Planting for Atlanta

The minute it starts to warm up a bit, Atlantans march to their nearby plant nurseries with visions of Home-and-Garden lawns in their heads. Atlanta’s long, hot days make gardening fairly easy if you know what to plant! Sticking with native vegetation will help your landscaping take advantage of dry spells, hot weather and soil conditions, minimizing the need for watering, herbicides and fertilizer. Additionally, non-natives, like kudzu, can crowd out native vegetation, imperiling shelter and food sources for local birds, insects and other animals. And remember, native plants are less expensive in the long run, because they don’t need to be replaced as often as non-natives that give up in the Atlanta heat. So be sure to ask an expert or look online before you buy to make sure that the flowers, shrubs and trees you are thinking about planting actually belong in Atlanta.