The Best Plants for Williamsburg Landscaping

Williamsburg experiences a mild climate---perfect for flower growing.red and yellow tulips image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com

Williamsburg, Virginia, is blessed with a gentle climate and growing season that lasts from early April to November and averages more than 200 growing days per year. A myriad of options exist when selecting the perfect flowers to landscape your garden. From blooms native to Virginia to more exotic plants that thrive in the rich Virginia soil, the options are seemingly endless.

Rose of Sharon

Despite its name, the Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is not a rose at all. With its blooms offered in a range of colors including white, pink, purple and red, this shrub is a favorite with hummingbirds. While native to India and East Asia, the Rose of Sharon is the perfect choice for landscaping in Williamsburg due to its love of sun and light shade. The Rose of Sharon tends to bloom in the late spring and can reach heights of 10 feet and spreads from 4 to 6 feet. The Rose of Sharon thrives in moist, but well-drained soil and is recommended for planting in zones 5 to 9.

The Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) is native to Virginia, which makes it the perfect choice for a traditional Williamsburg garden. Virginia Bluebells, sometimes also called Virginia Cowslips are known for their light blue blooms, which actually start out as a light pink when in the budding stage. Virginia bluebells can reach heights of 18 to 24 inches, so they are excellent choices for bordering or making dramatic additions to flowerbed corners. Virginia bluebells love light shade to partial sun and are hardy to zone 3. They grow best in damp but fully drained soil and tend to most often bloom in early May.

The Virginia Rose (Rosa virginiana) is an upright shrub related to the Tea Rose. The Virginia Rose offers fragrant pink flowers which can reach 2 to 3 inches in diameter and is attractive to hummingbirds, drawn to its sweet scent. Due to its love of sun and hardiness during winter, the Virginia Rose is a popular choice for gardens in Virginia and is very easily grown. With mature heights reaching 4 to 6 feet, the Virginia Rose is often used as a border shrub or as a dramatic centerpiece for landscaping and typically blooms from May to July. The Virginia Rose does best in dryer soil and is hardy to zone 5.