Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Tuesday - May 01, 2012

From: River Vale, NJ
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Privacy Screening, Shrubs
Title: Need suggestions for privacy hedge in Northern NJ.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

Hi, I'm looking for advice on what plant would make an excellent privacy hedge in Northern NJ (Bergen County). Ideally something low maintenance, about 5 feet tall, would act as a fence. Thanks so much!

ANSWER:

One of our most frequently asked questions has to do with privacy screens, so we should have enough information to help you out.

First, let me show you how to use our Native Plant Database which contains 7,223 species of native plants. Let's use the combination search which will allow you to explore the database to find the plants suitable for your situation. Start by scrolling down to the Combination Search Box and make the following selections: select New Jersey under State, shrub under Habit, and perennial under Duration. Check sun under Light requirement, and 6-12' under height. Click the Submit Combination Search Button, and you will have a list of 30 plant species that fit those criteria. Clicking on the Scientific name of each plant will bring up its NPIN page that has a description of the plant’s characteristics, growth requirements and in most cases images. By varying the selections, you can get different lists of plants.

Next, I’m going to refer you to some answers from previous questions.
These may not fit your situation exactly, but they include some plants that might you might consider for your location. All ofthe questions are from the Mid-Atlantic Region.