The State of Georgia is a diverse landmass that incorporates coastal plains, beaches, mountains, and agricultural land.
Western Georgia features lowland marsh forests, temperate rain forests, and swamps, whereas eastern Georgia features fertile plains as well as plenty of history.
Georgia’s planting zone extends from zone 6 in the northernmost reaches of the state and goes all the way up to 9a in the small coastal portion.
Luckily for those flower lovers new to the state, there are a wealth of flowering trees for homeowners to plant or admire in the state of Georgia.
20 Flowering Trees in GA To Plant Today
1. Scarlet Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)
The Scarlet Buckeye is a small deciduous tree with large, showy red flowers that appear in the spring and are irresistible to hummingbirds. It grows best in partial shade, so is a good choice for a shade garden or for the edge of woodland in damp and moist areas.
The foliage is large, dark green, and has an unusual compound shape. If you’re looking for a flowering tree native to Georgia, then consider planting a Scarlet Buckeye in your yard.
The flowers and bell-shaped and appear on pannicles and are deep red or yellow. The flower clusters are 6-10” long whilst the individual flowers are 1, 1 ½ inches long. The leaves are finely toothed, glossy dark above and paler underneath.
Other Common Names: Red Buckeye, Firecracker Plant
Growing Zones: 5-9
Average Size at Maturity: 10-20 ft tall and 12-15 ft wide
Flowering Season: March-May
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
2. Carolina Silverbell (Halesia carolina)
The Carolina Silverbell is a small to medium-sized tree with a rounded canopy and clusters of small bell-shaped flowers in the spring. The blossom is a pure shade of white with a soft yellow stamen. The oblong leaves are medium-sized, and turn yellow in the autumn.
The Carolina Silverbell can tolerate wet conditions, making it suitable for damp parts of your yard where you want to add a splash of floral color. It grows best in moist, acidic, well-drained organically rich soils. It’s an understory tree so does best in partial shade but will tolerate full sun.
Other Common Names: Opposum Wood, Silverbell Tree, Snowdrop Tree
Growing Zones: 4-8
Average Size at Maturity: 30-40 ft tall and 20-35 ft wide
Flowering Season: Mid-spring
Available at: Nature Hills
3. Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria)
The Smokebush is noted for its beautiful foliage and airy flowers that change from yellowish pink to purplish/pink and lend the plant a puffy ‘smoke’ covering throughout the summer months.
When planted and viewed in groups, they have a wispy, smoke-like appearance, hence the common name. The Smokebush has an open and upright branching pattern and attractive round leaves and is native to central China and Southern Europe.
The flowers are borne on pannicles with pink or purple hairs with a fluffy appearance. The leaves are deciduous and vary between shades of green and purple.
Many varieties turn from gold scarlet into peach in the fall. The Smokebush isn’t fussy about soil type, provided it’s not too wet. Plant in well-drained soil. The Smokebush will tolerate poor rocky soils and is drought tolerant once established.
Other Common Names: Smoketree, Eurasian Smokebush, Smoke Bush
Growing Zones: 5-7
Average Size at Maturity: 10-15 ft tall and 10-15 ft wide
Flowering Season: Late spring
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
4. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Witch Hazel is noted for its spectacular fall colors and the fact that it flowers in the fall when many other trees are beginning to shed their leaves. The bright yellow flowers are sweetly scented and consist of 4 ribbon-like, golden crinkled petals.
The flowers are clustered along the arching branches, appear at unexpected times and can remain until December. The leaves are smooth and broadly oval and open bright green before turning dark green and turning yellow/golden in the fall.
The bark is smooth and gray, which means the tree adds architectural and aesthetic appeal to the landscape year-round.
Witch Hazel will grow in full sun or partial shade on average, dry to moist, well-drained soils that are organically rich and acidic. In the wild, it’s naturally found along streams and riverbanks in the shade. Under cultivation, it can develop a rounded crown.
Other Common Names: Virginian Witch Hazel
Growing Zones: 3-8
Average Size at Maturity: 15-20 ft tall and 15-20 ft wide
Flowering Season: Fall
Available at: Nature Hills
5. Shoal Creek Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus ‘Shoal Creek’)
The Chaste tree is a deciduous vase-shaped shrub that can be trained as a small tree. It grows with a dense upright habit and features sage-scented, greenish-gray palmate leaves with 5-7 leaflets with a silvery underside that shines with the wind blows.
