You don’t need a big budget to have a garden that turns heads in New Jersey. The right flowers—bright, hardy, and wallet-friendly—can bring instant color and curb appeal to your space.
These affordable bloomers thrive in local soil, bounce back from unpredictable weather, and keep your beds looking fresh without draining your bank account.
1. Sunny Black-Eyed Susans
Black-eyed Susans bring a splash of golden sunshine to any Jersey garden from July through October. Native to North America, these hardy perennials practically take care of themselves once established.
They laugh in the face of drought and poor soil, making them perfect for busy gardeners. Plant them in full sun, and they’ll reward you with cheerful blooms year after year without emptying your wallet.
2. Versatile Marigolds
Garden veterans swear by marigolds for their incredible bang-for-buck value. A single packet of seeds costs less than a coffee but delivers hundreds of bright orange, yellow, and red blooms all summer long.
Beyond their beauty, marigolds naturally repel many garden pests with their distinctive scent. Perfect for bordering vegetable gardens or adding pops of color to your yard, these easy-growing annuals thrive in New Jersey’s summer heat.
3. Butterfly-Loving Zinnias
Zinnias deliver an explosion of color that lasts from early summer until frost hits. For just a few dollars, you’ll enjoy a rainbow of blooms in pink, red, orange, yellow, and purple that butterflies can’t resist.
Growing them couldn’t be easier – simply scatter seeds in a sunny spot after the last frost. Their cut-and-come-again nature means the more you harvest for bouquets, the more flowers they produce, making them the budget gardener’s best friend.
4. Drought-Tough Cosmos
Cosmos laugh in the face of New Jersey’s occasional dry spells. These daisy-like flowers grow quickly from inexpensive seed packets, reaching 2-4 feet tall with delicate, ferny foliage.
Their pink, white, and magenta blooms dance on long stems from early summer through fall. Neglect them a bit and they actually perform better! Perfect for filling large spaces on a tight budget, cosmos self-seed readily, potentially giving you free flowers for years to come.
5. Native Purple Coneflowers
Purple coneflowers (Echinacea) practically scream “Garden State native!” with their perfect adaptation to our local conditions. Their distinctive purple-pink petals surrounding a spiky center create instant visual interest.
Goldfinches and butterflies flock to these blooms, bringing your garden to life. As perennials, they’ll return year after year without replanting, making their initial $5-10 investment incredibly worthwhile. Leave the seed heads standing for winter interest and to feed hungry birds.
6. Easy-Going Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums deliver serious garden charm without demanding much in return. Their round leaves and bright trumpet-shaped flowers in fiery reds, oranges, and yellows grow enthusiastically in New Jersey’s summer climate.
Beyond their good looks, nasturtiums offer a bonus: both flowers and leaves are edible with a peppery kick perfect for salads. They actually prefer poor soil and minimal care, making them ideal for garden beginners or those with challenging growing conditions.
7. Shade-Happy Impatiens
Got a shady garden spot that needs color? Impatiens are your budget-friendly answer. These non-stop bloomers create carpets of color in spots where sun-loving plants struggle.
Available everywhere from garden centers to grocery stores each spring, you can often score them for under $2 per six-pack. Their pink, red, purple, orange, and white flowers create instant impact in containers or borders. New Jersey’s humidity actually helps them thrive where other flowers might sulk.
8. Pollinator-Friendly Sunflowers
Nothing says summer like sunflowers reaching for the sky! From dwarf varieties perfect for containers to giants that tower above fences, sunflowers deliver major impact for pennies per seed.
Bees go crazy for them, and later, birds will feast on their seeds. Many Jersey gardeners plant a sunflower row along a fence for a living privacy screen that costs almost nothing. For maximum savings, harvest the seeds from this year’s flowers to plant next spring.
9. Season-Spanning Petunias
Petunias deliver non-stop color from May until October in New Jersey gardens. While buying plants costs more than seeds, their extended bloom time makes them worth every penny.
Modern varieties bounce back after rainstorms without the deadheading older types needed. Wave petunias spread up to 4 feet, covering large areas with cascading blooms in every color imaginable. One flat can fill multiple containers or create an impressive garden border that blooms for months.
