Pignut is common on upland sites in association with oaks and other hickories. By Gary Wade, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist (Retired); Elaine Nash, Naturalist; Ed McDowell, Master Gardener, Amateur Botanist and Wildflower Photographer; Brenda Beckham, Master Gardener and Plant Enthusiast; Sharlys Crisafulli, Horticulture Program Assistant, Reviewed by Bodie Pennisi, Extension Floriculture Specialist. Variable, from dry, rocky ridges to wet, poorly-drained areas. Fragrant orange-yellow tulip-like flowers appear from April to May. Moist, well-drained soils in the wild. The upper surface is smooth, but the lower surface is pubescent. Mapleleaf Viburnum prefers dense shade and moist, well-drained soils. 80 to 100 feet tall and 30 to 40 feet wide. It is rounded in outline with horizontal or drooping branches. Nice for mass plantings. Rejuvenate with heavy pruning in late winter. Ideal for stream bank plantings in shaded areas. The undersides of leaves and buds have short, dense, rusty-red hairs that are useful in identifying this species. Georgia Department of Education November 2019 This learning segment will expand on student's knowledge of Georgia habitats and geographic regions. Seedlings are tolerant of shade and can remain in the shrub layer for years, waiting for a "gap" that provides light. Use Mountain Stewartia as a flowering or specimen plant. Fruit are yellow-green, approximately 1.5 inches in diameter, edible and very tart. This oak is also called Spanish Oak because of an association with early Spanish settlements. The foliage is leathery and glossy green. An unusual feature is the smooth, hard branches and trunk, which acquire a muscle-like rippled (Ironwood) appearance with age. Yellow Buckeye is mainly found in extreme north Georgia, but it does occur in a few Piedmont counties. It grows to a height of 15 feet. It has a variable habit, generally upright and compact, with many branches. The Piedmont Uplands stretches northeast-southwest in several discontinuous pieces from northern Virginia, through Maryland, and into south-central and southeast PA. In addition, there are a number of plants that were introduced to the region but have adapted to the climate and soil. A tree that grows to a height of 120 feet in its native habitat may only grow 75 feet under cultivation. Form is variable but usually is broad-rounded at maturity. Twigs and young stems are angled and slightly winged. 40 to 80 feet tall and 60 to 100 feet wide. It has few pests due to the pungent foliage. Piedmont Native Plants Aquilegia canadensis S hade-loving perennial with attractive foliage and eye-catching blooms Attracts hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and hawk moths. Wild Olive is useful in a naturalized landscape or as a foundation specimen. Avoid planting it in exposed locations because the large leaves are easily torn by wind. Yellow Buckeye is a large tree with an upright to slightly-spreading crown. Leaves are alternate, oval or obovate, up to 8.5 inches long and 6 inches wide, with seven to 11 lobes. Plant it in acid soils with adequate moisture, because it is only moderately drought tolerant. Native plants provide "watchable" wildlife habitats. Strawberry-Bush is a deciduous shrub having medium texture and medium growth rate. Mountain Stewartia is a large, deciduous, flowering shrub or small tree with medium texture and a slow growth rate. A beautiful specimen can be seen next to the famous arch on the University of Georgia's Athens campus. Maine to Minnesota, south to Florida, west to Missouri. Virginia and Kentucky, south to northern Florida, west to Mississippi. The Georgia Piedmont 4. Maryland, Virginia and southern Illinois; south to Florida and Louisiana. Loblolly Bay is an evergreen tree with medium texture and a medium growth rate, having a narrow, pyramidal to oval shape. "First, when you buy an azalea, turn the pot upside down. Ambrosia beetle and an associated fungus are killing native populations in coastal Georgia. Does not include plants recently introduced from other regions that have naturalized or become invasive Not all plants found growing wild are native. Use Live Oak as a specimen tree in large spaces. It is easy to transplant when young. Bladdernut is a small deciduous tree or large shrub. Moist woods, stream banks and near springs. Also found on sand hills in association with various hardwoods and conifers. UGA Extension offers a wealth of personalized services It has glossy, evergreen foliage in the Deep South and is deciduous farther north. This beautiful tree is becoming more available in the nursery trade. The foliage is aromatic when crushed. It will require pruning. The spiny fruit can present a maintenance problem. Typically grows in wet soils near water in bottomlands, stream beds and bogs. Our native habitats are full of subtle beauty that can be skillfully and beautifully incorporated into