Some people love Atlantic City, New Jersey, that enduring combination of gambling mecca and seaside resort. It is a place where breathtaking Atlantic coast scenery is locked in a pitched battle for tourist attention with artificial environments designed to shut out the outside world. Atlantic City is a paradox with hotel rooms.
I was on my way to a conference there recently when I drove through the beautiful New Jersey Pine Barrens, home of the 1.1 million acre Pinelands National Reserve. The gardener and naturalist in me loves the area because it remains so serene and timeless despite its proximity to high concentrations of human beings.
The line of demarcation between the rest of the state and the coastal area that encloses the barrens starts when roadside soil begins to turn noticeably sandy. That sandy soil, which is high in acid content and low in plant nutrients, gave rise to the name “barrens”. In mid-fall, the austere pines that gave the area the first part of its nickname contrasted sharply with the softness of the many deciduous trees, arrayed in seasonal reds and yellows.
“Barrens” is an evocative word, but it is also a complete misnomer. By some estimates, the New Jersey Pine Barrens is home to at least 850 plant species, including trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, annuals and perennials. A number of those species are classified as endangered or threatened. Notable among the many regional curiosities are so-called pygmy trees, mature pines and oaks under 11 feet tall. Though short in stature, the trees cover a territory of about 12,000 acres.
Some of the plants, like the Pine Barrens gentian or Gentiana autumnalis, a small plant with bright blue, five-petaled flowers, are unique to the area. Others, like the pink lady’s slipper orchid or Cypripedium acaule, are also found in woodlands outside the Barrens, but are in short supply. Pitcher plants, those curiously fascinating carnivorous creatures, thrive in the moist environment, as do the insects they feed upon.
The four elements defined by the ancient Greeks—fire, water, soil and air—are all abundant in the Pine Barrens, but the most surprising is fire. For millennia lightening-induced fires helped the vegetation thrive. Fires thinned out understory plants, allowing trees more sunlight and less plant competition. Some species’ seeds germinate only after exposure to fire. Others, like pitch pine or Pinus rigida, have developed adaptations that allow them to resprout quickly after fires have ended. In modern times, many Pine Barrens fires have had human origins. No matter how fires start, scientists continue to debate whether or how much those fires should be controlled.
Pine barrens flora received a great boost through the work of Elizabeth C. White, 1871-1954. White is best known as the mother of the New Jersey blueberry industry, having tamed the wild berry plants that thrive in the barrens and initiating commercial production. She was also passionate about the region’s native plants and established a garden of them at her home, Suningive, in the village of Whitesbog in Gloucester County. She spread the word via speaking engagements and radio programs, welcoming visitors to see the Pinelands plants thriving in a home garden.
Most gardeners cannot approximate the Pinelands environment and most would not want to. Still, if you live in a neighborhood that supports lots of azaleas, rhododendrons, or mountain laurels, your soil is acidic. Combine that with low, wet spots, and some Pinelands plants might be right for you.
Among the most common acid and moisture loving plants are highbush blueberry, or Vaccinium corymbosum, popularized by Elizabeth White. Blueberry bushes are perfect garden specimens. Both beautiful and productive, they bear pink, bell-shaped flowers in the spring, with fruits following in July and brilliant red leaves in fall. Cinnamon fern, botanically known as Osmunda cinnamomea, is another stand-out, with cinnamon-brown flowering stalks and vibrant green fronds.
Fragrant swamp azalea or Rhododendron viscosum makes a great hedge for a lightly shaded spot and bears pink spring flowers. If you like unusual, rather weird-looking plants, try growing the northern pitcher plant, Saracenia purpurea. It is guaranteed to fascinate all children in its vicinity.
All things considered, I count my Atlantic City trip successful. An hour or so driving through the Pine Barrens more than compensates for days spent in a convention center.