Small fragrant blue/violet flowers appear from summer to fall and measure 12” long, attracting plenty of butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
The Chaste Tree will grow best in medium-moisture, loose well-drained soils and thrives in the heat, but will also tolerate some shade, and is drought tolerant once established.
Other Common Names: Chaste Tree ‘Shoal Creek,’ Hemp Tree ‘Shoal Creek,’ Chasteberry “Shoal Creek,’ Lilac Chastetree ‘Shoal Creek,’ Monk’s Pepper Tree ‘Shoal Creek
Growing Zones: 6-9
Average Size at Maturity: 4-15 ft tall and 4-12 ft wide
Flowering Season: Summer to fall
Available at: Nature Hills
6. Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
The Flowering Dogwood is native to Eastern North America and Mexico and is a multi-trunked tree with a rounded habit. The leaves are smooth-edged and green and turn reddish-purple in the fall.
The flowers are small and attractive and are usually white, emerging from a pink bract, although the popularity of the Flowering Dogwood means that there are countless varieties nowadays.
Flowering dogwoods have a short trunk and near horizontal branches and thrive in organically rich, well-drained soils in dappled shade.
Other Common Names: Virginia Dogwood, Florida Dogwood, White Cornel, American Boxwood, False Box, St Peter’s Crown
Growing Zones: 5-9
Average Size at Maturity: 20-25 ft tall and 20-25 ft wide
Flowering Season: Late spring
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
7. Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
The Crapemyrtle is a small to medium-sized shrub or small tree with a moderately dense habit and often with a multi-trunked form.
The flowers are showy and pink, although the popularity of this flowering tree means that it is available in many different colors nowadays. The flowers feature wrinkled petals like crape paper. The foliage is dark green and changes to shades of red, orange, and yellow in the fall. The bark is thin, gray, and exfoliating.
The Crapemyrtle needs access to plenty of sunlight and water when young, but will tolerate drought once established. It will even grow in areas with limited soil space, making it perfect for those after a beautiful flowering tree in GA but only have access to a small yard. Plant in moist, well-drained soil.
Other Common Names: Crepe myrtle, Crêpe Myrtle, Crepeflower, Queen Flower
Growing Zones: 7-9
Average Size at Maturity: 15-25 ft tall and 6-15 ft wide
Flowering Season: June – fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
8. Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)
The Sweetbay magnolia is a showy tree with creamy white, waxy fragrant flowers. The foliage is glossy green with a silvery underside.
The flowers measure 2-3” and have a slight lemony citrus aroma. The Sweetbay grows in a uniform elegant shape, making it well suited as a patio tree or for smaller spaces. Bright scarlet red seeded fruit ripens in the late summer and attracts many birds.
The Sweetbay prefers acidic wet, well-drained soils and has a medium to fast growth rate.
Other Common Names: Laurel Magnolia, Swampbay, White Bay, Beaver Tree, White Magnolia
Growing Zones: 5-10
Average Size at Maturity: 10-20 ft tall and 10-20 ft wide
Flowering Season: Late spring – early summer
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
9. Native Crabapple (Malus coronaria)
The Native Crabapple is a medium-sized deciduous tree with an irregular crown of wide-spreading branches on an often crooked trunk. Attractive, fragrant white flowers are produced in clusters and have a pink tinge to them.
The flowers are followed by small, greenish/yellow fruit with a sour taste. The foliage is coarsely toothed and ovate.
Whilst the Native Crabapple does best in full sun, it’ll also tolerate some shade. Plant in well-drained loamy soils.
Other Common Names: Sweet Crabapple, American Crabapple, Fragrant Crabapple, Garland Tree
Growing Zones: 4-8
Average Size at Maturity: 20-30 ft tall and 20-30 ft wide
Flowering Season: Spring
10. American Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus)
The American Fringe Tree is a deciduous small tree. The flowers are very showy and cover the tree with tassel-like creamy white blooms.
Its scientific name comes from chion meaning snow and Anthos meaning flower. Fall sees the foliage turn beautiful shades of yellow. Female trees produce berry-like metallic-blue fruit in the fall that proves very attractive to birds.
The American Fringe Tree provides interest throughout the seasons so makes a good tree for front or back yards, as well as for those who want to maximize their space.
