canna indica (or C. edulis) | Sandy’s Back Porch (plant; dead?), Harold Eickhoff (plant), bought (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Cardinal Flower | Lobelia cardinalis | Hardyplants.com (seed) | in and around “swamp” (dead?), between raised bed and retaining wall | all gone? |
| Carolina Allspice | Calycanthus floridus | Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (seed) | under retaining wall by back steps | not thriving? |
| Carpet Bugle | Ajuga | bought (plant) | under Japanese Maple | all gone? |
| Cast Iron Plant | Aspidistra elatior | Logee’s (plant) | summer – indoors winter – sun porch |
|
| Catalpa | Catalpa speciosa | Saint Louis Zoo (seed) | seedlings on sun porch (to go in back yard by composter and in woods) | back yard |
| Catnip | Nepeta cataria | Burpee (seed) | backyard tires | all gone after several good years |
| Cattail | Typha | Gaynors (plant) | koi pond, in and around raised bed, in and around “swamp” | disappearing in and around “swamp” |
| Celandine | Chelidonium majus | TCNJ woods (plant) | north side of house, back fence (not thriving anywhere) | better? |
| Celosia, Prestige Scarlet | Celosia cristata | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | ||
| Chamomile, Roman | Chamaemelum nobile | Bountiful Gardens (seed) | backyard tires | all gone after one or two good years |
| Cherry, Compact Stella | Prunus | Territorial Seed Company (plant) | by back steps | no fruit yet |
| Cherry, Wild | Prunus | Gaynors (plant) | back yard (old and dying and soon to be removed) | only one left to remove |
| Chestnut, Chinquapin Hybrid | Castanea pumila | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | back yard (second for pollinating dead) | |
| Chestnut, Chinquapin | Lazy S’s Farm Nursery (plant) | back yard | ||
| Chicory | Cichorium intybus | Everwilde Farms (seed), Wildseed Farms (seed) | former side deck | |
| Chinese Artichoke | Stachys affinis | Companion Plants (plant) | backyard tire | |
| Chinese Toon | Toona sinensis | Flora Exotica (plant) | back yard | |
| Chinese Perfume Plant | Aglaia odorata | Logee’s (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Chives | Allium schoenoprasum | Old Sturbridge Village (seed) | front yard tires | died unexpectedly over one winter |
| Seeds of Change (seed) | seedlings on sun porch | now former side deck | ||
| Christmas Fern | Polystichum acrostichoides | Shooting Star Nursery (plant) | under Pink Dogwood | |
| Chrysanthemum | Chrysanthemum indicum | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | sunny side of house, under front yard tires (not thriving either place) | disappearing |
| Cinnamon | Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Flora Exotica (plant) | summer – outside winter – indoors (dead?) |
put out on sun porch too early, dead |
| Cinnamon Vine | Dioscorea batatas | J. L. Hudson (seed) | back fence, raised bed fence, gate arbor (may not be Dioscorea batatas but instead invasive D. bulbifera) | |
| Clematis | Clematis | Gaynors (plant) | gate arbor | |
| Cleome | Cleome spinosa | J. W. Jung Seed Co. (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | sunny side of house (not thriving?), more seeds for planting | all gone, never self-seeds well |
| Climbing Hydrangea | Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris | Gaynors (plant) | raised bed fence | |
| Clover, Dutch White (aka New Zealand White Clover) | Trifolium repens | Seedman (seed), Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed) | lawn | |
| Coleus, Fairway Mix | Coleus scutellariodes | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – sun porch winter – indoors |
intentionally left out to die over winter |
| Coleus, Wizard Mix | ||||
| Coleus, Wizard Mix | ||||
| Collard, Tree | bought (cuttings) | summer – cold frame winter – sun porch |
may try to overwinter in cold frame | |
| Columbine | Aquilegia x caerulea | Burpee (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Everwilde Farms (seed) | outside living room window, sunny side of house, seedlings on sun porch | disappearing? now also former Iris bed |
| seedlings | ||||
| Comfrey | Symphytum | Horizon Herbs (seed), bought (plant) | by koi pond, front yard, back fence, under Chinese Toon | all dead at back fence, thriving in front yard |
| Coneflower, Purple | Echinacea pupurea | Lake Valley Seed (seed), J. W. Jung Seed Co. (seed), Burpee (seed), Easyliving Wildflowers (seed), Everwilde Farms (seed) | sunny side of house | |
| seed gathered from my own plants | seedlings | |||
| Coneflower, Yellow | Echinacea paradoxa | Horizon Herbs (seed) | front yard tires (not thriving) | better? |
| Coreopsis | Coreopsis lanceolata | Easyliving Wildflowers (seed) | north side of house | |
| Cornelian Cherry | Cornus mas | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | back yard | |
