Choose one of these award-winning plants to add beauty to your Southern landscape and garden.
The Mississippi Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) established the program in 1996.
Gulf muhly grass(Muhlenbergia capillaris).
It forms a lovely, neat mound of grass.
It appreciates moist, well-drained soil in full sun.
Zones 6-11
Learn more about muhly grass.
Hydrangea paniculata’Limelight'.If you love hydrangeas, you simply must have ‘Limelight’.
It is a large shrub, 6 to 8 feet tall, with outsize chartreuse flowers.
These hydrangeas are fabulous for fresh and dried flower arrangements.
The plant appreciates some shade from the hot afternoon sun.
Prune as needed in late winter; it will not affect the new season’s flowers.
Zones 3-8
See more about ‘Limelight’ hydrangea.
This compact shrub features a rounded form that reaches 4 to 5 feet tall and never needs pruning.
The foliage is typical of the specieslustrous and dark green.
you’re able to practically see yourself in it.
Plant this gardenia in full to part sun in moist, well-drained soil.
Zones 8-11
Learn more about gardenias
Chinese snowball(Viburnum macrocephalum).Trick your friends with this remarkable plant.
This gorgeous shrub grows 12 to 15 feet tall and about as wide.
The flowers are extraordinary and quickly fill up a large vase.
The Chinese snowball is easy to grow in full sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained soil.
This shrub is semievergreen or evergreen, depending on how far south you live.
Zones 6-9
See more about Chinese snowball.
The dark red leaves unfurl soon after and mature to a dark reddish purple.
Plant it in full sun for the best leaf color.
The tree prefers moist, well-drained soil and looks great when planted as an accent or light screen.
Zones 5-8
‘Kathy Ann’ yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Kathy Ann’).
This plant needs a better public relations agent because its beauty and garden value are not always immediately recognized.
Incredibly adaptable, it can be grown in wet or dry sites.
‘Kathy Ann’ was discovered in Stone County, Mississippi.
The habit also prolongs the flowering period.
The whole panicle of flowers can easily grow to more than a foot long.
Maroon and purple fall colors make this shrub a garden favorite.
Zones 5-9
‘Bloodgood’ Japanese red maple (Acer palmatum’Bloodgood').
This must be America’s favorite Japanese maple, and it has passed the test of time.
‘Bloodgood’ is known for its outstanding foliage color.
New leaves emerge with a rich purple-red color that doesn’t fade.
In the autumn, the foliage turns fire-engine red.
Dappled shade is best in southern regions.
Water regularly to get the tree established.
Zones 6-8
See more about ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese red maple.
From July to September, bunches of fuchsia-red flowers bloom with 50 to 300 blooms in each bunch.
It has a lovely maroon fall color to boot.
‘Tonto’ is often planted with an evergreen groundcover around the base to accentuate the handsome bark in winter.
Zones 6-9
Autumn Blaze freeman maple (Acerxfreemanii’Jeffersred').
Autumn Blaze maple has won countless awards and is grown in nearly every state.
It is one of the most popular tree introductions in history because it is so reliable.
Zones 3-8
‘Burgundy’ fringe flower (Loropetalum chinensevar.rubrum’Burgundy').
These perennials are unusual pink-flowering selections of a normally white-flowering species.
These unforgettable members of the witch hazel family are shamefully underused.
‘Burgundy’ reaches 6 to 10 feet tall, and ‘Blush’ is a bit smaller and more compact.
Both have outrageous pink flowers that bloom in April.
They prefer moist, well-drained, acidic soils in full sun.
‘Indian Summer’ often blooms from June until September; removing the spent blooms helps lengthen the flowering season.
‘Indian Summer’ reseeds itself and naturalizes in optimal sites.
Zones 3-7
See more about ‘Indian Summer’ black-eyed Susan.
Knock Out rose (Rosa’Radrazz').
Knock Out is not your grandmother’s rose.
This shrub rose has been put to the test all over the United States and has a rock-solid reputation.
It does not require any complicated pruning or treatments to ward off pests and disease.
During the winter months, theorange-red rose hipsadd interest to the landscape.
Plant it in full sun and don’t crowd the rosebushes; the plant likes good air circulation.
Zones 5-11
See more about Knock Out rose.
Plant a group of these lovely camellias to create quite a color impact.
Camellias are from the tea family and are, in fact, edible.
Organically grown blossoms make a lovely garnish for holiday dishes.
Plant it in acidic soil.
Zones 7-9
Learn more about camellias.
