They begin blooming in late March in the Piedmont but earlier in the Coastal Plain. Oconee-bells ( Shortia galacifolia) and Florida Torreya ( Torreya taxifolia) are examples of plants that require specific habitats and are rare in the woods of Georgia. Foliage is aromatic when crushed. Bark is scaly and mottled. Use Rabbiteye Blueberries as fruiting plants or in sunny shrub borders. Fruit are shiny, crimson-colored drupes in September. Mockernut is the most common hickory in Georgia, and is found in upland forests. It is not as vibrant as Sugar Maple. It needs acidic, sandy loam, well-drained soils and full sun for best development. It does best when planted in moist, acid, well-drained soils and full sun. Male and female flowers are borne on different plants (dioecious). Yellow, fragrant flowers are borne in November and have four strap-shaped petals. Canada to the middle of the Florida peninsula and west to Minnesota, Oklahoma and Texas. Mature trees tend to be alternate bearing, with good flowering one year, then few to no flowers the next year. Leaves are 8 to 14 inches long with five leaflets, sometimes seven. An understory tree, often occurring in wet areas, it appears to tolerate both excess moisture and moderate drought. The fragrant white flowers sometimes have yellow blotches. Bark is mottled and exfoliating. Quebec and New Brunswick, south to Florida, west to Indiana, south to Louisiana. 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. 8 to 10 feet tall with a spread of 4 to 5 feet. Laurel Oak should be used more in landscapes. Washington Hawthorn is a thorny, deciduous, small tree with a broadly oval to rounded dense shape. Use them as specimen plants in shady flowering borders. Plant Bald Cypress as a specimen tree. Use Rusty Blackhaw as an understory plant in partial shade or as a specimen plant in full sun. Use Swamp-Haw in groups for massing or in a shrub border. Sap is milky. It is subject to several pests, including the woolly adelgid, which has recently invaded the north Georgia mountains. The showy fruit are striking in the winter landscape and are attractive to birds. It climbs by aerial root-like holdfasts. Hillside Blueberry is a low-growing, deciduous shrub occurring in small to large open colonies. Climbing vine growing 10 to 20 feet. Fall leaf color is variable, from yellow to maroon or purple. Nebraska and Minnesota, east to Maine, south to Florida and west to Texas. Rusty Blackhaw is a deciduous shrub with leathery, pubescent foliage. Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Illinois and Iowa and southeast to Georgia. North- or east-facing slopes are preferred. Although it naturally occurs as an understory tree, it has shown good drought tolerance in full sun. It will grow in most soils and prefers full sun for best fruit production. Moist soils of valleys and ravines. The Coastal Plain from North Carolina to Florida, west to Mississippi. It is a showy shrub with handsome, fragrant flowers and bluish-white leaves. The flowers open with or after the leaves and are not fragrant. Occurs in moist sand near riverbanks and on higher ground in swamps and floodplains as well as in sandy pinelands, thin hardwood forests or at forest edges. "First, when you buy an azalea, turn the pot upside down. Georgia Regions: Plants, Animals, and Habitats (Includes Task Cards) by. It seems to transplant well. (138) $12.00. It has an upright form with loose, ascending branches. Fruit are star-shaped with many points. In addition, there are a number of plants that were introduced to the region but have adapted to the climate and soil. Red Titi is a large shrub or small tree with medium texture and medium growth rate. 60 to 80 feet tall with a spread of 50 to 60 feet. Some trees have a single trunk while others are multi-stemmed. The flowers are round, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, and are fragrant. 60 to 80 feet tall, with a sparse branching habit. Attractive white flowers, 3 inches across, are borne in June and July. It can be confused with American Snowbell (Styrax americanus), a multi-stemmed and smaller shrub that bears flowers from leaf axils, not in racemes and grows mainly along sandy stream banks in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont. One way is to leave the largest and healthiest trees that form the canopy untouched, remove weak, spindly and diseased trees, then selectively thin the undergrowth. Unlike Saw Palmetto, the Dwarf Palmetto does not have spiny leaf-stems and does not spread over a large area. Sandy, wet areas along streams, bays and hammocks. Over time, grass alone will not keep stream banks intact during flooding. The bark and roots are bitter and bright yellow, and yield a yellow dye. In Georgia, it comprises most of the timber harvested in the Piedmont. It is a long-lived tree and a haven for resurrection fern and Spanish moss. Bloom period is from March to early May. This is a handsome tree with few pest problems. Spider mites are a problem in south Georgia. Duncan, Wilbur, and Marion Duncan. Horse-Sugar can be used as a flowering or specimen shrub, for naturalizing on thin wooded bluffs, or in a mixed-shrub border. Blue-gray berries on female plants were used by early settlers to make scented candles. 