| Crabapple, Sargent | Malus sargentii | National Arbor Day Foundation (plant) | back yard | |
| Cranberry, American | Vaccinium macrocarpon | bought (plant) | raised bed | getting overcome by other plants? |
| Crape Myrtle | Lagerstroemia indica | National Arbor Day Foundation (plant) | front, back | |
| Crocus | Crocus | bought (bulbs) | front, back | |
| Cucumberberry | Melothria pendula | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | back fence (dead?) | dead, never thrived |
| Culver’s Root | Veronicastrum virginicum | Everwilde Farms (seed) | ||
| Cup Plant | Silphium perfoliatum | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed), Everwilde Farms (seed) | sunny side of house, between raised bed and retaining wall | |
| Currant, Clove | Ribes odoratum | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | back yard (not thriving?) | better |
| Daffodil | Narcissus | Gaynors (plant), TCNJ woods (plant), bought (plant) | all over | |
| Daisy, Ox-Eye | Chrysanthemum leucanthemum | Everwilde Farms (seed), Wildseed Farms (seed) | front yard tires, under retaining wall, sunny side of house (not thriving anywhere) | better |
| Daisy, Painted | Chrysanthemum coccineum | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Stokes Seeds (seed), Burpee (seed) | under Pink Dogwood | |
| Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | seedlings | |||
| Daisy, Shasta | Leucanthemum | Park’s Gardens (seed), Burpee (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Stokes Seeds (seed) | under Pink Dogwood | |
| seed gathered from my own plants | seedlings | |||
| Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | former Iris bed | |||
| Dame’s Rocket | Hesperis matronalis | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Old Sturbridge Village (seed) | sunny side of house, north side of house, outside living room window, more seeds for planting (requires re-sowing each year) | also now backyard tires |
| Date Palm | Phoenix | seeds from store-bought dates | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
biggest pot now sun porch year round |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis | Gaynors (plant), Donald Stryker (plant), Dad (plant; from Illinois), Park’s Gardens (seed) | all over | |
| Dog Hobble | Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Rainbow’ | Lazy S’s Farm Nursery (plant) | outside living room window | |
| Dogwood, Gray | Cornus racemosa | National Arbor Day Foundation (plant) | behind “swamp” arbor, Forsythia fence | |
| Dogwood, Pink | Cornus florida | Gaynors (plant) | outside front door | |
| Dogwood, Red-Osier | Cornus sericea | Roots & Shoots (plant) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Dutchman’s Pipe Vine | Aristolochia durior | Sheffield’s (seed) | seedlings | |
| Dyer’s Greenweed (aka Gold Summer Broom) | Genista tinctoria ‘Royal Gold’ | Forestfarm (plant) | pool deck | |
| Earth Pea | Lathyrus tuberosus | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | cold frame | |
| Elderberry, Black Lace | Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’ | Brooklyn Botanical Garden (plant) | front yard | |
| Elderberry, Fruiting | Sambucus nigra ‘Samdal’ | Forestfarm (plant) | Forsythia fence | |
| Elecampane | Inula helenium | Old Sturbridge Village (seed) | outside raised bed, between raised bed and retaining wall | disappearing? |
| Engelmann Daisy | Engelmannia pinnatifida | Everwilde Farms (seed) | seeds for planting | no luck |
| English Bluebell | Hyacinthoides non-scripta | McClure & Zimmerman (bulbs) | front yard tires (dead?) | all gone? or just not blooming? |
| Euonymus, Emerald Gaiety | Euonymus | Gaynors (plant) | under gate arbor | never thrived |
| Euonymus, Golden | Euonymus | Gaynors (plant) | back yard (dead?) | all gone, thrived in original position (sunny side of house), never thrived once moved to back yard |
| Evening Primrose | Oenothera fruticosa | Paulette Labar (plant), my wife’s Aunt Pat (plant) | under mailbox, front yard tires, former Iris bed | no longer around front yard tires |
| evergreen bush (unidentified) | Gaynors (plant) | pool deck | ||
| False Solomon’s Seal | Smilacina racemosa | wild at Echo Lake in Rhode Island (on land being developed) | outside living room window | |
| Fennel, Bronze | Foeniculum vulgare | Fedco Seeds (seed) | front yard tires | unexpectedly mostly dead after this last winter |
| Fern, Sensitive | Onoclea sensibilis | wild? (plant), Gaynors? (plant) | all over | |
| Fern, wild | my wife’s mother (plant; from Rhode Island) | back fence, in and around “swamp” | also now outside living room window | |
| Feverfew | Tanacetum parthenium | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Old Sturbridge Village (seed) | pool deck, back yard | now only pool deck? |
| Fig Tree | Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ | Logee’s (plant) | summer – outside winter – garage |
