Plant Finder

User Guidelines

The Plant Finder is a multi-faceted tool to assist designers, contractors, maintenance personnel, community groups and the general public in selecting plants that perform well within the public right-of-way. It expands on the lists included in previous versions of the Manual and should be used in conjunction with the guidance provided in the Landscape Chapter.

The Plant Finder database is not comprehensive and there is no guarantee that these plants will survive at a specific site. All plants within the public right-of-way must be selected based on site-specific conditions and approved by the appropriate agency or agencies with jurisdiction. Download the Plant Finder User Guide for instructions on how to use the tool.

The information in this database was generated by DOT, Parks, other agency staff, and local horticulture professionals based on their first-hand knowledge as well as from existing resources. Download the Plant Finder References page for a full list of sources.

Plant Basics

Characteristics

Tolerances

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Common:

Cranesbill

Scientific:

Geranium

'Sandrine'

Plant type:

Perennial

Height:

1-2 ft

Spread:

2-3 ft

Shape:

Spreading

Bloom:

The five-petaled flowers are an intense dark purple with a black center

Blooming period:

Jun - Oct

Fruit:

Sterile

Foliage:

Gold-lime foliage emerges in the spring and turns green in summer

Fall:

Turn red in the fall

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Winter

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Not available

pH:

Acid to Neutral (5.0-7.4)

Soil:

Loam

Moisture:

Med to Wet

Hardiness:

4a - 8b

Other:

Pollinator

'Sandrine' is noted for its larger flowers that are an intense dark purple with black centers.

Attracts butterflies. Tolerant of deer and drought once established.

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Common:

Cranesbill

Scientific:

Geranium

'Gerwat'

Plant type:

Perennial

Height:

1-1.5 ft

Spread:

1-2 ft

Shape:

Clumping

Bloom:

Large five-petaled, saucer-shaped, violet-blue flowers with white centers and black anthers are larger than many other geraniums, about 2-2.5" in diameter. Flowering can continue for weeks or months

Blooming period:

May - Jul

Fruit:

Brown capsule - insignificant

Foliage:

Finely cut, slightly marbled, deep-green foliage

Fall:

Turns reddish brown in the fall

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Not available

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med to Wet

Hardiness:

4a - 8b

Other:

Pollinator

'Gerwat' is noted for its almost non-stop flowering throughout the growing season. Its flowers are large 5-petaled, violet-blue (to 2.5” diameter) with purple-violet veins and small white centers and bloom profusely from late spring to early summer, generally with continued flowering to fall.

Attracts butterflies. Tolerates deer and drought once established.

An image of a dense planting of Geranium macrorrhizum flowers, which are pink and have rounded green leaves.

Common:

Spessart Big-Root Geranium

Scientific:

Geranium macrorrhizum

'Spessart'

Plant type:

Groundcover

Height:

1-1.5 ft

Spread:

1-2 ft

Shape:

Spreading

Bloom:

Purple-pink flowers with inflated dark red calyces bloom in umbel-like clusters above the foliage

Blooming period:

May

Foliage:

Deeply lobed and rounded grayish-green leaves. Shiny foliage all year. Aromatic when crushed. Forms a thick, weed resistant ground-cover

Fall:

Leaves acquire attractive red tones in autumn

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Med

Hardiness:

4a - 8a

'Spessart' is noted for its flowers that are mostly white with a very slight pink blush.

Local favorite. Attracts butterflies.

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Common:

Spotted Geranium

Scientific:

Geranium maculatum

'Espresso'

Plant type:

Perennial, Groundcover

Height:

0.75-1.5 ft

Spread:

1-1.5 ft

Shape:

Compact Mounded Clumping

Bloom:

Upward-facing, pale lavender-pink saucer-shaped flowers eventually fade to white. Trim plants back immediately after blooming and they may repeat in mid-summer

Blooming period:

May - Sep

Fruit:

Beaked seed capsules

Foliage:

Bronze/chocolate leaves are the distinctive feature of this cultivar. Leaves (to 6") are deeply cut and palmately 5-lobed and remain attractive in the garden after plants bloom as long as soil is kept moist

Fall:

Turns reddish in fall

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Low

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med to Wet

Hardiness:

4a - 9b

Other:

Native, Pollinator

‘Espresso’ is a chocolate-leaved variety.

Attracts butterflies. Tolerates rabbits, deer and drought.

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Common:

Meadow Cranesbill

Scientific:

Geranium pratense

'Midnight Reiter'

Plant type:

Perennial

Height:

0.6-0.9 ft

Spread:

1-1 ft

Shape:

Compact Mounded

Bloom:

Violet-blue flowers

Blooming period:

May - Jul

Fruit:

Not ornamentally significant

Foliage:

Striking plum-purple, deeply-cut, fern-like leaves

Fall:

Leaves change color in fall

Special Qualities:

Showy Blooms, Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

Not available

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med to Wet

Hardiness:

4a - 8b

'Midnight Reiter' is noted for its dark plum purple leaves and contrasting vibrant lilac blue flowers. 

