Native/Non-Native Species

This flower is a non-native, non-invasive staple of the sensory garden due to its overpowering and uplifting smell and can grow 8-12 feet high and 6-12 feet long. They are easily recognizable due to their long, cone-shaped panicles (which can be 4-8" long) covered in tiny, tubular, purple flowers.

This native coarse perennial forb has many stems, which are straight and hairy. The leaves on this plant are alternate and simple. The inflorescence is slightly rounded to flat and comprises many individual flowers, which have five downward-pointing petals topped by a crown of five erect hoods. Once the pod is ripe and open, you can pull the seed out and watch it float with the wind!

This flower, also known as Spotted Beebalm, is an aromatic, erect perennial that grows o.5-3 feet tall. It has rosettes of yellowish, purple-spotted, tubular flowers that occur in whorls and form a dense, elongated spike at the end of the stem or leaf axils.

This native flower grows 0.75-1 foot tall and has a 1-2 foot spread. It blooms in May and has white-pink flowers that have very long stamens and pink buds. It spreads rapidly to form 1-2 foot clumps of foilage and has heart-shaped leaves that appear in clusters of 3-5 and are around 4" across. This flower is a staple in our Sensory Garden.

These native meadow flowers are short-lived perennials with branching, erect, reddish stems. A member of the parsley family, its leaves are divided into threes twice, while the upper leaves are divided once. It can grow to around 1-3 feet tall.

This is a native plant that blooms primarily in early-late summer and can grow 28-30" tall and 15-18" wide when mature. When blooming, the pale pink flowers are instantly recognizable and clustered around the tips of the burgundy-red stem. It is very friendly to butterflies and bees and deer-resistant!

This is a very ornamental native bunchgrass found throughout the meadow. The foliage is fine-textured and can form dense mounds 18-24 inches tall. By September, these plants will reach 3 feet in height and become radiant mahogany red -- this color will stick through winter!

This native species forms loose upright tufts of narrow-bladed, rough-textured leaves that are around 12 inches long. Greenish, bristly flower heads (which resemble bottlebrushes, hence the name), 9-10 inches in length, rising well above the foliage in the summer and last well into the fall.

This native meadow grass features clumps of arching leaves, with distinctive feathery flower spikes that are green -- they flush to pink-purple as the plant matures, eventually fading to light tan. It's a very showy and decorative plant that's on display from late spring until midsummer.

This non-native, non-invasive grass is a short-lived perennial grass that, upon maturity, can be 9-12" tall and have a spread of 6-9". You can easily spot it through the icy blue foliage and pale yellow flowers. It is also very drought-tolerant.

This native flower occurs in 6-12 foot deciduous shrubs with multiple crooked stems. The white flower is quite fragrant (hence its prominence in the Sensory Garden) and appears in a mass of stamens and in thimble-like, terminal spikes once the leaves have appeared.

This native dogwood is a multi-stemmed shrub that grows from 3-15 feet tall and wide upon maturity. It forms thickets, with the newest branches being bright-red and giving this plant its name. It has opposite oval/ovate leaves and forms white-blue berries favorable to birds. This plant in particular currently resides in The Sensory Garden.

These native trees are considered evergreens, keeping their color year-round. It grows to 40-50 feet tall and a spread of 18-40 feet wide upon maturity. These trees grow in a pyramidal form and have feathery leaves around 2-4" long that are sharply tipped at the margins. They produce red, berry-like fruits that are popular with birds (though somewhat toxic for humans).

This tree is native to Europe but is not invasive as it does not disrupt the biodiversity of the Jay Estate -- and wherever it grows. It has an upright, elliptical shape and can grow to a height of around 130 feet when fully mature. They are long-lived and can last up to 300 years (meaning this one has been on the property for a long time). The palmate leaves consist of 5-7 pointed, toothed leaflets spreading from a central stem.

This non-native, non-invasive tree grows 15-25 feet tall and has a spread of 25 feet upon maturity. It blooms from May-June and features leaves that are 2-4" long and elliptical. It produces a pink-red fruit that attracts birds and, in most cases, is tougher than the native dogwood when it comes to fighting pests and disease.

This native tree is deciduous and large, growing well over 100 feet tall. They are also long-lived and can last more than 350 years. Once the tree matures, you'll begin to see its defining characteristic: its "shaggy" bark. As a member of the walnut family, the nuts it produces are edible.

This native tree is the hardiest of its kind -- it is a large, red-topped deciduous tree that can grow 60-75 feet tall and wide. Its leaves are 6-10 inches long. It produces a cucumber-like fruit, but it (and the flowers this tree produces) is missed due to the fact that it occurs near the top of the tree.

This native tree grows symmetrically and is large and deciduous, growing 65-130 feet tall and having a few hundred years. The leaves are broad, heart-shaped, asymmetrical, have pointed tips and serrated edges, and are 2.25-7.75" across. The flowers produced during the late spring are cream-yellow, fragrant, and organized in clusters of 2-10.

This native tree grows between 50-75 feet high. Its twigs are slender and reddish-brown to gray-brown and shiny. The alternating and simple leaves are up to 7" long and 4" wide and have 5-7 deeply incised, bristle-tipped lobes. The acorns it produces are up to .5" long and wide and can occur singly or in groups of four.

This native deciduous tree can grow up to 100 feet tall and looks like a vase when growing in the open due to the division of the trunk into large limbs near the ground. The leaves are 3-6" long and 1-3" wide and are alternate, elliptical in shape, and have toothed edges. The bark is light grey and has deeply furrowed, scaly ridges. The buds are reddish and hairy.

This fast-growing native tree can reach a height of 70-90 feet and spread 40 feet upon maturity. It blooms in May-June, producing tulip-shaped flowers 1.5-2" in diameter with green-yellow petals and a hint of orange by the base. The plant has aromatic stems and 3-6" long alternating leaves distinct lobes, a flat base, and two ear-like tips. In autumn, the yellow color pops!

This native tree can grow 50-75 feet tall and has stout, picturesque branches that are well-known to sweep the ground. The bark sometimes exfoliates, and the flowers are creamy-yellow and upright that appear in late spring. In the fall, the leaves turn orange to red, adding to the autumnal aesthetic!

This stunning native maple can grow 90-120 feet tall and has 3.5-4.25" long leaves, which are usually quite red (making this tree easy to identify in some cases). The leaves are deciduous and arranged opposite on the twig, having 3-5 palmate lobes with a serrated margin. The twigs and flowers are also pretty red in color, making this an autumnal gem!