now sunny side of house, though barely survived first winter? |
| Fireweed | Epilobium angustifolium | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | seedlings | |
| Fleabane | Erigeron | wild (plant) | north side of house, outside living room window, etc. | also now sunny side of house |
| Fleabane Daisy | Erigeron speciosus | Everwilde Farms (seed) | seeds for planting | no luck |
| Flowering Maple | Abutilon | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – outside, sun porch winter – sun porch |
|
| Forget-Me-Not | Myosotis | J. W. Jung Seed Co. (seed), Lake Valley Seed (seed), Burpee (seed) | in and around “swamp,” between raised bed and retaining wall, under Pink Dogwood | disappearing? |
| Forget-Me-Not, Water | Myosotis scorpiodes | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | under Pink Dogwood | |
| outside living room window | ||||
| Forsythia | Forsythia | Gaynors (plant) | Forsythia fence | north side of house and back yard too |
| Fortnight Lily | Dietes iridoides and D. bicolor | Seeds & More (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
intentionally leaving out to die over next winter |
| Foxglove | Digitalis purpurea | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Everwilde Farms (seed) | under Pink Dogwood, outside living room window, sunny side of house (requires frequent re-seeding) | now only outside living room window? |
| Foxglove, Polkadot Princess Hybrid | Digitalis | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | seedlings | |
| Foxglove, Yellow | Digitalis lutea | Companion Plants (seed) | sunny side of house, outside living room window | |
| Frangipani | Plumeria | Seeds & More (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch (fewer and fewer surviving winter each year) |
all dead? |
| Freesia | Freesia | Park’s Gardens (seed) | summer – garage winter – sun porch |
|
| Garlic, Sacred Forest | Allium sativum | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | don’t know where it went!?! | |
| Garlic Chives | Allium tuberosum | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed) | former side deck, backyard tires, under retaining wall | |
| Geranium, Americana Cherry Rose II Zonal | Pelargonium | Willis Greenhouse (plant) | sun porch year round | |
| Geranium, Maverick Mix | Pelargonium hortorum | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | ||
| Geranium, Scented | Pelargonium | Park’s Gardens (seed) | not worth keeping anymore? | |
| Geranium, Wild | Geranium maculatum | Horizon Herbs (seed) | under Japanese Maple, under Pink Dogwood (all dead?) | all gone, never thrived |
| Prairie Nursery (plant) | outside living room window, under Eastern Redbud | |||
| Gerbera Daisy | Gerbera | Seeds & More (seed), Summer Hill Seeds (seed) | summer – outside, indoors winter – sun porch |
|
| Ginger, Wild | Asarum canadense | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | north side of house | |
| Gladiolus | Gladiolus | Gaynors (bulbs), bought (bulbs), National Arbor Day Foundation (bulbs) | cold frame (not thriving), under Pink Dogwood, sunny side of house (not thriving) | now only under Pink Dogwood, almost all gone |
| Home Depot (bulbs) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|||
| Goat’s Beard | Aruncus dioicus | Park’s Gardens (seed) | in and around “swamp,” below retaining wall (under Forsythia) | |
| Goji Berry (aka Sweet Lifeberry) | Lycium barbarum ‘SMNDSL’ | Lazy S’s Farm Nursery (plant) | “swamp” arbor | |
| Goldenrod | Solidago | bought (plant) | sunny side of house | all gone after several good years |
| TCNJ woods (seed) | back fence | also now north side of house, self-seeding and spreading? | ||
| Goldenrod, Canada | Solidago canadensis | Everwilde Farms (seed) | former Iris bed | |
| Good King Henry | Chenopodium bonus-henricus | Fedco Seeds (seed) | backyard tires | now former side deck |
| Gooseberry | Ribes hirtellum | bought (seeds) | former side deck | |
| Gooseberry, Missouri | Ribes missouriensis | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | former side deck | |
| Goumi | Elaeagnus multiflora | Forestfarm (plant) | front, back | |
| Grape, Himrod | Vitis labrusca ‘Himrod’ | Peterson’s Nursery (plant) | “swamp” arbor | no fruit yet |
| Grape, Reliance | Vitis labrusca ‘Reliance’ | Lowe’s (plant) | ||
| Grape Hyacinth | Muscari | bought (bulbs) | front yard, sunny side of house | disappearing? |
| Ground Cherry, Yellow | Physalis longiflora var. subglabrata | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | former side deck | |
| Groundnut, Nutty | Apios americana | Oikos Tree Crops (tuber) | “swamp” arbor | one or both survived? |
| Groundnut, Virginia | ||||
| Groundnut | Tripple Brook Farm (tuber) | hardening off | ||
| Ground Plum | Astragalus crassicarpus | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | seedlings | |
