These prize-winning plants have a proven record of success in Southern environments, including Mississippi. Here are 9 top native plants in Mississippi that will be beautiful for your backyard.
‘Bloodgood’ Japanese red maple
This Japanese maple must be America’s favorite; and has stood the test of time. The foliage color of “Bloodgood” is renowned for being exceptional. Fresh leaves have a deep, lasting purple-red color when they first appear.
The tree is ideal for an Asian-style garden, a foundation planting, or a pond’s edge garden since it provides a vibrant color accent all season long. The foliage turns a fiery scarlet in the fall. Southern locations are the finest for dappled shadows.
Buttonbush
The deciduous buttonbush shrub, which can reach a height of 10 feet, thrives in moist soils close to lakes, swamps, and ponds. This shrub can grow in colonies and has an intriguing open, sprawling look.
Throughout the summer, a peculiar white globe flower blooms; bees and butterflies frequent it. In the fall, the flower produces a rounded seedhead that various bird species devour. This shrub grows well in regions with shallow water near pond borders.
Frostproof gardenia
The milk-white petals on the completely double blossoms of this frost-resistant gardenia are as soft as child gloves and just as fragrant as the ones your grandma planted. This small shrub has a rounded appearance, grows to a height of 4 to 5 feet, and requires no trimming.
The foliage is glossy and dark green, as is usual for the genus. You might almost recognize yourself there. Plant this gardenia in moist, well-drained soil in full to partial sun.
American beautyberry
This perennial shrub prefers moist soil and partial shade. It also goes by the name French mulberry. It can get up to three to five feet tall and just as wide, though occasionally, it can go even taller.
It has tall, arched branches, and the foliage, in the fall and winter, turns yellow-green. It receives its name from the clusters of glossy, purple berries, which are also very advantageous to nearby birds.
Summersweet
Summersweet is a deciduous shrub that typically grows to a height of six feet and a width of four feet. It can be found in bogs, pocosins, and moist, acidic soils of wet pine savannas. The lovely, serrated, dark green leaves have yellow fall color.
Early in the summer, spikes of white flowers with a sweet scent emerge. Summersweet is a great plant to use in naturalistic landscapes because of its upright appearance and medium-textured foliage.
Tag Alder
This large deciduous shrub has a maximum height of fifteen feet. Tag alder is frequently found in branch bottoms and flatwoods, where the soil is damp and acidic.
The elliptic-shaped leaves have a delicately serrated edge. In the late fall, this alder produces long, thin ‘catkin’ blooms that become obtrusively beautiful in the early spring.
The shrub is a great specimen shrub because of its twisted, crooked trunk. Numerous bird species eat the seeds, and deer and beavers eat the stems and leaves.
‘Burgundy’ fringe flower
The fringe flowers known as “Burgundy” and “Blush” were introduced to the United States in 1989 from Japan. These perennials are uncommon pink-flowered varieties of a plant that typically has white flowers. These intriguing witch hazel family members are sadly underutilized.
Burgundy grows 6 to 10 feet tall, while Blush is a little more diminutive and compact. Both produce outrageously pink flowers in April. They favor acidic, moist, well-drained soils with full light.
Eastern redbud
A perennial tree, the eastern redbud prefers moist soil and full to partial shade. It produces lovely pink flowers in bloom. When fully grown, this tree can reach heights of 15 to 30 feet and has a broad, umbrella-like crown. When the pink blooms start to appear, it is incredibly stunning.
The best conditions for growing eastern redbud are moist, well-drained soil and either full sun or just a little shade. Plan for the full growth it will eventually achieve when you plant something fresh.
It thrives in environments with good air circulation to prevent fungal growth and is highly pH-adaptable.
Witch Alder
Witch alder is a deciduous shrub that grows to a maximum height and breadth of eight feet. It occasionally appears in the acid soils of dry woodlands with good drainage. In naturalistic settings, witch alder works well as an understory shrub because of its erect to pyramidal appearance.
The big-toothed leaves turn red or orange in the fall. Early spring brings out the sweet-smelling, creamy-white bottlebrush blooms.
Native plants will make gardening easier for you and improve the quality of your blooms. This is due to the fact that native plants in Mississippi are already accustomed to the local climatic conditions. When compared with other plants, they don’t need fertilizers and use fewer (if any) pesticides. They require less watering than other plants and aid in preventing soil erosion.