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Here in the South, we’ve got a beautiful climate. With a mostly mild take on each season, we get just a touch of the quarterly shifts without the more extreme conditions. But that also means that choosing flowers for this landscape demands an understanding of what does well in an environment that maintains more warmth and humidity year-round than others. After all, no one likes a wilted flower. There are always the mainstays, like azaleas and camellias. But let’s talk about five flowers hardy enough for the South about which you might not already know!
#1 The Obedient Plant
This flowering plant’s appeal is in its name! For starters, it’s perennial, meaning it returns to bloom for multiple growing seasons. Win! But this plant is also native to the Southern United States and that becomes obvious when you see how happily it grows. Give it the space it enjoys (about 18 inches between two seeds), and it will prove pretty low-maintenance.
#2 Black-Eyed Susan
Cheery and happy to bake in the sunshine of summer, black-eyed susans are a key component in any low-maintenance garden. As flowers hardy enough for the South go, this brilliant little burst of color might win the title. It appreciates both full sun and drained soil, and you know what? It would make a beautiful pairing with an obedient plant!
#3 Crinum has Flowers Hardy Enough for the South in Many Seasons
Now, for those of us who adore a springtime bloom, there is Crinum. It is also deemed a bog lily because of how it loves soil moist enough to bring a bog to mind. With white, pink, and purple varieties and a spring to fall longevity, Crinum is lovely for the Southern landscape.
#4 Butterfly Weed
Bonus on this one: It is a favorite of Monarch butterflies! Supporting pollinators in your garden or landscape is a smart move. Just be sure you don’t attract bees to areas with high pedestrian traffic. Butterfly weed could certainly entice a few buzzing friends, so keep that in mind. But mostly, it is a Monarch magnet! And it is one of the flowers hardy enough for the South, undoubtedly. Its vibrant orange clusters will stick with you summer through fall.
#5 Magnolia: A Southern Classic
Really, what Southern landscape is complete without magnolia, anyway? It’s a tree, not a plant, but its flowers are stunning. While it only blooms in late spring here, it also has such beautiful deep-green leaves. It will stay looking evergreen from a leafy perspective throughout the seasons.
We hope this list of five flowers hardy enough for the South has helped you to decide what you might include in your landscape design. Landscapes are meant to be enjoyable for people. But ideally, they should also be easy to maintain and beneficial to the surrounding environment.
To view the ways we’ve often incorporated flowers into our own designs, explore our projects.