| Harebell | Campanula rotundifolia | Everwilde Farms (seed) | ||
| Hazelnut, “Precocious” | Corylus | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | north side of house | no nuts yet |
| Heliconia | Heliconia | Home Depot (plant) | indoors year round | intentionally left out to die over winter |
| Heliopsis, Summer Sun | Heliopsis | Fedco Seeds (seed) | north side of house | |
| Hen-and-Chicks | Sempervivem | Park’s Gardens (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – outside winter – outside, sun porch |
also now front yard tires |
| Hibiscus | Hibiscus | Trenton Farmers’ Market (plant) | outside raised bed | now in and around “swamp,” not looking good |
| Hibiscus, wild | Hibiscus | TCNJ lake (seed) | between raised bed and retaining wall (all dead?) | all gone, never thrived |
| Holly | Ilex | Gaynors (plant) | back yard | |
| Hollyhock | Alcea ficifolia | Select Seeds (seed) | sunny side of house, north side of house (not thriving either place) | now only north side of house |
| Hollyhock, Antwerp Fig Leaf | Alcea rosea | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | ||
| Hollyhock, Russian Yellow | Alcea rugosa | |||
| Honewort | Cryptotaenia canadensis | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | seedlings | |
| Honeyberry | Lonicera caerulea var. edulis | Territorial Seed Company (plants) | back yard | one left, no pollinator |
| Honeysuckle, Japanese | Lonicera | Gaynors (plant) | back fence, raised bed fence, pool deck | |
| Hops, Cascade | Humulus lupulus ‘Cascade’ | Companion Plants (plant) | “swamp” arbor | |
| Hornwort | Ceratophylum | bought (plant) | koi pond | |
| Horseradish | Armoracia | Fedco Trees (root) | former side deck | |
| Hosta | Hosta | Gaynors (plant), Classy Groundcovers (plant), etc. | all over | suffering from repeated deer damage, considering moving all outside living room window and using wild Fern from Rhode Island as replacement in back yard (e.g., under Eastern Redbud) |
| Hyacinth | Hyacinthus | bought (bulbs) | sunny side of house | |
| Hyacinth, Jan Bos | Colorblends Wholesale Flower Bulbs (bulbs) | |||
| Hyacinth, Blue Jacket | ||||
| Hydrangea, Blueberries & Cream | Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Blaumeise’ | gift to Diane from Sigma Tau Delta students 2011 (plant) | under Pink Dogwood | dead? |
| Hydrangea, French | Hydrangea macrophylla | 14 Clement Avenue (plant) | in and around “swamp” | also now outside living room window, not thriving anywhere? |
| saved from dumpster in Rhode Island (plant) | ||||
| David Venturo (plant) | outside living room window (dead?) | |||
| Hydrangea, Smooth | Hydrangea arborescens | 14 Clement Avenue (plant) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Indigo, Blue Wild | Baptisia australis | Prairie Moon Nursery (plant) | former Iris bed | |
| Iris, German | Iris | Illinois, Jan Nielsen, bought (seed) | back yard, front yard | now pool deck, still a few stragglers in former Iris bed and front yard |
| Iris, Siberian | Iris sibirica | Gaynors (plant), Paulette Labar (plant) | under “swamp” arbor | not thriving? |
| Iris, Yellow Flag | Iris pseudacorus | Gaynors (plant) | in and around “swamp” | thrived for several years, lost ground to Daylily, all gone!?! |
| Ironweed, New York | Vernonia noveboracensis | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | seedlings | |
| Jacob’s Ladder | Polemonium | Paulette Labar (plant) | under Red-Osier Dogwood (not thriving) | still hanging in |
| Jack-in-the-Pulpit | Arisaema triphyllum | TCNJ woods (plant) | in and around “swamp” | |
| wild at Echo Lake in Rhode Island (on land being developed) | outside living room window | |||
| Jade Plant | Crassula | Diane Gruenberg (cuttings) | sun porch year round | |
| Jasmine | Jasminus | Home Depot (plant) | sun porch year round | |
| Joe-Pye Weed | Eupatorium | Park’s Gardens (seed) | between raised bed and retaining wall | self-seeding and spreading? |
| Kalanchoe | Kalanchoe | Paulette Labar (cuttings) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Kale, Sea | Crambe maritima | Fedco Seeds (seed), Nichols Garden Nursery (seed) | backyard tires | all gone, disappeared suddenly one winter after slowly growing and getting stronger |
| Kiwi Plant | Actinidia kolomitka | bought (plant), Territorial Seed Company (plant) | raised bed fence (male dead?) | |
| Actinidia arguta | Sheffield’s (seed) | seedlings | ||
| Larkspur, Tall | Delphinium exaltatum | Sheffield’s (seed) | seedlings | |
| Leek, Wild | Allium tricoccum | Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association (plant), Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | in and around “swamp,” back fence (dead?), back corner | |
