What is this?

This is a database of information on plants of interest, mostly woody (i.e. trees and shrubs), which I have compiled from multiple independent sources. All plants are listed by scientific name primarily. The important attributes are reflected primarily via a tag system. Because the primary sources vary in what plants they include and what data they provide on those plants, you may find it more helpful to search by first excluding the tags you don't want, rather than requiring the tags you do want.
I have biased the tags towards home landscaping applications, so you won't find information on which plants are suitable for e.g. reclamation projects, parking lot islands, highway medians, or erosion control here.

I have also biased this database towards the climate of North and Central Jersey (specifically, Sunset climate zones 32, 34, and 37 (or go here for a map thereof), USDA hardiness zone 6 or 7 (it changed in the new 2023 map), and AHS heat zone 5-6).
My primary reference for what will and won't work climatically is the Sunset climate zones, given that they are the most granular I have found and take into account more variables than just temperature. The exceptions are when I know otherwise from experience (local arboreta, other gardens) or when every other source disagrees with it, since the Sunset book is 20 years old as I type this and will not reflect more recent trials and introductions.

This database does not contain plants that could not reasonably be expected to do well in this climate, or any plants that are invasive or potentially so in New Jersey and/or nearby states, as well as a few that I personally just did not deem worth the trouble to add. In short, this database is primarily for my own use in my particular part of the planet, so don't expect any live oaks, jacarandas, or Norway maples here.

If you understand all that and still want to use the database:

• Search for plants by tags
• Or go straight to the list of all 541 plants in the database