Virginia’s gardens can be a lush paradise with the right plants for our humid subtropical climate. I’ve discovered a few favorites that grow strong, vibrant, and full of personality.
These plants create a rich, lively garden without demanding too much fuss. Choosing the right ones means enjoying a beautiful, thriving yard all season long.
Let’s look at some of Virginia’s best picks for a lush, healthy garden.
1. Oakleaf Hydrangea
Native to the southeastern United States, these stunning shrubs produce dramatic cone-shaped blooms that transition from white to pink as they age. Virginia gardeners love their four-season interest, with fall bringing burgundy-colored leaves.
During hot Virginia summers, they appreciate afternoon shade while handling humidity like champs. Their large, oak-shaped leaves add gorgeous texture to any garden bed.
2. Southern Magnolia
Majestic and fragrant, this iconic tree brings year-round beauty with glossy evergreen leaves and enormous creamy white blossoms. The flowers emit a sweet lemony scent that fills Virginia gardens from late spring through summer.
Many Virginia homeowners plant these beauties as living privacy screens. Their leathery leaves have rusty-brown undersides, creating interesting contrast when breezes reveal this hidden feature.
3. Elephant Ear
Bringing instant tropical vibes, these plants feature massive heart-shaped leaves that can reach over two feet across! Their dramatic size creates bold architectural interest in Virginia gardens, especially in partially shaded spots where they truly thrive.
Virginia’s humid climate mimics their natural habitat perfectly. Available in green, black, and variegated varieties, they pair beautifully with colorful annuals for eye-catching contrast in borders.
4. Japanese Painted Fern
Delicate silver-gray fronds with burgundy highlights make this fern a showstopper in shady Virginia gardens. Their metallic appearance catches filtered light beautifully, creating a magical glow in woodland settings.
Perfect for Virginia’s humid climate, these ferns require minimal maintenance once established. They spread slowly, forming elegant clumps that complement hostas and other shade-loving perennials without becoming invasive.
5. Canna Lily
Bold and tropical, canna lilies bring vibrant colors and banana-like foliage to Virginia gardens. Their dramatic flowers bloom throughout summer in shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink, attracting hummingbirds by the dozen.
These heat-loving plants thrive in Virginia’s hot, humid summers. Some varieties feature striped or burgundy leaves that look stunning even when the plants aren’t flowering, adding months of visual interest.
6. Hardy Hibiscus
Dinner-plate sized blooms in shades of pink, red, and white make hardy hibiscus a showstopper in Virginia gardens. Unlike their tropical cousins, these natives return reliably each year despite winter freezes.
Virginia’s summer heat brings out their best flowering performance. The massive blooms can reach 8-12 inches across, creating a tropical feel while actually being perfectly adapted to local growing conditions.
7. Crape Myrtle
Often called the ‘lilac of the South,’ these small trees produce abundant summer blooms when many other plants have finished flowering. Their exfoliating bark creates winter interest in Virginia landscapes after leaves drop.
Virginia gardeners appreciate their drought tolerance once established. Available in heights from 3 to 30 feet and colors including white, pink, purple, and red, there’s a crape myrtle for every garden space.
8. Virginia Sweetspire
Graceful arching branches covered in fragrant white flower spires make this native shrub a spring highlight. Bees and butterflies flock to the blossoms, turning Virginia gardens into buzzing hubs of activity.
Fall brings spectacular burgundy-red foliage that persists well into winter in many Virginia landscapes. Adaptable to both wet and dry conditions, this easy-care native thrives in full sun or partial shade throughout the state.
9. Cardinal Flower
Brilliant scarlet spikes rise dramatically above mounded foliage, creating vertical interest in moist areas. Hummingbirds can’t resist these native perennials, making them perfect additions to Virginia wildlife gardens.
Thriving in Virginia’s humid conditions, they prefer consistently moist soil. Their intense red color stands out dramatically against green foliage, creating focal points along stream edges, rain gardens, or any spot that stays damp.
10. Banana Plant
Creating instant tropical drama, banana plants grow incredibly fast in Virginia’s hot summers. Their massive paddle-shaped leaves sway in summer breezes, adding movement and exotic texture to garden beds.
While most won’t produce fruit in Virginia’s climate, their visual impact is undeniable. Hardy varieties like Musa basjoo can survive winter with proper mulching, returning year after year to create a lush tropical oasis.
11. Joe-Pye Weed
Towering mauve flower clusters attract countless butterflies to this native perennial in late summer. Growing up to 7 feet tall, it creates dramatic background structure in Virginia perennial borders while supporting local pollinators.
Despite its ‘weed’ name, this Virginia native is actually a sophisticated garden plant. Its vanilla-scented flowers appear when many other perennials have finished blooming, extending the garden’s peak beauty into fall.
12. Pawpaw Tree
North America’s largest native fruit grows on these small trees with tropical-looking foliage. The custard-like fruits taste like banana-mango pudding and were favorites of both Native Americans and early Virginia settlers.
Growing naturally in Virginia’s woodland understory, pawpaws thrive in filtered light. Their unusual maroon flowers in spring give way to clusters of fruits that ripen in early fall, providing unique edible interest.
13. Ostrich Fern
Vase-shaped clumps of dramatic fronds unfurl in spring like green feather dusters. Growing up to 5 feet tall, these elegant ferns create a prehistoric feel in Virginia’s shady garden spots. Virginia’s humid climate suits them perfectly, especially in areas that stay consistently moist.
Their fiddleheads emerge in early spring as tightly coiled spirals, adding fascinating seasonal interest before unfurling into magnificent fronds.
14. Buttonbush
Unique spherical flowers resembling white pincushions attract butterflies and native bees to this versatile shrub. Perfect for Virginia’s wet areas, it thrives along pond edges while tolerating occasional flooding.
The distinctive round seedheads provide winter interest in Virginia landscapes. Growing 5-12 feet tall, buttonbush works beautifully in rain gardens or as a problem-solver in areas where poor drainage challenges other plants.