our gardens. This hands-off approach is more environmentally friendly. Flowers are an important nectar source for honey bees. Turkey Oak's red fall color brightens the landscape of the sandhills. It is usually found growing with members of the heath family (ericaceous plants). Moist soils of river valleys to shady uplands and dunes in the understory of Coastal Plain forests. Rich, moist, deciduous bottomlands and mesic forests, shaded slopes and ravines, and over calcareous rocks. Timber Press. Georgia's Piedmont region sits between the Coastal Plain region and north Georgia. Check with UGA Extension for a list of the best plants for your area. Bark is scaly and mottled. It provides lightly-filtered shade, so other plants will grow beneath it. Because this tree has such a wide growing range, its origin is very important. Hickories are large, deciduous trees, 60 feet or more tall, with alternate, pinnately compound leaves. Oak trees such as white oak, scarlet oak, and northern red oak dominate the overstory, though maples, sycamore, ash, and pine are also well-represented. Spruce Pine is an evergreen tree with a medium-fine texture and a medium to fast growth rate. Moist soils of valleys and uplands in hardwood and pine forests. Two-Winged Silverbell is often confused with Carolina Silverbell (H. tetraptera). It also has been widely cultivated in the southeast for Christmas trees because of its dense branching habit, fast growth and soil adaptability. Fruit color, which changes as the season progresses, adds interest to the landscape. Foliage consists of two and three needles arranged in fascicles (bundles). Sandy, alkaline soils, including coastal dunes and ridges, near marshes and inland hammocks in the lower Coastal Plain. It is tolerant of a wide variety of sites and is salt tolerant. Southern Pennsylvania, southern Indiana and eastern Iowa, south to Florida and west to eastern Texas. It also occurs occasionally on well-drained lowland sites. It is bounded by the coastal plain to the east and the Southern Appalachians to the west. For example, some plants require a bare, mineral soil for seed germination. Dry sites are home to some of our toughest native plants, including some oaks, persimmon, beargrass, some pines, sassafras and sumac. It prefers moist, well-drained soils and full sun to partial shade. Other plants are tightly constrained by the environment to small ecological niches or "homes." Up to 2 feet high with a spread of 2 feet. Fruit are dark berries, appearing in fall. In Georgia, there are three geographic regions: Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain. For more than a century, we've provided research and education through a Mountain Laurel is an evergreen flowering shrub having a medium texture and a slow growth rate. Parsley Hawthorn is an understory tree that prefers moist soils in light shade or full sun. Rich woods and bottomlands of the Piedmont. It develops a broad crown at maturity, with horizontal branching. Its evergreen foliage does not allow much sunlight beneath the canopy. The tree is a honey source for bees. It prefers moist soils in sun to shade and is not drought tolerant. Then backfill with the same soil removed from the hole and water thoroughly to remove air pockets. Eastern Hophornbeam is a deciduous tree with medium texture and a slow growth rate. Sugar Maple is a deciduous tree having a medium texture, medium to slow growth rate and an upright to oval form. Pennsylvania to Florida and westward to Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri. It often requires one to two growing seasons to determine when a plant can adjust to the specific light environment provided. It is a mountain species, so it may struggle and be short-lived in the lower Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Flowers are large, frequently exceeding 2 inches across, and typically have red pistils and filaments (a distinct characteristic of this species). It prefers moist soils. A wonderful specimen tree for the landscape. Adequate moisture is required during dry weather. It is easy to transplant. It is a tough plant that lends a bold, tropical look to the landscape. Oval, red fruit mature in fall. Fruit consist of cone-like aggregates of follicles from which bright red, shiny seeds are suspended by slender elastic threads. Stems have short hairs, and buds are smooth. For best flowering, do not over-fertilize. It has few pest problems. The acorns require two growing seasons (biennial) to mature. Ice storms can be a problem because the plant has weak wood that breaks easily. Vegetation The original forests of the southern Piedmont consisted of oak and hickory trees. Creamy-white flower clusters are borne in a flat head in May. White flowers, borne in spring, are small, fragrant and bell-shaped. Establish as small plants or as container-grown specimens because of the sparse root system. Hardiness zones are