Georgia Native Plant Society

Georgia Native Plant Society We involve ourselves in all sorts of activities to support our mission.
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The Georgia Native Plant Society (GNPS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the stewardship and conservation of Georgia’s native plants and their habitats.

Looking like a woodland form of Queen Anne's lace, the native smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) is blooming now. ...
06/06/2026

Looking like a woodland form of Queen Anne's lace, the native smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) is blooming now. It especially likes moist areas and can be found along streams and in ditches. It is especially popular with small beetles, bees and flower flies.

Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea barbara, synonym Decumaria barbara) is a native vine with shiny, oval leaves that has rece...
06/05/2026

Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea barbara, synonym Decumaria barbara) is a native vine with shiny, oval leaves that has recently been reclassified as Hydrangea. Native throughout the state – although not present as much in the coastal areas – this vine has thick leaves oppositely arranged on the stem which is a good way to quickly separate this hairy vine from poison ivy.

Tiny, cream-colored fragrant flowers appear in late spring (May-June) in a flat-topped, terminal inflorescence. Seeds are a dry capsule. Vines can climb up to 30 feet. Sometimes the vine acts as a groundcover, but it needs to climb in order to bloom.

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is blooming now. It is the plant in our logo, so of course we’re partial to it...
06/04/2026

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is blooming now. It is the plant in our logo, so of course we’re partial to it. It is native to the western edge of Georgia from north to south. It was documented in Georgia by William Bartram in 1775 in Crawford County; Georgia is home to all five of the native hydrangea species (and none of them have blue flowers).

This large shrub is perfectly happy in the garden and is widely cultivated; there are dwarf forms, double-flowering forms, golden-foliaged forms and many others. The cream-colored spring flowers age to pink once they are done and can remain on the plant for months in that form. The large and handsome leaves can have outstanding fall color, stretching the appeal of this plant to almost year-round.

Time to catch up on a few shrubs that were blooming this past week. American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a larg...
06/03/2026

Time to catch up on a few shrubs that were blooming this past week. American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is a large shrub in the viburnum (Viburnaceae) family that is blooming now on moist roadsides throughout Georgia. The creamy inflorescences hold dozens of tiny blooms in an arrangement 6-10 inches wide. Pollinated flowers turn to tiny juicy purple fruits in the fall.
If you’ve got the space and adequate moisture, this is a fantastic wildlife plant, benefiting both pollinators and birds. If not, at least you can admire it on the side of the road and recognize the value that it offers.

Some of you might have wondered why we didn’t include either one of these milkweeds in our series. The reason is that th...
06/02/2026

Some of you might have wondered why we didn’t include either one of these milkweeds in our series. The reason is that they are not considered native to Georgia. The pink one on the left is common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and the brightly colored one on the right is tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica). People grow and sell both of these species in Georgia but they are not indigenous to here. This brochure by the State Botanical Garden and partner organizations like GNPS explains why they don’t recommend using them: https://vist.ly/56af5

Largeflower milkweed (Asclepias connivens) is a south Georgia milkweed. Large, purplish buds open to large, greenish flo...
06/01/2026

Largeflower milkweed (Asclepias connivens) is a south Georgia milkweed. Large, purplish buds open to large, greenish flowers, held up by thick stems with short, upward facing leaves. It grows in moist flatwoods, savannahs, and bogs. Photo from UGA by Karan Rawlins

Michaux’s milkweed (Asclepias michauxii) is a south Georgia species that makes its home in savannas and pinelands. Usual...
05/31/2026

Michaux’s milkweed (Asclepias michauxii) is a south Georgia species that makes its home in savannas and pinelands. Usually a single stalk with narrow leaves, the flower color is greenish white to pale lavender. Photo by Richard and Teresa Ware.

Green antelopehorn milkweed (Asclepias viridis)—named for the curved green seedpod that resembles an antelope horn—has a...
05/30/2026

Green antelopehorn milkweed (Asclepias viridis)—named for the curved green seedpod that resembles an antelope horn—has a very limited range in Georgia, mostly in the NW corner. Tiny green flowers with purple hoods lack the horns of other species, giving this one a distinctive look. It is also called spider milkweed because of a white crab spider that favors it. This one was photographed in Floyd County.

This is prairie milkweed (Asclepias hirtella). It has flowers clustered along the stems and long, thin leaves. The flowe...
05/29/2026

This is prairie milkweed (Asclepias hirtella). It has flowers clustered along the stems and long, thin leaves. The flowers are so numerous that they create a ball-shaped inflorescence. This was photographed in the Coosa Valley prairies of Floyd County.

🎉 Thanks to your efforts, we’re so close to our fundraising goal this Spring - Help us over the finish line!We are commi...
05/28/2026

🎉 Thanks to your efforts, we’re so close to our fundraising goal this Spring - Help us over the finish line!

We are committed to teaching more people about native plants across Georgia. To do that, we are creating the Ecoregion Plant Packs, a resource to help people get started with native plants.

To make this possible, we need your help. Make a gift today to our Roots to Shoots Spring Campaign to support our growing educational impact.

🔗 Go to GNPS.ORG to make a donation today!

Address

Atlanta, GA
30342

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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+17703436000

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