| Lemon, Dwarf Meyer | Citrus limon | Logee’s (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Lemon | Citrus limon | seeds from my own Dwarf Meyer Lemon (seed) | seedlings on sun porch | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
| Lemon Balm | Melissa officinalis | Burpee (seed) | back yard | |
| Lemon Grass | Cymbopogon citratus | Companion Plants (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Liatris | Liatris spicata | bought (bulbs), Home Depot (bulbs) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Lilac | Syringa | Gaynors (plant) | sunny side of house | |
| Lily | Lilium hybrids | McClure & Zimmerman (bulbs; dead?), bought (bulbs and seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | under Pink Dogwood, sunny side of house | also now front yard tires |
| Lily, Formosa | Lilium formosanum | Monticello (seed) | seedlings on sun porch | former Iris bed |
| Lily, Turk’s Cap | Lilium superbum | Rare Find Nursery (plant) | front yard tires | |
| Tripple Brook Farm (plant) | under Pink Dogwood | |||
| Lily-of-the-Valley | Convallaria majalis | Paulette Labar (plant) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Lilyturf | Liriope | Classy Groundcovers (plant) | under big Maple, Forsythia fence | |
| Linden, American (aka Columnar Basswood) | Tilia americana ‘Sentry’ | Forestfarm (plant) | front yard | |
| Lizard Tail | Saururus cernuus | Shooting Star Nursery (plant) | koi pond, in and around “swamp” | |
| Lobelia, Blue | Lobelia siphilitica | Easyliving Wildflowers (seed), Horizon Herbs (seed) | between raised bed and retaining wall (dead?) | all gone? |
| Loosestrife, Yellow | Lysimachia punctata | Hardyplants.com (seed) | between raised bed and retaining wall | all gone, slowly disappeared |
| Loosestrife, Winged | Lythrum alatum | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | north side of house | |
| Lovage | Levisticum officinale | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed) | backyard tires | |
| Lupine | Lupinus perennis | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed) | front yard tires | dead after several good years |
| Lupine, Carolina (aka Blue-Ridge Buckbean) | Thermopsis caroliniana | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | ||
| Madagascar Dragon Tree | Dracaena | Home Depot (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Magnolia, Southern | Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ | Peterson’s Nursery (plant) | north side of house | |
| Mallow, Kankakee | Iliamna remota | Prairie Moon Nursery (plant) | former Iris bed | |
| Maltese Cross | Lychnis chalcedonia | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Old Sturbridge Village (seed) | north side of house (dead?), more seeds for planting | all gone, never thrived |
| Maple (unidentified, possibly Norway) | Acer | Gaynors (plant) | front yard | |
| Maple, Japanese | Acer | Gaynors (plant) | front yard | |
| Marshmallow | Althaea officinalis | Horizon Herbs (seed) | in and around “swamp,” between raised bed and retaining wall, Forsythia fence | |
| Mayapple | Podophyllum peltatum | TCNJ woods (plant) | north side of house, back fence, in and around “swamp” | |
| Maypop | Passiflora incarnata | Summer Hill Seeds (seed), Easyliving Wildflowers (seed) | back fence (dead?), cold frame | cold frame only |
| Mexican Tarragon | Tagetes lucida | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | seed gathered at TCNJ | sunny side of house (no luck?) | |
| Asclepias | Donald Stryker (plant) | sunny side of house | ||
| Mint, Chocolate | Mentha piperita | Horizon Herbs (plant) | under front yard tires (not thriving) | better |
| Mistflower | Eupatorium coelestinum | Everwilde Farms (seed) | between raised bed and retaining wall | |
| Morning Glory | Ipomoea | Gaynors (plant) | pool deck, Forsythia fence (all declining – finally) | |
| Mountain Mint, Hairy | Pycnanthemum pilosum | Everwilde Farms (seed) | ||
| Mullein, Greek | Verbascum olympicum | Horizon Herbs (seed) | sunny side of house (not thriving?) | all gone, never thrived |
| Mum, Garden | Chrysanthemum | St. Ann’s (plant) | sunny side of house, front yard tires (declining everywhere) | disappearing |
| Mum, White Hardy | Chrysanthemum morifolium | Home Depot (plant) | front yard tires (not thriving) | |
| Nasturtium | Tropaeolum majus | Everwilde Farms (seed) | seeds for planting (indoors in summer, on the sun porch in winter) | never thrived in pots |
| Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – indoors winter – sun porch front yard tires |
alive but not thriving anywhere? | ||
| New Jersey Tea | Ceanothus americanus | Horizon Herbs (seed) | sunny side of house | |
| Obedient Plant | Physostegia virginiana | Everwilde Farms (seed) | former Iris bed | |
| Oleander, Petite Pink | Nerium oleander | Almost Eden (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Olive Tree | Olea europea | J. L. Hudson (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Onion, Egyptian Walking | Allium | Territorial Seed Company (bulbs) | former side deck, backyard tires | backyard tires only |