12 to 15 feet tall with a spread of 8 to 12 feet. There are cultivars available. ISBN 0-8203-2524-4. Common Witchhazel is a deciduous shrub or small tree with medium texture and a medium growth rate. Occurs in a variety of habitats from high Appalachian elevations to dry or moist woodlands; extends into coastal forests. Bloom time is from May to August. It is very common in middle and south Georgia. Black Walnut is a large tree with a fine texture and loose, open form. Browse piedmont region of georgia resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources. The 5 Regions of Georgia! It has a graceful, attractive, irregular form; sometimes rounded, other times pyramidal. It is a slow grower. It bears white, pink or rose-colored blooms from March to April. Broadleaf evergreens include Hollies, Rhododendrons, Mountain Laurel and others. The foliage is dark green in summer with a purplish cast in winter. Avoid wet sites. Several cultivars are available. Common Georgia Piedmont shrubs and vines include: Buckthorn Flowering hydrangea Mountain laurel Virginia creeper Poison ivy The Animals of the Piedmont Region of Georgia Fact: the deciduous. All evergreen Rhododendron species require moist, well-drained, acidic soil, high in organic matter. They are very sour and have been used as a substitute for limes or in making tart preserves and jellies. The small, white flowers appear after the leaves in clusters at the leaf axils. Fragrant white flowers, often blushed pink, open in April and May. Pignut Maine to Ontario, south to Florida and west to Louisiana. Floristic survey of the vascular plants of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Suckers arising from the roots can be a maintenance problem if roots are disturbed. This long-lived giant may reach heights of 80 to 100 feet, with a trunk diameter of 2 to 2.5 feet. Bark is gray-brown and lacks white streaks common on Carolina Silverbell. Many of the images are copyrighted and have been used with special permission from the photographers and/or the organizations providing them. It transplants easily and prefers moist, well-drained soils and full sun. Saw Palmetto is a common understory plant, often found growing thicket-like in southern Georgia and the Florida peninsula. Flame Azalea is a tall shrub, growing to 12 feet tall, and found from the woody hillsides of the Appalachians to the Piedmont region above the fall line. Virginia to Florida, west to Illinois and Texas. The terrain has valleys and tall hills that resemble mountains. Remove any rocks, roots or other debris from the excavated soil and work it up thoroughly. The crown is broad, rounded and spreading. Rare or endangered species are not described. Leaves are alternate, obovate, often with a three-lobed apex. Yellow Buckeye attains its largest size in rich Appalachian soils in coves and in cool slope forests. Adults feed on rotting fruit, animal droppings, sap and, occasionally nectar of Brazilian verbena, Butterfly bush, Garlic chives, Boneset, Mist Flower, Pink turtlehead, Purple Coneflower, Lantana, and Milkweeds. What kind of animals live in the Piedmont region of Georgia? Sugar Maple makes a fine specimen, street or shade tree. Relief is high relative to areas south and east. Loblolly Bay is most often used in the landscape in groupings of three to five plants. The terminal leaflet is the largest. A habitat will provide shelter, food . This plant was once known as Florida Leucothoe (Leucothoe populifolia). Young trees have a handsome, exfoliating, reddish-brown bark that ages to a dark gray-brown color. Riverbanks and low, moist woods from the mountains to the upper Coastal Plain; may not be as vigorous in the southern part of its range. Bark is smooth and light gray. Many cultivars have been selected for ornamental use in residential and commercial landscapes. Summersweet Clethra is an excellent plant for moist areas and almost any soil type. It adapts to most sites, including moderately dry sites. This is an unusual-looking plant in flower and fruit. It is tolerant of salt spray and drought, and is an excellent choice for coastal landscapes. It prefers moist soils, but it may adapt to sun if irrigated. Small plants transplant best. Find out what Extension has for you! Its ridged, reddish-brown bark and picturesque