Summer Planting Guide: Top Tennessee Native Plants for Every Garden Style

Written by Kelly Fletcher

There’s nothing quite like stepping into an outdoor space to be greeted by familiar blooms– perennials you can count on, fresh faced annuals, pollinators that bring butterflies and bees along with them– a native garden or potted landscape will light up any outdoor space. 

When you plant native plants in your garden or outdoor space, they’re more likely to thrive because they won’t need much outside of naturally occurring elements in your ecosystem. They’ve become adept to our soil, climate, and wildlife and will still require some TLC but are a great way to conserve water and fill an outdoor space. Native plants are also a wonderful way to support the local functioning ecosystem!

For the novice gardener, though, it can be overwhelming to create a cohesive landscape and to know which plants will thrive where. Well don’t fret! Here are some Tennessee native plants that we love based on landscape style.

Cottage Garden-Moderate Sun

A design tip we use to create beautiful potted arrangements is called ‘spillers, thrillers, and fillers.’ That means you chose a plant with an upright growth habit, a plant with a spilling growth habit, and a plant that grows in full– this makes for a dynamic, visually interesting potted arrangement! For a Cottage Garden inspired landscape, we might choose some Yarrow to add height, Hydrangea arborescens to create fullness, and Phlox stolonifera to sprawl.

The goal in a cottage style garden is organized chaos, lots of different colors and textures work well in this style– which creates the perfect opportunity to let native wildflowers shine! You can choose plants that bloom at different times to keep color and interest as the seasons change.

Desert Garden- Full Sun

If your outdoor space is covered in sunlight, a desert style garden may be an intriguing option for you!

Did you know there is a cactus that’s native to Tennessee? It’s called Opuntia humifusa or Prickly Pear. This plant is a prolific grower and is a choice we love for a Southwestern feel in the South. Opuntia will grow in a bush-like pattern– we like to pair it with some Yucca filamentosa which will offer some tall, flowering shoots and Sedum or Stone Crop that will sprawl as ground cover.

A bush/tree option that we love for this style and sun exposure is the smoketree (Cotinus obovatus). These trees produce striking flower clusters in the summer.

Woodland Garden- Dappled Shade

For a more shaded area, a woodland style garden is sure to stun! Autumn ferns are native to Tennessee and thrive in a dapple shaded area. I love that these ferns offer a subtle pop of color! Pair that with some drooping Solomon's Seal to add some broad texture. And finally Virginia Bluebell would create a gorgeous color story in this arrangement!

Design elements such as form, texture, and color work to guide you towards a beautifully cohesive landscape! Consider complimentary colors, a dynamic variety of textures, and how the form of each plant fills the negative space around them.
That’s all for now! As always, if you have any questions or are looking for a professional design eye to help you build your dream outdoor space– please reach out to us!

Until then, happy planting!

Kelly