The Southern Living Plant Collection for Spring

Living at Harbor Club, have you ever wondered what would be the best plants to grow at our location? The Southern Living Plant Collection is a great place to start. Southern Living introduced it in 2008 to inspire and help Southerners better solve landscape challenges.

Every plant in the collection is tested to ensure it survives and thrives in our warm climate (Note: Our Southern Living-Inspired Community is located in zone 7b.) The carefully chosen plants are well-known for more prominent blooms and stunning foliage. Fortunately, our local Home Depot carries many of the plants in the Southern Living Collection. Ready to make your landscape look as good as the ones in the magazine? Here are some ideas for plant combinations that look terrific here in February, March, and April.

February

Even in February, there are pretty plants that bloom in Georgia. You’ve probably already been enjoying your colorful pansies, but there are few others you can try. The key to winter interest is color, structure, and texture. Consider these four Southern Living Plants:

Mahonia – try Soft Caress, which features soft bamboo-like foliage and showy yellow flowers that bloom atop the foliage in early winter.

Boxwood – try Baby Gem, which is an evergreen with glossy green foliage. Its rounded shape contrasts beautifully with the other plants listed here. 

Loropetalum – try Red Diamond. It offers bright red blooms and dark burgundy foliage that retains its color year-round. 

Festuca – try Beyond Blue (Blue Fescue.) This is an excellent ornamental grass for adding texture. Its powder blue foliage is eye-catching. 

March

This is the month we begin to see the first signs of spring. It’s a great time to start brightening your landscape with colorful flowers and foliage.

Nandina – try Obsession. This evergreen shrub offers brilliant red foliage in the spring. The leaves then turn deep green as they mature.

Tulips– Try Lady Jane. The outside petals of this tulip are red and edged in white. The flowers open to a white interior. The look is reminiscent of candy canes.

Pieris – try Mountain Snow. More heat tolerant than other Pieris, this one offers beautiful ivory flowers and bronze foliage that matures to dark green.

Narcissus – try Golden Dawn. This cheerful daffodil variety has up to three flowers forming on each stem. Blooms have greenish-yellow petals that surround a deep orange cup.

April

This is the month to enjoy even more vibrant hues and lush textures. Here’s how to welcome spring:

Ligustrum – Try Sunshine. This striking privet offers an eye-catching pop of brilliant gold foliage all year long.

Nandina – Try the citrusy shades of Lemon Lime or soften things up with Blush Pink, which has pink-hued new growth that eventually turns light green.

Loropetalum – Try Purple Daydream. Unlike the variety we recommended for February, this one has luxurious dark purple foliage that contrasts beautifully with the other plants mentioned here.

Need some additional ideas or advice? Harbor Club residents can find fellow gardening enthusiasts at our Victory Garden in The Grove. Or take a look at the Southern Living Plant Collection online for inspiration and additional details about all the plants we suggested here. And if you need a better place to build out your garden or landscape, take a look at our latest real estate listings. We wish you prolific blooms and happy planting.