Many residents of New Jersey rightly believe that when it comes to climate, Jersey has it all. The compact, 8,800-square-mile state may only be 70 miles across at its widest point, but it is influenced by both wet and dry and hot and cold airstreams, producing a diverse pattern of climate variation from the mountains of the northwest to the shorelines of the east. New Jersey experiences all four seasons; spring and autumn shoulder in between the blizzards of winter, and the long hot days of summer.

Getting in the Zone

The state is divided into five distinct regions or zones: Northern, Central, the Pine Barrens, Southwest and Coastal. All zones experience seasonal high temperatures of 100 degrees or more, and lows of zero or below. Average rain fall varies between 40 to 51 inches, and freeze days vary between 163 to 217 statewide. Snow may fall as early as October or as late as April across the regions, with 25 to 30 thunderstorms, and up to five tornadoes annually. In October 2012, New Jersey also experienced the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy. The nickname “Garden State” refers to New Jersey’s history in agriculture and farming.

No matter which region you call home, residents appreciate that landscaping is key to a condo or HOA community’s appeal. Value—both in terms of actual dollars and in terms of community morale—is affected by the overall first impression a cultivated, colorful landscape can offer.

Professional Advice

While some minor maintenance tasks such as watering and hedge-trimming could be handled by in-house staff, establishing and maintaining an attractive design in the variable New Jersey climate is a challenge probably best left to the lawn and garden professionals. Besides choosing the correct plants, ongoing care and maintenance are an essential parts of the entire landscape package. In New Jersey, plants that can adapt to diverse weather changes are an obvious choice. The most common advice from landscaping veterans is to start with native plants, and then add seasonal and decorative plants, grasses and trees to achieve the desired effect.

Michael Branch, a horticulturist and executive with Basking Ridge-based NorthEast American Services, LLC points out that the U.S. Department of Agriculture divides the country into nine different growing zones based on the hardiness of plants that can be grown in each zone. New Jersey has a zone six rating, which means most native plants can survive temperatures as low as -9 degrees. But temperature is not the only consideration; soil type is also important for plants to thrive. New Jersey has both clay and sandy soils. Branch has found Black-eyed Susan’s thrive in clay soil, quickly fill plant beds, and make excellent borders. Day lilies grow almost anywhere and bloom for several weeks. Yarrow is another favorite, best suited to dry, sunny areas. (It also has the additional benefit of being deer resistant—an important feature for New Jersey landscapes.)

Branch advises against messy, brittle trees that can cost an HOA time and money for significant clean-up. When space is an issue, he favors a hedge maple. “It has no serious pest or disease problems; it tolerates dry compacted soil and air pollutants, and it is small in stature,” he says. “The hedge maple is a good street or yard tree, and it is great for patios because it stays small and creates dense shade.”

Branch has several favorite plants and shrubs he uses regularly, depending on the property. “For around pools, you can mix in evergreens and flowering deciduous shrubs, including ornamental trees. Leaves won’t be a problem because the pool will be closed by the time they drop. You may consider a flowering cherry tree for texture or a river birch to provide color, interest, height and scale to a landscape design,” he explains.

Branch favors mixing in flowering shrubs and low maintenance perennials to provide color in the summer months. He also suggests broadleaf evergreen shrubs such as rhododendrons and cherry laurel, or Japanese andromeda. “Another nice evergreen shrub that will take the sun and shade is blue holly. It does not flower, however, it provides nice red berries in the fall. I also like grasses such as fountain grass, because it offers a bottle-brush seed head that gracefully arches outward, and it is low maintenance,” he says.

Mark Napolitano, a landscape designer at By Design Landscapes, Inc. in Lakewood, says he favors perennials like day lilies, lirirope and coral bells, as well as ornamental grasses like fountain grass, heavy metal grass and feather reed grass. His deciduous choices are hydrangeas, crape myrtle and roses, and when confronted with a space-crunched design challenge, he says he reaches for containers and pots, and plants that respond well with minimal attention. He typically chooses a variety of stone crop, cone flower, Black-eyed Susans, and draft crape myrtles, and says he finds that Japanese maples also work well in limited space.

Napolitano believes there is a perfect location for all plants. When designing the entrance for a property, he usually chooses smaller, showy flowers, like roses and hydrangeas, blended with boxwoods. As he moves toward the rear of the property, he may focus on privacy, using larger varieties of ornamental grasses, arborvitaes and rhododendron. For plantings around swimming pools, Napolitano pays close attention to the property’s personal style. Flowering shrubs and ornamental grasses like Carl Foster, hibiscus, rose of Sharon and knockout roses provide a more tropical atmosphere for a pool setting, while low-maintenance plants like ink berry holly and red twig dogwood are ideal for parking lots and heavy traffic areas.

When designing a landscape setting along bike and walking trails, he chooses low pollinated plant material like St. John’s wart, Japanese holly, Japanese aucuba and azaleas. Napolitano’s first choice for lawns is fescue. “It handles our soil conditions, sun requirements, and general weather temperatures the best,” he states.

Adam Kestin, the senior vice president at USI Landscape and Design, Inc. in Union, says the importance of light, soil, and water cannot be overstated when determining the perfect landscape design for a property. He favors boxwoods, arborvitaes, and barberry as hearty and foundation shrubs, and like Napolitano, often reaches for pots and containers for annuals and seasonal plants, like hibiscus. These can be brought indoors to protect and extend the life of a delicate seasonal plant. Evergreens can usually weather even the most severe winter storms.

Kestin also pays close attention to the hazards that can damage an otherwise perfect landscape design. Snow—and even more, the salt used to remove it—can play havoc with plants; a good design will take those elements into consideration.

Curb Your Dogs….Please

Another destructive force to be reckoned with is pets. “Dogs can be deadly,” says Kestin, and Branch and Napolitano agree. “Pet waste, especially urine is a major culprit in lawn damage,” says Branch, “though the degree of damage is dependent on urine concentration and nitrogen content. Walking dogs in an area set up for that purpose, and extra watering to dilute the urine, can help.” Since animal urine affects all turfs, maintaining a good fertile soil level and mowing at a higher level can also reduce the damage.

Napolitano has identified several species of plants that can survive in or around the dog run. “One species, osmanthus, is a variety of holly,” He says. “All human and environmental factors are taken into consideration when choosing a plant for its long term location.”

It is highly recommended that boards include a discussion of pet walking areas during planning sessions with their chosen landscape professional. Heavily traveled areas, parking lots, and other challenging spots like proximity to swimming pools, and ocean salt spray, also need to be discussed. There are salt-tolerant plants, like ivy geraniums, and Bar Harbor junipers, and salt tolerant trees like Norway maples and Eastern red cedars. A professional will know how to achieve the look your board prefers with plants that are up to the climate and traffic challenges unique to your property.

For board members interested in researching expert advice and information, the New Jersey Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program, which can be found at http://njaes.rutgers.edu /mastergardeners/helplines.asp provides horticultural programs and educational outreach to the general public. Unbiased, research-based information on ways to successfully meet today’s gardening challenges using environmentally sound and effective methods are available. A little knowledge can help save time and money before you call in a professional.    

Anne Childers is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The New Jersey Cooperator.