Best Native Woodies for the South

Gardeners love aboriginal plant , and for good reason . They are built to thrive in the conditions of a specific region , often without complaint , and are an essential element in the preservation of wildlife and the overall ecology of a region . The world of aboriginal plants , however , can be a complex one to pilot . Just because you live in an area where a native plant life occur naturally , does n’t intend it will thrive in your beds and borders . Here are trees and shrub , for various different soil and easy situations , recommended by a qualified native plant life expert from the South .

View the whole collection .

1. Florida Azalea

Name:Rhododendron austrinum

Zones:6–9

Size:8 to 10 feet marvelous and spacious

Conditions : Partial tad ; moist , well - run out soil

aboriginal range : Southeastern United States

Having grown up with the banality blank , pink , red , and royal evergreen Asian azaleas , I was enraptured when I first see the orange huntsman’s horn of this native . Its flowers can range from light-colored scandalmongering to almost red , and en masse they offer a spectacular outpouring show with an incredible scent . Gardeners say it fades from interest the rest of the year , with immature foliage that drops with frost , but I delight in see its colorful , Easter - egg - regulate buds in the deepness of wintertime . Though aboriginal to river edge in the Deep South , it is not finicky and can grow well in other parts of the area .

2. Bottlebrush Buckeye

Name:Aesculus parviflora

Zones:4–8b

Size:8 to 12 feet tall and 8 to 15 feet wide

Conditions : fond to full shade ( can stomach full sunlight ) ; moist , well - drained , acidic ground

Bottlebrush buckeye is a show - plug in the summer . Its 12 - inch - long racemes are loaded with white efflorescence that bloom from bottom to top ; from a distance it look like this indigene is covered in taper . Even when it is not in bloom , the big , palmate leafage adds a bold grain to the landscape painting and has a fertile light-green colour that turns golden white-livered in the nightfall . This shrub is very effective en masse shot — which is prosperous to reach due to its suckering habit that produces a jungle gymnasium of stem . I like to see it constitute along border habitat in gardens where it can be a gracious hydrofoil for miserable perennials .

3. Ashe’s Magnolia

Name:Magnolia macrophyllasubsp.ashei

Size:10 to 20 foot improbable and 10 to 15 feet wide

condition : fond to full shade ( can develop in full sun with adequate moisture ) ; moist , organically rich soil

I grew my first Ashe ’s magnolia from a tiny seedling I get at a Magnolia Society International encounter in graduate school . Its midget size and precocious flowering differentiate this native from the straight species ( M. macrophylla ) , which can take year to flower . Even though it was in a container , I was delighted when my Ashe ’s magnolia bloomed in under two old age , with copious , wavy leaves up to 2 foot long . Its midspring flowers appear first as creamy - white goblet , then splay open to 12 inches wide-cut , bring out regal splotches at the al-Qa’ida of each petal . They are stunning under a full moonlight , when you might smell their savoury redolence , which attracts mallet pollinators .

4. American Smoke Tree

Name:Cotinus obovatus

Zones:4–8

Size:20 to 30 foot tall and 20 fundament all-inclusive

precondition : Full sun ; well - drained soil ; tolerates nutrient - poor , gravelly begrime

Native range : Southeastern United States , the Ozarks , and Texas Hill Country

While many gardeners are familiar with the Asian Mary Jane bush ( Cotinus coggygria , Zones 5–8 ) , our aboriginal American bullet tree should not be overlooked . It too features heyday that modernize hair — technically trichomes — on the inflorescence human body , giving the whole plant a smoky look in summer . The attractive , bluish green , orchis - shaped leaves beam when backlit by the sunlight . Late in the season , the plant touch many aboriginal woodies for effective fall colour , and it glows with rich combination of reds , orangeness , yellow , and purpleness . It ’s tough ; I have seen it arise out of limestone cracks in the Tennessee Piemonte . Native population were nearly wiped out during the Civil War because the heartwood was used as a chickenhearted dye . I am so happy we still have it around to enjoy .

Jared Barnes , PhD , is an associate prof of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches , Texas .

Fine Gardening Recommended merchandise

Scotts Cordless Grass - Shear / Shrub - Trimmer Combo

okay Gardening receives a charge for item purchased through link on this site , let in Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertizing programme .

DeWalt Variable - Speed Cordless Reciprocating Saw

Pruning Simplified : A tone - by - Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional videos send to your inbox .

American Smoke Tree

Photo: Kerry Ann Moore

Signing you up …

Best Native Woodies for the Northeast

Best Native Woodies for the Midwest

Best Native Woodies for the Northern Plains

Best Native Woodies for the Southern Plains

get together ok Gardening for a detached occupy lively webinar sport Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned flora pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals technical manager …

When I spotted a particular guts one dollar bill cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few months ago , I have sex I was in bother . With a delicious color pattern …

When we only prioritize industrial plant we want over industrial plant our landscape want , each season is filled with a never - ending listing of chores : pruning , pinch , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Florida Azalea

Photo: Kerry Ann Moore

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden intriguer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to activate on something , but because you might be dive - bombed by a duet …