branching make an interesting winter silhouette. Use Sparkleberry as a flowering or specimen shrub in full sun to partial shade. The bark is dark and handsome. It occurs in maritime forests and wet flatlands, where it sometimes is the primary canopy species. Fruit are bluish-black drupes in fall. It performs best in moist, fertile soils, but it has been observed growing satisfactorily on dry sites and heavy soils. It prefers deep, moist, well-drained soils and needs plenty of moisture for optimum growth. Swamps and low hammocks in the Coastal Plain. Leaves are palmate, with five leaflets, each 4 to 6 inches long. Moist soils in low woods and lower slopes in woods and thickets from the lower Piedmont to the southern Coastal Plain. It will require pruning. It is the larval host of the hackberry emperor butterfly and is a food source for fall migrating birds. The leaves emerge early, in March, and vary from green to reddish-purple. Leaves are deciduous or semi-evergreen, alternate, leathery, pale green to bluish-white. Massachusetts to Florida, and west to Minnesota and Texas. White oak, northern red oak, black oak, and post oak, and several species of hickories are. Use it as a specimen tree. The Piedmont region of Georgia is home to a variety of plants and animals. U.S. Forest Service publication FHTET-2003-01. Provide irrigation on sunny sites. Seedlings are tolerant of shade and can remain in the shrub layer for years, waiting for a "gap" that provides light. Moist, fertile woodlands and along sandy streams. Along streams throughout the southeast from the Coastal Plain to the foothills of mountains. Mulch to keep roots cool in summer and warm in winter. 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. Among the most common trees found in the region are white oak, northern red oak, black oak, post oak, and several species of hickory. Southern Highbush Blueberry (V. corymbosum) was used in developing cultivars for berry production. Others say they are plants that have inhabited a particular region for thousands of years. Slash Pine is a large tree often planted as an ornamental because it grows fast and has dense lustrous-green foliage. It is dioecious (having male and female flowers borne on separate trees). Vascular plants of Wyoming, 3rd ed.. Mountain West Publishers, Cheyenne. Dry upland sites with sandy or clay loam soils. It is easily transplanted as a container-grown tree or balled-in-burlap tree. They ripen in June and July, and humans and wildlife relish them. Maine to Michigan, south to Georgia and west to Louisiana. The color conveys a warm feeling in the cool early spring. Adequate moisture is required during dry weather. Florida or Southern Sugar Maple is a deciduous tree of medium texture and a slow to medium growth rate. It will adapt to hot, dry locations when irrigated. 6b (Carya glabra and Carya tomentosa), 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b. Leaves are leathery, thick and glossy, dark green above and a pale, chalky green below. Its bark resembles that of White Oak, with light gray, rough, flaky ridges. Use Downy Serviceberry as a flowering or specimen tree. Among the geographic regions of the state, numerous ecosystems or environments exist where unique plants and animals have adapted. Moist soils, especially beaches, maritime forests and sandhills of the Coastal Plain. Fruit are a half-inch in diameter, black and glossy. The foliage is blue-green and attractive. Yellow Buckeye is mainly found in extreme north Georgia, but it does occur in a few Piedmont counties. It preserves species diversity and distribution, and maintains the natural environment. The leaves are opposite and aromatic. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 0-618-09858-5. Moist, well-drained soils along riverbanks and streams, swamps and flood plains. The hard seeds are a favorite food of woodland mice. Bulletin It is also commonly called Hearts-a-Bustin to describe the colorful, heart-shaped fruit that appears to be exploding from the capsule. These areas can be mowed once a year to prevent forest succession. 