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Georgia Shade-Loving Native Annuals and Perennials

About 25 percent of the plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

Native Plants, Native Perennials, Native Annuals, Georgia Native Plant, Georgia Native Perennials, Georgia Native Annuals, Shade Perennials, Shade Annuals

From the high mountain ridges of north Georgia to the flatwoods and swamps of south Georgia, Georgia’s landscape is carpeted with a rich array of wildflowers and native plants. It is home to many species of native lycopytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and flowering plants. Noted for its glorious springtime, warm summers, brisk autumns, and brief winters, Georgia can also support many non-native species, and they are beginning to make their way across the landscape. Regrettably, some of these exotic immigrants are invasive and are threatening the native flora and ecology of the state. 

According to the U.S. Forest Service, Invasive species have contributed to the decline of 42% of U.S. endangered and threatened species, and 18% of U.S. endangered or threatened species. Invasive species compete directly with native species for moisture, sunlight, nutrients, and space. They displace and alter native plant communities, degrade wildlife habitat and water quality, and potentially lead to increased soil erosion.

The federal government has estimated that nearly 25 percent of the 20,000 plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction, many of these through habitat loss. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region or ecosystem without human introduction. There are many benefits to growing native plants.

  • First, these plants are better adapted to soils, moisture, and weather than exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world. They need fewer fertilizers, and pesticides or use less water.
  • Second, they are unlikely to escape and become invasive, destroying natural habitats.
  • Third, they support wildlife, providing shelter and food for native birds and insects, while exotic plants do not.

Here is a list of Georgia native annuals and perennials that are well-suited for plantings in shady gardens.

  • Never collect native plants from the wild as it will deplete natural ecosystems. 
  • When possible, plant species grown straight from local seed sources. These native originals are the best choice, as they co-evolved with specific wildlife, which supports migration, breeding, and other seasonal interdependencies.

Guide Information

Plant Type Annuals, Perennials
Exposure Partial Sun, Shade
Native Plants Georgia, Southeast, United States

Georgia Shade-Loving Native Annuals and Perennials

Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh)
Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry)
Anemone quinquefolia (Wood Anemone)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the Pulpit)
Asarum canadense (Canada Wild Ginger)
Chelone glabra (White Turtlehead)
Chrysogonum virginianum (Green And Gold)
Clintonia borealis (Blue Bead Lily)
Dicentra canadensis (Squirrel Corn)
Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s Breeches)
Diphylleia cymosa (Umbrella Leaf)
Dodecatheon meadia (Shooting Star)
Erythronium albidum (White Trout Lily)
Erythronium americanum (Yellow Trout Lily)
Eurybia divaricata (White Wood Aster)
Geranium maculatum (Spotted Cranesbill)
Helianthus divaricatus (Woodland Sunflower)
Hepatica americana (Roundleaf Liverleaf)
Hepatica nobilis (Liverleaf)
Hydrastis canadensis (Goldenseal)
Impatiens capensis (Orange Jewelweed)
Iris cristata (Dwarf Crested Iris)
Jeffersonia diphylla (Twinleaf)
Maianthemum canadense (Canada Mayflower)
Mertensia virginica (Virginian Bluebells)
Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny Spurge)
Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox)
Podophyllum peltatum (May Apple)
Polygonatum biflorum (Great Solomon’s Seal)
Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot)
Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink)
Stylophorum diphyllum (Celandine Poppy)
Thalictrum thalictroides (Rue Anemone)
Tiarella cordifolia (Foam Flower)
Tradescantia virginiana (Virginia Spiderwort)
Trillium flexipes (Nodding Wakerobin)
Trillium grandiflorum (White Trillium)
Uvularia grandiflora (Bellwort)
Viola rostrata (Long Spurred Violet)

More on Gardenia

Great Pollinator Plants for Georgia
Monarch Nectar Plants for Georgia
Georgia Native Deciduous Trees
Georgia Native Ferns
Georgia Native Vines
Georgia Sun-Loving Native Annuals and Perennials
Georgia Shade-Loving Native Shrubs
Georgia Sun-Loving Native Shrubs
Georgia Native Evergreen Trees
Invasive Plant Species in Georgia
Georgia Native Grasses

Discover more beautiful Georgia native plants

Georgia native plants

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While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Plant Type Annuals, Perennials
Exposure Partial Sun, Shade
Native Plants Georgia, Southeast, United States
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Lower South Coastal South

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