listed for Georgia. To perform well, this plant must have moist soils high in organic matter and light to dense shade. Lanceleaf Smilax is a climbing evergreen vine with spineless stems. Use Possumhaw as a specimen tree in the shrub border or at the woodland edge. There is a Coastal Plain Stewartia (Stewartia malacodendron), also called Silky Stewartia and Silky Camellia, that is equally beautiful. Leaves are smooth, dark green and have blunt appressed teeth. The cone scales have sharp points. This tree has not been used in landscapes, so its full site tolerance is not known. Rare or endangered species are not described. Lanceleaf Smilax will complement arbors, trellises and fences in full sun to partial shade. Sandhills of the upper Coastal Plain, associated with Longleaf Pine, Bluejack Oak and Sand Post Oak. Palmetto palm is very tolerant of salt spray, flooding and wind. A very rapid grower, it is one of the most popular trees for Georgia conditions, adaptable to most landscape sites. It will look spindly in shade. The topography consists of rounded hills, low ridges, irregular plains, and narrow valleys, all underlain by metamorphic rock. It is best planted as a seedling and is attractive in its grass-like stage. U. S. Nat. Numerous cultivars are available in the nursery trade. Connecticut to Illinois, south to Florida and west to Texas. Ohio to Florida, west to Arkansas and Louisiana. A single plant may have several trunks that creep along the ground, rooting and branching as they grow. Adapted to dry soils, Deerberry deserves to be grown in southern gardens and xeric landscapes. Older trees are difficult to transplant because they have a tap root and sparse lateral roots. In fall, leaves turn scarlet red, and fruit are red and showy. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees. It is evergreen in south Georgia and deciduous in northern Georgia. They are an estimate of the plants winter hardiness according to established U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones. can be used as a graphic organizer for binders or as a ticket out of the door. Fruit are a half-inch in diameter, black and glossy. Use Carolina Yellow Jessamine on trellises, fences, mailboxes, etc. Fertile woodland soils with high organic matter. Fall color is pink to red or red-purple. The middle geographic section of Georgia, the Piedmont, contains metamorphic rocks as well. It will require pruning to maintain its shape. Form is upright with a flat crown. Massachusetts to Florida and west to Missouri and Texas. White, fragrant, spike-like flowers are borne in April and May on the previous years growth. Grows in acid soils in the Southeast, predominantly in the Piedmont and mountains. The distribution of plants is sometimes described in terms of these geographic regions. Habit is round and spreading, somewhat bushy in appearance. Flowers are borne on short stalks arising at the leaf axils in April and May. New Jersey to Florida, west to Missouri and Texas. Possumhaw is a good wildlife plant. South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. It is commonly used in landscapes because of its adaptability to a wide variety of sites, including sun or shade, wet and dry sites, and both acidic and alkaline soils. 2001. Factors influencing growth rate include the age of the plant (most growth rates decrease with age), genetic background and site conditions. Virginia Sweetspire is attractive when used in mass plantings or as a specimen plant. New Jersey to Florida; west to Missouri, Louisiana and east Texas. The terminal leaflet is often missing. Minnesota to Georgia and Alabama; does not extend into the Coastal Plain. It performs best in moist, fertile soil. Distinctly pyramidal when young, it becomes more open and irregular with age. Fruit are bluish-black drupes in fall. Darrows Blueberry is a small evergreen shrub, rarely more than 24 inches tall. In the wild, old leaf-stems, called boots, remain on the trunk in a criss-cross pattern, but they are often removed from trees in cultivated landscapes to give the trunk a smooth appearance. Cold Hardy: Apple Trees thrive in Georgia's cold spring and cooler fall months. Fruit are small, brown capsules. The foliage is reddish as it emerges, changing to a dark, lustrous green. The underside of the leaf is whitish and smooth. Found on gentle slopes under oak, hickory and maple trees. North of Florida, the native range of this palm is restricted to coastal areas that are subject to salt spray and storms. It prefers filtered shade and acidic, wet, sandy loam soils. Southern Massachusetts to Florida, west to Iowa and Texas. Georgia Basil is a low, loosely sprawling, freely branched, semi-evergreen shrub. Ecological preservation is another reason for using native plants. Weather extremes, either temperature or drought, have shown us one of the best and most practical reasons for using native plants their adaptations to local climate. Live Oak is an evergreen tree with medium-fine texture and a slow growth rate. It provides filtered shade for other plants, like azaleas and dogwoods. Pockets of Mountain Laurel, however, can be found as far south as the Florida panhandle in areas where it receives its required growing conditions, including adequate moisture, shade and cool soils. Trumpetcreeper is a deciduous vine with medium texture and a fast growth rate. It requires adequate moisture and some shade for best performance. 