Flower arranging competition at Monmouth County Fair gives NJ’s native wildflowers their red-carpet moment

Prize ribbons dotted fist-sized sunflower blooms, fire-red gladiolus, yellow summer squash, shiny eggplants, fragrant basil, and perfectly ripe tomatoes. Only the very best make it into the Monmouth County Fair—an event held every July at the East Freehold Showgrounds.

But if you’re not there to marvel at the blue-ribbon flowers and produce, you’re likely there for the Native Plant Flower Arranging Competition. Tables are lined up and laid out with pruners and an assortment of vases. Large plastic buckets sit on the ground, overflowing with native plant cuttings including bright-yellow goldenrod, pinkish-petaled coneflowers, spiky-leafed little bluestem, and the purple pom-pom flowers of bee balm.

Hosted by the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, the event uses friendly competition to increase awareness of native plants and demonstrate their beauty—no small feat given that the common names of so many contain the word weed—as in milkweed, Joe-Pye weed, and butterfly weed.

“We want people to recognize that native plants are just as beautiful as the plants in other sections of a nursery,” says Kim Rowe, leader of the plant society’s Monmouth County chapter. “We want to make them become everyday plants that everyone’s familiar with.”

Snipping and Stripping

The competition has quickly gained traction. Only eight contestants participated in 2024’s inaugural event. By 2025, pre-registrants filled all 16 of the available slots.

Over the next hour, stems were snipped and stripped of lower leaves, then inserted, removed and repositioned. Curious passersby slowed down, stopped, absorbed what was happening, then smiled.

“I heard so many comments from people walking by the finished products saying, ‘I didn’t know this was a thing. I would love to do this next year,’” says Jason Goldman, a park naturalist with the Monmouth County Park System who serves on the steering committee of the Monmouth native plant chapter. Goldman collected the cuttings from the pollinator garden in Clayton Park, Upper Freehold for use in the competition.

With pruners laid down, Rowe and two master gardeners judged the arrangements on creativity, diversity of plants, and best use of a container. First-place went to Alison Holland of Freehold, who used an ice-cream-cone-shaped vase she had brought from home.

“It was so fun, and it also inspires others to notice and appreciate these beautiful native plants,” says Mary Russell of Shrewsbury, who placed third.

Grow Your Own Native Plants

Goldman would be the first to point out that collecting plant materials from public parks is prohibited. The good news is that native plants are fairly easy to grow—especially once they’re established. Many species can survive both drought and torrential rain, require less fertilizer than non-natives, and some, such as mountain mint, are deer-proof.

Native plants are also crucial for supporting biodiversity. “Native plants are food for insects, and insects are food for birds and other animals,” says Rowe. “By creating habitat in our yards, we’re replacing lost habitat and providing places that insects and birds can continue to exist.”

Tips for Cutting Native Pollinators

If natives are planted to attract pollinators, should we be cutting them for bouquets? For an answer, we turned to Elizabeth Brown, author of The Beginner’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Nourish, and Create Bliss Year-Round (Timber Press, 2026). Two years ago, Brown began trialing native plants to use as cut flowers after torrential rain rotted her dahlias but didn’t affect the yarrow, a native perennial herb known for its flat-topped clusters of white flowers.

“The yarrow was stunning the whole season,” she says. “It made me realize that native plants are beautiful and sort of being passed over in favor of different flowers that aren’t native.” Brown offers a handful of suggestions for properly cutting pollinator plants while still leaving them intact to attract pollinators.

• Bring into the garden the vase you plan to use for your bouquet. This helps avoid removing more cuttings than needed.
• Don’t harvest more than one-third of a plant at a time.
• Fill out an arrangement by including non-native plants.
• To get the longest life from cuttings, Brown says to cut in the morning while the plants are hydrated, then place them in fresh cold water. Let them rest out of direct sunlight. “They need a little break before they’re arranged,” she adds.

Native Plants for Your New Jersey Garden

Though based in York, Maine, Brown grows native plants with geographic ranges that span the eastern United States. Here are some of her top flower-arranging favorites that are also native to New Jersey:

• Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): With daisy-like petals in shades of pink and purple, this long-stemmed native can act as a focal flower or a secondary flower in arrangements.
• Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium): A tall sun-loving perennial with purple flowers that looks striking next to an arrangement containing goldenrod.
• Goldenrod (Solidago): The bright yellow flowers add a burst of sunshine to any arrangement. Be sure to plant non-spreading species such as wreath goldenrod (Solidago caesia).
• Wild bergamot (Monarda): Though Brown admits to being reluctant to cut this one due to the bees loving it so much (hence its common name bee balm), she appreciates its long stems that pair well with goldenrod and sea oats in a “big, tall arrangement.”
• Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum): A vigorous spreader, this one is best grown in containers. “I’ll harvest them when they have little light purply white florets on them. But even after they fall off, you’re left with a nice green filler.”
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Best to harvest when about two-thirds of the flowers have opened, says Brown. “If I cut it at the beginning of the year, usually at the end of fall it puts on another growth.”
• Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium): This perennial grass features oat-like seed heads dangling from long thin stems. “You can leave them in your garden all season long. They’ll go from green to golden color. That’s when I tend to harvest them.”

POLLINATOR DAYS

Some of the 15 chapters of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey partner with independent garden centers throughout the state to run educational workshops and answer customer questions. They’ve come to be known as “Pollinator Days” and usually take place in the spring. See below for some upcoming 2026 “Pollinator Days.”

April 18

Bast Brothers Garden Center
1214 Ellis Mill Rd., Mullica Hill
856.612.5344
bastbrothers.com

April 25

Magnolia Garden Village
405 S. White Horse Pike, Magnolia
856.783.4717
magnoliagardenvillage.com

Pantano Outdoor Supply
161 NJ-34, Holmdel
732.946.3804
pantanooutdoorsupply.com

May 9

Colonial Nursery
1124 W Front St., Lincroft
732.530.3838
colonialnurserynj.com

Staffa Stone Garden Center
199 Tomlinson Mill Rd., Marlton
856.596.7779
staffastonegardencenter.com

June 20

Dreyer Farms
831 Springfield Ave., Cranford
908.276.1290
dreyerfarms.com

October 3

My Backyard at Nectars
1600 River Rd., Titusville
609.737.9200
@mybackyardatnectars