25 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b (8b with good culture). A thick layer of pine straw or leaf litter on the surface of the soil will prevent this type of species from getting started. An unusual feature is the smooth, hard branches and trunk, which acquire a muscle-like rippled (Ironwood) appearance with age. It looks particularly nice as a multi-stemmed form. Twigs are reddish-brown to gray, with 0.75-inch-long thorns. Virginia to Florida, west to Alabama and Mississippi. It prefers moist, fertile soils in full sun to partial shade, but it is moderately tolerant of adverse conditions. Virginia Pine is easily confused with Shortleaf Pine, but it can be distinguished by its twisted needles. Use Slash Pine as a specimen tree or for windbreaks or screening. Leaves have three to six lobes and are shiny on the upper surface, pale on the lower surface and resemble miniature Red Oak leaves. Northern and eastern exposures, slopes and bottomland are normally moist, while southern and western exposures, ridge tops and rocky soils tend to be dry. The perennial plant is a native flower to the southeastern United States that grows in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. It is vigorous when young, then grows slower with age. Fall color is burgundy red. 25 to 30 feet tall with a spread of 15 to 20 feet. It is one of the most abundant pines in Georgia, second only to Loblolly. Use Southern Wax Myrtle for screening or as a specimen tree or hedge. Avoid using the plant in pedestrian areas. 8 to 12 feet tall with a spread of 6 to 10 feet. A casual stroll through a woodland setting teeming with ever-changing flora and fauna is a relaxing and peaceful diversion from our daily lives. Fragrant orange-yellow tulip-like flowers appear from April to May. The bark is ashy-gray to gray-brown with interlacing diamond-shaped ridges. Southern Indiana and Illinois, south to Texas and Florida. Showy white, pendulous flowers have leafy bracts. Downy Serviceberry is a deciduous, flowering tree with medium-fine texture, narrow-rounded crown and a medium growth rate. It is a broad, spreading, multi-stemmed plant with many upright shoots, so it requires plenty of room in the landscape. Heatherrenee Follow Advertisement Advertisement Recommended The Five Regions of Georgia In the Piedmont area of Georgia, the plant life includes pine, oak, white yellow poplars, and hickory trees. Fall color is usually yellow-brown but may be russet-red. Maryland and Virginia, south to Florida, west to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas. Flowers are followed by brown pods, 2 to 4 inches long, each containing four to six flat, hard-coated seeds. It provides an excellent food source for wildlife. South Carolina to Mississippi and Florida. They ripen from September to October. Eastern Hemlock is an evergreen tree, having a fine texture and a medium growth rate. Unfortunately, many new landscapes do not have a plant community already in place. Florida Azalea is early flowering and easy to grow, making it one of the most popular species. Deciduous azaleas are flowering shrubs with medium-fine texture and a slow rate of growth. The Coastal Plain and Piedmont from southern New Jersey to Florida, west to Texas and southeast Arkansas. The bracts are smaller than the leaves. Fruit are 0.5 inches in diameter, red and oval. 3 to 5 feet tall with a spread of 2 to 3 feet. University of Georgia Press. It is a fixture along coastal areas as well as inland sites south of the fall line in Georgia and throughout Florida. Fall color can be good and ranges from yellow to orange or rusty-red. It develops large, loose colonies when planted in the understory. Saw Palmetto thrives in areas subject to disturbances, such as areas that have been clear cut, burned by fire or subjected to salt spray. 30 to 40 feet tall with a spread about half its height. Chestnut Oak, also called Rock Oak or Rock Chestnut Oak, is a deciduous tree with medium-coarse texture and a medium growth rate. Yellow-green flowers, 0.5-inches wide, are borne in June and are often hidden among the foliage. Suggestions are made for using the plant in the landscape. It is easy to grow when provided with adequate moisture and full sun to light shade. It sometimes forms colonies from its suckering root system. Longleaf Pine is a canopy tree and is best used as a specimen. Virginia to Florida, west to Arkansas and Texas; south to Central America. Dwarf Fothergilla is a deciduous flowering shrub with medium-coarse texture, slow growth rate and rounded to spreading habit. Prefers neutral pH soils. It spreads by rhizomes. Greenish-yellow flowers are borne in dense pyramidal clusters in June and July. Carolina Silverbell is a deciduous tree with medium-coarse texture and a medium growth rate. Handsome grayish- to reddish-brown bark exfoliates into long strips. It tends to be multi-stemmed, but it can be easily pruned into a tree form. In the natural landscape, it is a ridge tree. It needs full sun and plenty of room. It prefers moist, fertile soils and full sun to light shade. Clusters of delicate, white bell-shaped flowers (0.25-inches long) bloom in May. The bright red fruit display is an outstanding feature. Use Loblolly as a specimen tree or for screening. Southern Wax Myrtle is an upright, broadleaf evergreen shrub/small tree. The coarse-textured leaves and showy fruit make this species desirable for naturalistic settings or mixed shrub borders.