25 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide. Seeds consumed by finches and buntings. It needs training for the first few years after transplanting. Well-drained, sandy, acidic soils in the Coastal Plain up to the fall line. It prefers moist, rich, acid soils and has moderate drought tolerance. Southern New Jersey to Florida, west to eastern Texas and northward from the Mississippi valley to southeastern Missouri. Suckers may need to be pruned from root or branch sprouts. Painted Buckeye is a large shrub or small tree. American Wisteria is a twining, deciduous, woody vine that bears light lavender flowers in spring. The flowers are one inch across and borne in terminal clusters. Mammals Mammals of the Piedmont region live in several habitats such as wetlands, fields and forests. Full sun is best. The foliage and fruit are aromatic. The Piedmont region consists of hilly terrain and sits approximately 500 feet above sea level. Cut the plant back heavily every few years to rejuvenate because young stems are the most attractive. However, nature does not always cooperate with the guidelines humans develop. It develops three to five main branches and many coarse, twiggy branchlets that bend downward and then up at the ends. Bark is a cinnamon-red color and becomes furrowed with age. Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia. 60 to 70 feet tall with a spread of 50 to 60 feet. Use Swamp-Haw in groups for massing or in a shrub border. Castanea. Horticulture. Avoid using the plant in pedestrian areas. It is best planted as a young tree or from a container plant because it is difficult to transplant as a large tree. Small plants transplant best. Use Sassafras as a specimen tree. Georgia Regions: Plants, Animals, and Habitats (Includes Task Cards) by. Individual fruit are 0.5 inches in size, dull red, and borne in showy clusters. Swamp Chestnut Oak is used as a specimen or shade tree. Vacciniums, or blueberries, are dominant shrubs statewide on the acidic soils of Georgia. It has a rounded to spreading canopy that is more pyramidal in youth. Aesculus pavia S hade-loving perennial with attractive foliage and eye-c Also know as firecracker or red buckeye. Breathtaking in bloom. This long-lived giant may reach heights of 80 to 100 feet, with a trunk diameter of 2 to 2.5 feet. Its wood is valuable for furniture and veneers because of its beautiful grain. Disturbed sites, particularly acid, rocky soils of uplands. Swampy, marshy areas to fertile, moist, well-drained lower forest slopes. The cones are up to 3 inches long and approximately 1 inch wide, grouped in clusters of four. Turkey Oak is a distinctive, small, deciduous tree with crooked branches. These areas can be mowed once a year to prevent forest succession. Sassafras is a deciduous tree with medium texture and a medium growth rate. In other words, dont plant a Red Maple from New England in Georgia; it may not adapt to the Souths heat and humidity. New York to Missouri, south to Florida and west to Louisiana. Another species, Swamp Tupelo (Nyssa biflora), is commonly found in south Georgia. Acidic dry soil, oak-pine forests and, occasionally, on moister slopes in the interior of the Southeast. 75 to 100 feet tall with a canopy width of 50 to 75 feet. It has a fleshy root system characteristic of the magnolia family. It will adapt to full sun. If other species are introduced, their cultural requirements should be compatible with those of plants already there. It prefers sandy, moist, limestone soils and full sun for best development. Wet soils along stream banks, on flood plains and at edges of lakes and swamps. Bigleaf Snowbell is a fine, fragrant understory tree for moist woodlands. True plant lovers will carefully select from the array of plants available, both native and introduced, to create the most beautiful and functional gardens possible. This bundle addresses the new Third Grade GSE for S3L1. Use Big-Leaf Magnolia as a specimen tree. It climbs by twining. Fruit are woody capsules. It also grows on dry uplands in the Appalachians. Leaves are pinnately compound with five to seven pairs of leaflets. Leaves are deciduous or semi-evergreen, alternate, leathery, pale green to bluish-white. Use Winterberry as a specimen plant, for screening, hedges or in mixed borders. 40 to 50 feet tall with a spread of 24 to 35 feet. It bears white, pink or rose-colored blooms from March to April.