| Onion, Yellow Multiplier | Allium | Territorial Seed Company (bulbs) | backyard tires | all gone? |
| Orange, Tahitian | Citrus | Logee’s (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Orange Star | Ornithogalum dubium | gift to Diane (plant) | summer – garage winter – sun porch |
dead, slowly deteriorated over several years, suffered from aphids and other pests |
| Oregano, Greek | Origanum vulgare | Burpee (seed) | backyard tires | |
| Ostrich Fern | Matteuccia pensylvanica | Tripple Brook Farm (plant) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Palm, Neantha Bella | Chamaedorea elegans | Willis Greenhouse (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Paperwhite | Narcissus | Mike and Irene Vanner (plant) | front yard | |
| Peace Lily | Spathiphyllum | Home Depot (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Peacock Orchid | Acidanthera murielae | Buggy Crazy (bulbs) | summer – outside winter – garage |
lost nearly all one winter, but coming back slowly now winter – sun porch |
| Peony | Paeonia | Lowe’s (plant) | front yard tires | |
| Periwinkle | Vinca minor | bought (plant), Classy Groundcovers (plant), TCNJ woods (plant) | all over (and spreading) | |
| Petunia, Wild | Ruellia humilis | Prairie Nursery (plant) | front yard tires, under Pink Dogwood | |
| Pickerelweed | Pontederia cordata | lake near Aunt Pat’s (plant) | koi pond | not thriving |
| Pineapple | Ananas | grocery store (cutting) | summer – sun porch, outside winter – indoors |
produced fruit and then intentionally left out in winter to die |
| Pineapple Guava | Feijoa sellowiana | Flora Exotica (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
no flowers yet |
| Pink, Cheddar | Dianthus gratianopolitanus | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | front yard tires | |
| Pink, Maiden | Dianthus deltoides | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | ||
| Plantain, Rugels | Plantago rugelli | Oikos Tree Crops (plant and seed) | former side deck | |
| Ponytail Palm | Beaucarnea recurvata | Pennington Market (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Poppy, Oriental | Papaver bracteatum | Burpee (seed), Seeds of Change (seed) | sunny side of house | |
| Poppy, Queen Alexandra Oriental | Papaver orientale | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | sunny side of house, under Pink Dogwood | |
| Poppy, Princess Victoria Louise Oriental | ||||
| Poppy Mallow, Purple | Callirhoe involucrata | Everwilde Farms (seed) | seeds for planting | no luck |
| Pothos | Epipremnum | John Blazejewski (cuttings) | indoors year round | |
| Pothos, Golden | Epipremnum | Home Depot (plant) | ||
| Prickly Pear Cactus | Opuntia humifusa | Easyliving Wildflowers (seed) | backyard tires | |
| Pumpkin, Windsor Hybrid Patio | Cucurbita pepo | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | outside | |
| Pussy Willow, Black | Salix melanostachys | Eckerts (plant) | Forsythia fence | |
| Quamash | Camassia | bought (bulbs) | north side of house (not flowering) | now sunny side of house, outside living room window |
| Queen Anne’s Lace, wild | Daucus carota | seed gathered at TCNJ (seed) | here and there | |
| Queen of the Prairie | Filipendula rubra | Everwilde Farms (seed) | ||
| Raspberry, wild Black | Rubus occidentalis | wild (plant) | back fence, former food plot, by “swamp” arbor | eradicated by “swamp” arbor (for fear of infiltration into “swamp” garden) |
| Raspberry, Polana | Rubus | Fedco Trees (plant) | former side deck | |
| Redbud, Eastern | Cercis canadensis | National Arbor Day Foundation (plant) | back yard | |
| Ribbon Grass | Phalaris | Paulette Labar (plant) | back fence, in and around “swamp” | not thriving? |
| River Cane | Arundinaria gigantea | Tripple Brook Farm (plant) | back yard | former food plot only now |
| Rosa Rugosa | Rosa | bought (plant) | along retaining wall | slowly dying out? |
| Rose, Climbing | Rosa | Gaynors (plant) | gate arbor | not thriving? also hanging on in former Iris bed |
| Rose, Miniature | Rosa | gift to Diane (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Rose, Multiflora | Rosa multiflora | “wild” (plant) | woods | |
| Rosemary | Rosmarinus officinalis | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Rose of Sharon | Hypericum calycinum | Stokes Seeds (seed) | outside living room window, back yard (suddenly not doing well this year) | disappearing? |
| Rose of Sharon | Hibiscus syriacus | National Arbor Day Foundation (plant) | all over | |
| Rubber Plant | Ficus elastica (variegated cultivar) | Home Depot (plant) | summer – sun porch winter – indoors |
|