10. Tough-as-Nails Daylilies
Roadside daylilies demonstrate just how indestructible these perennials can be. Once established, they’ll thrive for decades with zero care, even in challenging spots where nothing else grows.
While fancy varieties exist, basic orange daylilies often cost nothing – many gardeners are happy to share divisions from their expanding clumps. Each flower lasts just one day (hence the name), but each plant produces dozens of buds for weeks of continuous color in early summer.
11. Shade-Thriving Coleus
Coleus transforms shady spots with its kaleidoscope of foliage colors – no flowers needed! From lime green to burgundy, orange to purple, often with striking patterns on each leaf.
While technically perennials in tropical climates, they’re treated as annuals in New Jersey. The secret budget hack? Buy one plant in spring for $3-4, then root multiple stem cuttings in water to create dozens more for free. They grow quickly, filling shady garden beds or containers with dramatic color all season.
12. Sweet-Scented Alyssum
Sweet alyssum creates clouds of tiny white, purple, or pink flowers that smell like honey. This low-growing annual forms perfect borders or spills gracefully from containers without breaking your budget.
A single inexpensive seed packet yields dozens of plants that bloom from spring through fall in New Jersey. The delicate blooms attract beneficial insects that help control garden pests naturally. In cooler parts of the state, alyssum often self-seeds, giving you free plants next year.
13. Faithful Garden Phlox
Garden phlox delivers weeks of colorful blooms on tall stems perfect for the middle or back of flower beds. Their fragrant flower clusters in pink, purple, white, or bicolor appear reliably each July and August.
As hardy perennials, they return year after year, making their $8-10 initial cost negligible over time. Native to the eastern United States, phlox feels right at home in New Jersey gardens. For best results, choose mildew-resistant varieties that handle our summer humidity with grace.
14. Four-Season Sedum
Sedums earn their keep in Jersey gardens by providing interest in every season. Their succulent foliage emerges in spring, creating attractive rosettes that require almost no water once established.
Late summer brings clusters of tiny pink or white flowers that pollinators adore. Even after frost, the dried flower heads add winter texture to the garden. Propagation is ridiculously easy – simply break off a piece and stick it in soil to create new plants for free.
15. Cheerful Calendula
Calendula (pot marigold) brightens Jersey gardens with sunny yellow and orange blooms that look like daisies with extra personality. A single seed packet costs about $2 and produces dozens of plants that bloom from spring through fall.
Beyond their garden beauty, calendula flowers have been used for centuries in salves and teas. Cool weather doesn’t bother them – they’re often the last annual still blooming when frost arrives. Plant them among vegetables to naturally deter pests while adding splashes of color.
16. Spreading Creeping Phlox
Creeping phlox creates a stunning spring spectacle when its mat of tiny flowers completely covers the foliage in vibrant pink, purple, blue, or white. This low-growing perennial spreads gradually, eventually covering large areas with minimal care.
Perfect for slopes, rock gardens, or spilling over walls, it prevents weeds naturally by forming a dense carpet. While initially costing $5-8 per plant, its spreading nature means each one eventually covers several square feet, making it an incredible long-term value for New Jersey gardens.
17. Prolific Morning Glories
Morning glories transform ordinary fences into flowering masterpieces for the price of a $2 seed packet. Their heart-shaped leaves quickly climb 8-10 feet, creating a living screen topped with trumpet-shaped blooms in blue, purple, pink, or white.
True to their name, the flowers open fresh each morning and close by afternoon. In most of New Jersey, they self-seed readily – sometimes too enthusiastically! Save seeds in fall to plant exactly where you want them next spring or let nature decide where they’ll pop up.
18. Deer-Resistant Snapdragons
Snapdragons bring vertical interest and bright colors to Jersey gardens where deer pressure exists. Their unique flowers in nearly every color imaginable open like little jaws when squeezed – a feature kids especially love.
While sold as annuals, snapdragons often survive mild winters in protected spots, especially in southern New Jersey. Starting from seed saves money but requires patience; buying small plants in spring offers instant impact. Either way, their long bloom time from spring through fall makes them excellent garden investments.