Native Plant Gardens & Sale

Explore Our Native Plant Gardens

Native plants are featured throughout the grounds of the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, located at 125 Landing Road in Landing, NJ. Visitors are welcome to explore our interpretive gardens, which highlight the beauty and benefits of native species through informative signage and seasonal displays.

We have three main garden areas:

• Our Specimen Garden showcases a wide variety of native plants that bloom at different times of the year, offering inspiration for incorporating natives into home landscapes.
• Our Mass Planting Garden is packed with color and texture, and shifts from year to year as different species thrive, making it an ever-changing and dynamic display of native plants. 
• Our Shoreline Buffer Demonstration Garden shows how simple it can be to establish a native buffer along lakefront property. These strips of vegetation help filter runoff, prevent erosion, and protect Lake Hopatcong’s water quality.

Whether you're new to native plants or looking for ideas for your own yard, our gardens are open for self-guided visits and offer practical, local examples of sustainable landscaping.

Annual Native Plant Sale

Support Local Ecosystems—One Plant at a Time

Each spring, we host a Native Plant Sale featuring a wide variety of New Jersey native species that support pollinators, improve water quality, and promote biodiversity. 

Our ninth annual Native Plant Sale wrapped up this spring with over 800 native plants sold—thank you to everyone who participated! Each plant purchased (and planted!) contributes to a more resilient and vibrant local ecosystem.

We look forward to seeing you next spring for our 10th annual sale!

Why Native Plants?

Native plants occur naturally in a region in which they evolved and are easier on the environment because they are adapted to the local landscape and generally require less water, less fertilizer, and little maintenance after they are established.

Native plants play an integral part in the world's ecosystem and are important for the healthy populations of birds, native bees, butterflies, bats, and many mammals.  They provide significant support for many pollinators, such as the Monarch Butterfly, whose populations are under stress. Pollinators play a crucial role in the production of fruits and vegetables, as well as the health of plant and wildlife communities. 

Natives can even improve water quality. With deeper root systems than grass, native plants more effectively hold soil in place and help filter out pollution from stormwater runoff. allowing heavy rainwater to be absorbed into soils rather than overflowing into storm drainage systems, protecting our waterways, and reducing flooding 

By choosing native plants in your yard, you are not only helping wildlife, you are creating a healthier place for yourself, your family, and your community. You are also making choices that are beneficial to the health of Lake Hopatcong, its watershed, and even the planet. And, they're beautiful!