| Runner Bean, Scarlet | Phaseolus coccineus | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Horizon Herbs (seed), Seeds of Change (seed) | below retaining wall by Forsythia fence (not making beans) | now summer – outside winter – sun porch |
| Russian Sage | Perovskia atriplicifolia | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | pool deck | |
| Saffron Crocus | Crocus sativus | Companion Plants (plants) | summer – garage winter – sun porch cold frame, front yard tires |
no longer in cold frame, barely hanging on in front yard tires (repeated rabbit damage) |
| Sage | Salvia officinalis | Seeds of Change (seed) | seedlings on sun porch | now former side deck |
| Sage, Lyre-Leaved | Salvia lyrata | Companion Plants (seed) | cold frame, backyard tires, lawn (self-seeding and spreading) | not much left, dying out? |
| Sage, Pineapple | Salvia elegans | Companion Plants (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Saltbush, Four-Winged | Atriplex canescens | Forestfarm (plant) | pool deck | not thriving |
| Salvia | Salvia transylvanica | Burpee (seed) | front yard tires | dying out? |
| Schisandra (aka Chinese Magnolia Vine) | Schisandra chinensis | Horizon Herbs (seed) | “swamp” arbor | only one left, no pollinator? |
| Sheffield’s (seed) | seedlings | |||
| Scorzonera | Scorzonera hispanica | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (seed), Fedco Seeds (seed) | former side deck (dead?), cold frame | all gone, never thrived |
| Scouring Rush, Giant | Equisetum hyemale robustum | Tripple Brook Farm (plant) | between raised bed and retaining wall | not thriving? |
| Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ | Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ | Taras Pavlovsky’s family (plant) | front yard | |
| Serviceberry, Running | Amelanchier stolonifera | Forestfarm (plant) | back yard, sunny side of house | |
| Silverbell, Carolina | Halesia carolina | Sheffield’s (seed) | ||
| Snake Plant | Sansevieria | Home Depot (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Snowdrop | Galanthus | bought (bulbs), TCNJ woods (plant) | in and around “swamp,” under Pink Dogwood | |
| Spanish Broom | Spartium junceum | Sheffield’s (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Sorrel, Broad-Leaved | Rumex acetosa | Fedco Seeds (seed) | backyard tires, between raised bed and retaining wall | all gone after several good years |
| Oikos Tree Crops (seed) | former side deck | |||
| Sourwood | Oxydendrum arboreum | Monticello (plant), Rare Find Nursery (plant) | behind “swamp” arbor | up and died suddenly… twice (within a month of purchase) |
| Spearmint | Mentha spicata | Park’s Gardens (seed), Burpee (seed) | backyard tires | also now summer – outside winter – sun porch |
| Spicebush | Lindera benzoin | bought (seeds) | seedlings on sun porch (to go behind “swamp” arbor) | now behind “swamp” arbor, back yard, front yard, outside living room window |
| Spider Plant | Chlorophytum comosum | Home Depot (plant), seed from plants (seed) | indoors or sun porch year round | |
| Spring Beauty | Claytonia virginica | TCNJ woods (plant) | in and around “swamp,” under Pink Dogwood | all gone? |
| Starflower | Trientalis borealis | wild at Echo Lake in Rhode Island (on land being developed) | outside living room window | |
| Stevia | Stevia rebaudiana | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Strawberry, Mara des Bois | Fragaria | Nourse Farms (plant) | summer – outside winter – garage, sun porch, outside (protected) |
|
| Strawberry, Toscana | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | |||
| Strawberry, Tristar | Johnny’s Selected Seeds (plants) | all gone? | ||
| Sugar Cane | Saccharum officinarum | Flora Exotica (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
not thriving |
| Sumac, wild Staghorn | Rhus typhina | wild (plant) | behind “swamp” arbor | |
| Summer-Sweet | Clethra alnifolia | Harvest Moon Nursery (plant) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Sunchoke | Helianthus tuberosus | not sure (tuber) | sunny side of house | |
| Sunchoke, Pink Crispy | Helianthus tuberosus | Oikos Tree Crops (tuber) | backyard tires | |
| Sunchoke, Diversity | ||||
| Sunflower, American Giant Hybrid | Helianthus annuus | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | behind cold frame, sunny side of house, cold frame | |
| Sunflower, Maximilian | Helianthus maximiliani | Easyliving Wildflowers (seed), J. L. Hudson (seed) | sunny side of house | |
| Sunflower, Russian Mammoth | Helianthus annuus | Seeds of Change (seed) | behind cold frame, pool deck | behind cold frame, sunny side of house, in cold frame |
| Surprise Lily | Lycoris squamigera | Dad (bulbs; from Illinois) | front yard tires (not thriving?), former Iris bed | better, but still no blooms? |
| Sweet Cicely | Osmorhiza claytonii | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | not looking good (no luck?) | |