The bark features dark brown scaly ridges and red furrows provide winter interest. The American Fringe Tree generally grows in a multi-trunked rounded habit but can be trained to a single-trunked tree.
Other Common Names: American Fringetree, Fringetree, Old Man’s Beard, Grancy Gray Beard, White Fringetree, Sweetheart Tree
Growing Zones: 3a-9b
Average Size at Maturity: 12-20 ft tall and 12-15 ft wide
Flowering Season: Late spring
Available at: Nature Hills
11. American Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea)
The American Yellowwood features a round canopy and smooth gray bark. The flowers are wisteria-like and appear on loose pendulous pannicles measuring a foot long, and droop from the branches. They are usually white in color but can have a pink shade at times.
The flowers give way to bean-like pods which persist into the winter. The leaves are large and compound, and feature 7-9 ovoid to ovate leaflets and turn striking shades of golden-orange/yellow in the fall.
Late summer sees the pods change from yellow to purple-brown/brown. The American Yellowwood thrives best in warm and sunny conditions.
Other Common Names: Kentucky Yellowwood
Growing Zones: 4-9
Average Size at Maturity: 35-45 ft tall and 40-50 ft wide
Flowering Season: Late spring
Available at: Nature Hills
12. Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)
The Tulip Poplar is a fast-growing tree with a straight and upright growth habit. The crown is narrow in youth but later grows into a conical shape, with the oldest trees having broad oval crowns. The trunk is gray to light gray and develops shallow grooves with age.
The leaves have 4 lobes and are incised with a ‘V,’ and the underside is light green. The fruit is conical and consists of many winged nutlets pressed together in a spiral.
The flowers of the Tulip Poplar are held high up in the crown, sometimes obscured from view, and resemble Tulips, as the common name implies. They are greenish/yellow with hints of red and orange. The Tulip Poplar has a deep-reaching penetrating taproot so deep loose soil is required.
Other Common Names: Tulip Tree, Yellow Poplar
Growing Zones: 4-9
Average Size at Maturity: 70-90 ft tall and 30-40 ft wide
Flowering Season: April
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
13. Limelight Hardy Hydrangea Tree (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’)
The Limelight Hardy Hydrangea is a small tree that’s remarkably easy to grow. It features creamy white blossoms that arrive in late summer and fade to green during the fall, meaning you get an extended period to enjoy the blossom.
The flowers are upright and elongated, measuring almost 12” long. It’s a small-sized tree reaching only 10 ft in height so is perfect for smaller spaces or patios for your GA yard.
The Hardy Hydrangea will tolerate almost any conditions, including extreme heat and cold, drought, and salt.
Other Common Names: Limelight Hydrangea
Growing Zones: 3a-9a
Average Size at Maturity: 6-10 ft tall and 5-6 ft wide
Flowering Season: Late summer to fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
14. Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
The Eastern Redbud is a good choice for areas that may be too sunny for the ever popular Flowering Dogwood. Spring sees an explosion of pinkish buds that cover the branches and bark of the tree. They have compact growth habit so can easily be managed in small spaces. The Eastern Redbud grows in partial shade but will also take full sun.
The heart-shaped foliage emerges reddish-purple, changes to dark green, and finally yellow in the fall, and measures 2-6” in length.
Brown to brownish/black seed pods follow the flowers and persists throughout the winter. The crown is spreading and elegant. The Eastern Redbud will grow in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, rich, well-drained clay or sandy soils.
Other Common Names: Redbud
Growing Zones: 4-9
Average Size at Maturity: 20-30 ft tall and 25-35 ft wide
Flowering Season: April
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
15. Cleveland Pear Tree (Pyrus calleryana)
The Cleveland Pear Tree grows in a compact symmetrical shape and requires little to no maintenance to keep it looking good and flowering year after year.
The flowers are snowy white and bloom profusely every spring, lending an unbeatable display wherever this versatile tree is planted. The Cleveland Pear keeps its branches close together and avoids the splitting damage that often plagues the popular Bradford Pear.
Plant the Cleveland Pear Tree in full sun in well-drained soil. It’s a fast-growing tree that’s adaptable to many soil types and can withstand drought conditions.