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Collections:

Common:

Maidenhair Tree

Scientific:

Ginkgo biloba

'Princeton Sentry®'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

40-50 ft

Spread:

20-30 ft

Shape:

Pyramidal Columnar

Bloom:

Blooms are inconspicuous.

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

There is no fruit on this all-male cultivar.

Foliage:

Leaves are irregular when young, but become two-lobed, fan-shaped leaves with diverging veins.

Fall:

Leaves turn bright golden yellow in fall.

Bark:

The bark is typically light gray, with shallow ridges and furrows.

Special Qualities:

Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

3a - 8b

'Princeton Sentry' is a non-fruiting, all-male cultivar that is more columnar making it more suitable for narrow right-of-way plantings.

An image of a young Ginkgo biloba ('Magyar' cultivar), with a thin grey trunk and a narrow crown.

Collections:

Common:

Maidenhair Tree

Scientific:

Ginkgo biloba

'Magyar'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

40-60 ft

Spread:

20-30 ft

Shape:

Pyramidal Upright

Bloom:

Insignificant greenish male flowers bloom in catkins in spring.

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

There is no fruit on this all-male cultivar.

Foliage:

Distinctive two-lobed, somewhat leathery, fan-shaped, rich green leaves with diverging (almost parallel) veins.

Fall:

Leaves turn bright yellow in fall.

Bark:

The bark is typically light gray, with shallow ridges and furrows.

Special Qualities:

Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

3a - 8b

‘Magyar’ is a faster growing male form that was discovered growing in front of Magyar Bank in New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

An image of a young Ginkgo biloba ('Autumn Gold' cultivar) on the sidewalk, with bright green leaves.

Collections:

Common:

Maidenhair Tree

Scientific:

Ginkgo biloba

'Autumn Gold'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

40-50 ft

Spread:

25-30 ft

Shape:

Pyramidal Upright

Bloom:

Blooms are inconspicuous.

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

There is no fruit on this all-male cultivar.

Foliage:

Distinctive two-lobed, somewhat leathery, fan-shaped, rich green leaves with diverging (almost parallel) veins.

Fall:

Leaves turn bright golden yellow in fall.

Bark:

The bark is typically light gray, with shallow ridges and furrows.

Special Qualities:

Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Spring, Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun Only

Salt:

High

pH:

Not available

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Med

Hardiness:

3a - 8b

Slower growing, shorter male cultivar with a uniform golden yellow in autumn.

A general image of a common Ginkgo biloba tree, with a round crown and thin trunk.

Collections:

Common:

Maidenhair Tree

Scientific:

Ginkgo biloba

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

50-80 ft

Spread:

30-40 ft

Shape:

Pyramidal Upright

Bloom:

Blooms are inconspicuous.

Blooming period:

Apr

Fruit:

female trees produce seeds encased in fleshy, tan-orange fruit which emit a foul odor when maturing and falling to the ground in autumn

Foliage:

leaves are irregular when young, but become two-lobed, fan-shaped leaves with diverging veins

Fall:

leaves turn bright yellow in fall

Bark:

the rough, gray bark is broken up by furrows. The bark looks to be composed of layers that can chip off.

Special Qualities:

Distinctive Foliage, Fall Color, Distinctive Bark

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay, Heavy Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Wet

Hardiness:

3a - 8a

Other:

Fall Dig Safe, ALB Safe
A medium shot of Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ('Skyline®' cultivar) with fern-like leaves and a narrow trunk.

Collections:

Common:

Skyline® Honeylocust

Scientific:

Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis

'Skyline®'

Plant type:

Trees

Height:

35-45 ft

Spread:

25-35 ft

Shape:

Pyramidal Spreading

Bloom:

Inconspicuous, greenish yellow to greenish white flowers appear in racemes in late spring.

Blooming period:

May - Jun

Fruit:

Inermis variety has no thorns and in many cases no seedpods, making them preferred trees for landscaping.

Foliage:

Pinnate to bipinnate dark green leaves with ovate leaflets (1/2” to 1 1/2” long) cast a sun-dappled shade.

Fall:

Leaves turn an attractive yellow in fall.

Bark:

Dark grey, shallow grooves.

Special Qualities:

Distinctive Foliage

Level of Maintenance:

Low

Season of Interest:

Summer, Fall

Light:

Full Sun to Part Shade

Salt:

High

pH:

Acid to Alkaline (5.0-8.0)

Soil:

Urban (rubble/fill), Sand, Loam, Clay

Moisture:

Dry to Wet

Hardiness:

3a - 8a

Other:

ALB Host

Skyline® features pyramidal growth with a central leader. It is a thornless and nearly seedless variety.

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