Southern Native Trees and Shrubs Northern Gardeners Should Try
Some trees and shrubs native to the southern United States are likely to succeed farther north. Here’s a handful to try in cold-winter gardens.
Growing Southern Native Trees and Shrubs in the North
“How far north of its native habitat a plant will survive is one of the most fascinating questions for searchers of new plant material.” So wrote Elizabeth Lawrence, famed North Carolina gardener and the author of A Southern Garden (1942), among other books.
We still wrestle with this question today. Many of my colleagues farther north are looking “down yonder” to see what species can be added to their planting repertoire, because the South is home to wonderful native plants that deserve wider use. I know of recent botanical expeditions through east Texas, the Ozarks, the Gulf Coast, the panhandle of Florida and more. And with a warming world that sees more erratic weather, we need tough, dependable selections to use in our gardens and landscapes.
Fortunately, some southern plants are quite hardy, and they can succeed in colder gardens. Here are some of my favorite woody plants that are native to the Southeast—the region running roughly from eastern Texas, where I live, up through Kentucky, over toward Maryland and then down to Florida—and that have the potential to be used farther north.
Southeast-native trees
One of the most iconic southern trees is the southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). You can read about hardy (and more compact) varieties of magnolia in “New Magnolias Offer Better Hardiness and Manageable Size.”
Two-winged silverbell (Halesia diptera var. magniflora; Zones 5–8) is one of my favorite native trees. At 15 to 30 feet in height, its short stature allows it to be used in gardens of all sizes. In the spring, it is covered in white four-petaled flowers that resemble bells. For the rest of the growing season, it offers attractive deep green leaves that turn a popcorn-butter yellow before the frost.
Even though the variety is native to the hills of Florida, young trees survived in my area of Texas in full sun during the horrible summer of 2023, which saw more than 30 days with temperatures over 100 degrees (F) and no rain.
I was delighted when we bought our house to discover a 20-foot-tall fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus; Zones 3–9) in our front yard. While our tree is sited in full sun, I normally see the species in edge habitat. This tree has showy white spring flowers that inspire its colloquial name. It’s a dioecious tree, with male and female flowers occurring on separate plants. The female plants will also ripen little olive-like blue fruit; however, under stressful conditions males or females may produce perfect flowers (with both male and female parts) to help with fruit set.
Another beautiful underused southern native tree is American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea; Zones 4–8). The dangling white flowers in the spring give the appearance that the tree is covered in miniature chandeliers, and in fall the foliage turns a brilliant yellow. It is reported to flower in Minnesota and Maine, where temperatures drop to –25 degrees.
Hardy Southern Shrubs to Grow in the North
Among southern native shrubs, oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia; Zones 5–9) reigns queen. Read about it in “Oakleaf Hydrangea Is a Shrub for All Seasons.”
Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora; Zone 4–8) makes a wonderful candidate for shady areas. Though it’s native to Florida, Georgia and Alabama, I have seen this shrub as far north as Boston. The vertical white racemes, appearing in early summer, are certainly eye-catching from a distance, and the fall color is a brilliant yellow. It prefers moist areas and will sucker where happy.
Witchhazel family
The witchhazel family (Hamamelidaceae) also has a few southern candidates that are hardy farther north. Ozark witchhazel (Hamamelis vernalis; Zone 4–8) is native to stream banks in Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama, where its rust-colored flowers scent warm winter afternoons with a fragrance akin to Juicy Fruit gum.
A large shrub, it can sucker and form colonies over time. In the summer, some selections feature red-to-bronze new growth; in autumn the foliage turns warm yellow, orange and plum. If you want a different flower color, try the purple-petaled ‘Amethyst’, which I’ve seen trained as single-stemmed trees.
The other genus from the witchhazel family I would consider growing in the north is Fothergilla. These true multiseason shrubs offer squat bottlebrush-shaped flowers in early spring and handsome summer foliage that turns a myriad of warm colors in fall.
Fothergilla × intermedia ‘Mt. Airy’ has been the standard bearer for years in performance. I’m also curious to see how the recently described Miller’s fothergilla (Fothergilla milleri) does farther north. ‘Redneck Nation’ is one F. milleri clone available commercially. So far, it grows well for me in my east Texas garden.
If you ever dig yellow root (Xanthorhiza simplicissima; Zones 3–9), you’ll see where it gets its name: its roots are indeed highlighter yellow. This great low-growing woody groundcover is native from West Virginia through Mississippi with a disjunct population in Texas. It favors moist shady spots, and I have seen it growing creek-side in the wild. Inconspicuous maroon flowers appear in early spring right before the deep green, glossy, dissected leaves emerge. Fall foliage can range from yellow to purple.
Dr. Jared Barnes is a professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. He also educates horticulturists through his newsletter, podcast and classes found at meristemhorticulture.com.