Other Common Names: Callery Pear, Callery Bradford Pear
Growing Zones: 5-9
Average Size at Maturity: 30-50 ft tall and 15-25 ft wide
Flowering Season: Spring
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
16. Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)
The Yoshino Cherry is the most popular flowering cherry and will undeniably instill awe in anyone who beholds the tree in bloom. The snow-white to pink blossom appears before the emergence of the leaves in the spring and has a delicate almond fragrance. The leaves are a glossy shade of dark green and turn yellow in the fall.
The Yoshino Cherry prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It has a fast-growth rate for the first 3-4 years but then slows down as it ages. Its branches are arching and the medium size of the tree means that it can easily be adapted to any sized landscape.
Other Common Names: Yoshino Cherry Tree
Growing Zones: 5-8
Average Size at Maturity: 30-40 ft tall and 25-30 ft wide
Flowering Season: Spring
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
17. Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)
The Serviceberry is a small-sized flowering tree that can be grown as a shrub should you desire. The flowers are showy and white five-petaled, appear in drooping clusters, and are followed by small berries.
The berries can be eaten raw, cooked into jams and preserves, or simply left for the birds. The foliage turns from green to orange and then red in the fall. Young leaves are covered with a soft wooly layer that vanishes with age.
The Serviceberry will grow in sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained acid soils. It looks best in naturalistic plantings so is a good choice for those GA gardeners looking to create a woodland feel in their yard.
Other Common Names: Common Serviceberry, Downy Serviceberry, Juneberry, Shadbush, Sarvis, Shadblow
Growing Zones: 5a-8b
Average Size at Maturity: 20-30 ft tall and 15-20 ft wide
Flowering Season: April – May
Available at: Nature Hills
18. Purple Robe Locust Tree (Robinia pseudoacacia)
The Purple Robe Locust Tree is a durable fast growing shade tree that also includes beautiful chains of deep pink flowers in the spring. The foliage is bluish green, oval and emerges burgundy in the spring, before turning yellow in the fall. The flowers are pea-like and rose in color, with yellow ‘eyes,’ and dangle below the branches in mid-spring.
The Locust Tree is strong and adaptable and can grow in just about any soil condition in the appropriate growing zone.
Other Common Names: Purple Robe Locust Tree
Growing Zones: 4-8
Average Size at Maturity: 30-50 ft tall and 25-30 ft wide
Flowering Season: Mid-spring
Available at: Nature Hills
19. Flowering Plum (Prunus cerasifera)
Flowering Plum trees are generally easy to care for flowering trees that can reward growers with blossoms which can come in shade of pink, white, red at the beginning of spring.
The flowering season is very short, but the ephemeral show of beauty makes having a flowering plum in your yard worth it. Their smaller size makes them perfect for those short on space but who still want a spectacular floral show in the spring.
Flowering plums are hardy and adaptable trees that are capable of growing on alkaline soils, unlike their relatives, the flowering cherries. Flowering plums also produce edible fruit, so if you’re looking for a fruit tree that also adds beauty to your yard, then consider the flowering plum.
Other Common Names: Cherry Plum or Myrobalan Plum
Growing Zones: 4-8
Average Size at Maturity: 15-30 ft tall and 15-20 ft wide
Flowering Season: March – April
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees
20. Weeping Flowering Peach ‘Pink Cascade’ (Prunus persica ‘Pink Cascade’)
The Weeping Flowering Peach is an ornamental variety of peach tree with show-stopping double pink flowers that adorn the branches early in the spring.
It’s typically one of the first tree to break into bloom and signal the start of spring. The leaves emerge with a reddish-purple tint and turn golden yellow/greenish in the fall before being shed.
The Weeping Flowering Peach is easy to grow and rarely suffers pests of disease problems. Plant in full sun in moist acidic well draining soil. The state of Georgia is know as the Peach State, so in case you want another variety of peach tree that gives you edible fruit, there are plenty of varieties for you to choose from.
Other Common Names: Pink Cascade Weeping Peach
Growing Zones: 5-9
Average Size at Maturity: 12-15 ft tall and 12-15 ft wide
Flowering Season: Early spring
Floral GA
The state of Georgia is topographically diverse, with vastly different climatic conditions in the north and south, east and west. This means that growers based in the state have a wealth of options when it comes to deciding what to plant in terms of flowering trees.
Just be sure to plant a tree variety that’s suited to your area for the best chances of success.