| Sweetfern | Comptonia peregrina | Rare Find Nursery (plant) | outside living room window | |
| wild at Echo Lake in Rhode Island (on land being developed) | ||||
| Sweet Woodruff | Galium odoratum | bought (plant) | former side deck, under Pink Dogwood, north side of house | |
| Tea, Small Leaf Green | Camellia sinensis var. sinensis | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | sun porch year round | |
| Thalia | Thalia dealbata | bought (plant) | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Thyme | Thymus vulgaris | TCNJ Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning | summer – outside winter – sun porch |
|
| Thyme, Creeping (aka Mother-of-Thyme) | Thymus serpyllum | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Fedco Seeds (seed) | under front yard tires, under mailbox, outside raised bed | disappearing outside raised bed? |
| Thyme, English | Thymus | Seeds of Change (seed) | seedlings on sun porch | dead |
| Trout Lily | Erythronium | bought (bulbs; all dead?), TCNJ woods (plant) | in and around “swamp,” under Pink Dogwood | |
| Trumpet Creeper Vine | Campsis radicans | Gaynors (plant) | gate arbor, back fence | |
| Tulip | Tulipa | Gaynors (plant) | under mailbox, under Pink Dogwood (all barely hanging on) | all gone |
| Tulip, Bakeri Lilac Wonder | Tulipa | Colorblends Wholesale Flower Bulbs (bulbs) | pool deck | |
| Tuliptree | Liriodendron tulipifera | National Arbor Day Foundation (plant) | former food plot | |
| Turmeric | Curcuma longa | Companion Plants (plant) | summer – outside (partial shade) winter – sun porch |
hasn’t broken dormancy yet this spring, dead? |
| Turtlehead | Chelone glabra | Roots & Shoots (plant) | in and around “swamp” | disappearing? |
| Umbrella Tree | Schefflera | Mom’s funeral? (plant) | indoors year round | |
| Valerian | Valeriana officinalis | bought (seeds) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Valerian, Red (aka Jupiter’s Beard) | Centranthus ruber | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | pool deck | |
| Vervain, Blue | Verbena hastata | Everwilde Farms (seed) | former Iris bed | |
| Viburnum | Viburnum | National Arbor Day Foundation (plant) | front, back | not thriving |
| Violet, Edible Blue Wild | Viola sororia | Oikos Tree Crops (plant) | outside living room window (dead?) | |
| Violet, Dark Freckles | ||||
| Violet, Sweet | Viola odorata | Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed) | back fence, lawn | also now outside living room window |
| Violet, wild | Viola | wild (plant) | lawn, all over | |
| Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | wild (plant) | back fence, raised bed fence | |
| Virginia Sweetspire | Itea virginica | Roots & Shoots (plant) | between raised bed and retaining wall | now Forsythia fence |
| Virgin’s Bower | Clematis virginiana | Everwilde Farms (seed) | “swamp” arbor | |
| Walking Iris, Yellow | Neomarica longifolia | Almost Eden (plant) | summer – outside (partial shade) winter – sun porch |
died suddenly over winter |
| Water Celery, Variegated | Oenanthe javanica | The Water Garden (plant) | between raised bed and retaining wall | |
| Water Lily | Nymphaea | Gaynors (plant) | koi pond | |
| Water Mint | Mentha aquatica | The Water Garden (plant) | between raised bed and retaining wall | |
| Wax Plant | Hoya | Logee’s (plant) | sun porch year round | dead after several good years, began to have problems with aphids and other pests |
| Wilde Dagga | Leonotis leonurus | Horizon Herbs (seed) | behind “swamp” arbor (dead?) | intentionally left out to die over winter |
| Winter Aconite | Eranthis hyemalis | bought (bulbs) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Wintergreen | Gaultheria procumbens | Tripple Brook Farm (plant) | outside living room window | |
| Witch Hazel | Hamamelis virginiana | Prairie Moon Nursery (plant) | in and around “swamp” | |
| Wood Sorrel, Violet | Oxalis violacea | Prairie Moon Nursery (seed) | seedlings | |
| Yarrow, Gold | Achillea filipendulina | Everwilde Farms (seed), Swallowtail Garden Seeds (seed), Wildseed Farms (seed) | former Iris bed, north side of house (not thriving in either place), more seeds for planting | almost all gone |
| Everwilde Farms (seed) | seedlings | |||
| Yarrow | Achillea millefolium | bought (seeds) | front yard tires | |
| Yarrow, Red | Achillea millefolium rubra | Everwilde Farms (seed) | ||
| Yew, Upright | Taxus hicksi | Gaynors (plant) | front and back foundation hedges | now only back foundation hedge |
| Yucca | Yucca | TCNJ woods (plant) | under Lilac, outside raised bed | |
| Yucca, Banana | Yucca baccata | Horizon Herbs (seed) | pool deck | not thriving? |
| Yucca, Red | Hesperaloe parviflora | Horizon Herbs (seed) | pool deck | not thriving? |
| Zebra Grass | Miscanthus sinensis | bought (plant) | gate arbor, former Iris bed | dying out? |