Maybe it’s because they’re native and grow wild in our woods. Autumn is high time for dogwoods once again. Among the first trees to showfall color, their leaves turn scarlet to deep-wine crimson. Credit: Getty Images They remain for as long as the birds will let them. Flocks of hungry robins and cedar waxwings descend like storms on fruiting dogwoods. A dogwood’s silhouette in winter is pure sculpture. The best time to plant dogwood trees is in spring or fall....

Easilygrown from seed, this perennial is known for self-seeding and looks great when grown in masses. Sow seeds for this moderate-growing plant indoors about eight to 10 weeks before the last spring frost. Plant Attributes Forget-Me-Not Care Forget-me-not is aspring-blooming, herbaceous perennial plant. Credit:Getty Images It needs shade from the afternoon sun or a very light, dappled shade. It prefers moist but well-drained soil, high in organic matter, typical of a woodland....

These gorgeous spikes can reach heights of 5 to 6 feet. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is one of the most striking spring and summertime blooms. Foxgloves are a hallmark ofcottage gardensand along-flowering bloomfor backyard gardens throughout the South. Credit: Picture Partners / Getty Images you’re able to plant them anytime between spring and fall. Here’s how to grow and care for this European native flower. All they need to flourish is moist, rich, well-drained soil and partial sun....

This tropical beauty adds fragrance and flowers to the Southern landscape. Native to tropical climates, frangipani is a wonderful tree in the Southern garden. Frangipani is aneasy-to-grow treethat flowers from late spring through November. Credit:Southern Living/Valerie de Leon Frangipani are easily maintained and will produce an abundance of flowers when planted in a full sun environment. This fast-growing small tree does well with most soil types but best in well-drained soils....

We can’t get enough of these seductive blooms. Here’s how to choose, plant, and care for French hydrangeas. Picking out French hydrangea,hydrangea macrophylla, is like ordering iced tea. In this Macon, Georgia garden, bluehydrangea macrophylla set a stunning path to a table simply set with fresh cut blooms.Credit: Ralph Lee Anderson You’re going to have to make a decision: Sweet or unsweet? There’s no right or wrong answerit’s about personal taste....

Colorful fuchsias bring drama to garden beds and patios alike. With their tropical, pendulous blooms, eye-catching fuchsias create a fabulous garden focal point. The shrubs can grow 1 to 2 feet per year. Credit:Getty Images Most fuchsia cannot tolerate frost and should be planted when nighttime temperatures remain at 50 F or warmer. Annual and perennial varieties can produce showy blooms from spring through fall on both trailing and upright forms....

Keep your yard dazzling with vivid reds, golds, and yellows with the addition of mums. Perhaps no other fall flower creates as much excitement as chrysanthemumsor mums as we like to call them. Fromhigh school homecomingsto gardensbursting with color, we Southerners cant get enough of them. Credit: Rena-Marie / Getty Images There are two main types of mums: florist and garden. Florist mums are annuals, enjoyed for a season and then gone....

Learn how to care for this timeless Southern shrub ahead. No plant expresses the grace of the South better than gardenia. Intenselyfragrant white blossomscontrast beautifully with shiny, leathery dark green leaves. Credit: © Santiago Urquijo / Getty The double forms make for classic corsage flowers. Note that all parts of gardenias are known to be toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Also, you should try not to disturb these plants once in place....

Learn more about caring for gorgeous geraniums in pots or in your garden. Key Takeaways The plants we know as geraniums arent actually geraniums. Some can even be used as ground cover. Getty Images. Plant in the spring once the chance of frost has passed. Geraniums are popular plantings across the South. Note that these plants are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Credit:Getty Images Plant Attributes Geranium Care While they require a little attention, geraniums are relativelyeasy-care plantings....

Native to South Africa, they do best in temperatures between 65F and 70F. Gerbera daisies areperennialsin the coastal and tropical South and are grown as annuals elsewhere. Here is the gist on Gerbera daisy care to make them last as potted plants or in your garden. Credit:Maria Mosolova/Getty Images When it arrives in the imperfect conditions of your yard, it will likely experience a transplant shock. Give it a location with plenty of sun and well-drained soil....

Add late summer fragrance to the garden with this favorite pass-along plant. Key Takeaways Late August and September may not be the most favorite times in the garden. Some flowers are dead, some soon will be, while many remainders hardly try. Credit: APION / Getty Images But inlate summer, one plant hasn’t given up. It’s a time-honored perennial whose graceful blossoms have adorned Southern gardens for generations: ginger lily. The ginger lily (Hedychium coronarium) isn’t atrue lilybut a rhizomatous member of the ginger family....

Brighten up autumn skies with the sunny leaves of ginkgoes. One of the oldest tree species on the planet is the ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). Thisdeciduous treeis a living fossil also called the maidenhair tree. Credit: Roger Foley Buddhists beautified their temple gardens for centuries with ginkgoes, some of which are over a thousand years old. A scientific experiment in 1929 became something breathtaking. He theorized a single tree’s sprout seeds would have a one-to-one ratio of male-to-female saplings....

Grow fresh, sun-ripened tomatoes right in your own backyard. It’s the over-the-top flavor of these and other heirloom tomatoes that makes us want togrow them. Heirlooms come in all sizes and colorsred, yellow, black, pink, orange, and green. Credit: tvirbickis/Getty Images Plant in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. They are fast growers and take 60-80 days to produce fruit. Cindy Martin and her husband, George, ownedThe Tasteful Garden, which specializes in kitchen garden plants....