Top Plant Picks for Charlotte Homes and Businesses in 2025

If you're a homeowner or business owner in the Charlotte area looking to enhance your landscape, choosing the right plants is a key aspect of your landscape design. Charlotte's climate is classified as a humid subtropical environment. This leads to hot and humid summers, mild winters, and generous rainfall on average throughout the year. Therefore, the best plants for this region are those that can handle a variety of conditions while providing beauty, texture, and seasonal interest to various key points in your yard. These are all aspects that landscaping designers are considering when selecting the best plants for your new outdoor living space.

Here are some top-performing plants that thrive in Charlotte’s Zone 7b-8a climate while often times being lower maintenance compared to other options:

Liriope (Lilyturf)

Why it works: Liriope tends to be hardy, drought-tolerant, and excellent as a border plant for the perimeter areas of your yard. It’s also great for erosion control and weed suppression. Best of all, Liriope serves as versatile ground cover that thrives in a variety of soils between sandy and more clay-like. Whether your garden sits in full sun or partial shade, these tough plants will flourish as long as the soil drains well and the soil is able to resist becoming water-logged.

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

Why it works: This cheerful perennial blooms all summer and tolerates heat and humidity of the Charlotte region very well. Black-Eyed Susans attract pollinators and butterflies, while lighting up the garden with their magnificent colors. Further, they’re among the first to thrive in new native plantings by flourishing early before giving way to longer-lived perennials. Thanks to their own prolific self-seeding, the cheerful blooms of the Black-Eyed Susan often return year after year with less maintenance than other plants.

Crape Myrtle

Why it works: As a true Southern staple, Crape Myrtles bring year-round charm with their vibrant blooms, striking bark that often peels, and an elegant form that is almost sculpture-like. These resilient trees thrive in hot, sunny climates similar to the Charlotte region and add a bold splash of color to landscapes from summer and into the fall season as well. Beyond their vibrant flowers, their peeling bark reveals a beautiful texture that adds visual interest even in winter months, making them a standout feature in any landscape design.

Encore Azaleas

Why it works: Encore Azaleas break the mold of looking like other traditional azaleas by blooming not just once, but multiple times throughout the year in different phases. This remarkable aspect of their aesthetic does a great job in bringing vibrant color to your landscape in spring, summer, and fall seasons. Further, their evergreen foliage ensures your garden stays visually appealing even in the off-season when most other plants are looking drab. Lastly, Encore Azaleas do a great job offering year-round texture and structure with minimal maintenance for your landscape, which is why they are extremely popular throughout the Charlotte area and can be seen in nearly every outdoor space.

Muhly Grass (Pink or White)

Why it works: Pink or white Muhly grass adds a dreamy texture to landscapes with its fine plumes that seem to glow in the light of certain seasons. These plants are highly heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, making them a great choice for the Charlotte region where these influences can be problematic for other plants. Further, this ornamental grass thrives in tough conditions while delivering big visual impact to your landscape. This is especially true when planted in large, flowing masses in strategic locations in your landscape.

Hydrangea (especially Panicle and Oakleaf varieties)

Why it works: Both of these hydrangea varieties thrive in the Charlotte area’s soil and shady conditions, making them a reliable choice for Southern landscapes with these conditions. However, the Oakleaf hydrangeas go a step further, offering a seasonal bonus with their stunning fall foliage that you won’t find on many other plant selections. This does a great job in transforming landscape beds with rich hues of red and orange as the weather cools down in the Charlotte region.

Boxwood (Wintergreen or Japanese)

Why it works: The Boxwood is ideal for creating crisp, formal lines along garden beds, walkways, or patios throughout the Charlotte region. It’s remarkable how often these evergreen shrubs bring structure and elegance to any landscape when placed in the right areas by a trained landscape designer. The Boxwood’s compact shape holds year-round with little effort and does a great job in making them a favorite for low-maintenance, polished designs for homeowners in the region.

Hostas (for shaded areas)

Why it works: Hostas are perfect for shady spots like north-facing yards or for strategic planting beneath already mature trees. This is an important detail, because these plants thrive where others struggle. Therefore, Hostas are crucial for bringing life and color to the darker corners of your landscape. This is especially true with dozens of striking varieties to choose from in a landscape designer’s arsenal. It is often said that their bold, patterned foliage adds unique texture and visual interest all season long to the right space and all of these characteristics make them perfect for the Charlotte region.

Coneflowers (Echinacea)

Why it works: Coneflowers do a great job in thriving in full sun and well-draining soil, which can be perfect for many homeowners in the Charlotte region. Therefore, it is often said that this vibrant plant is perfect for open, sunny spaces where it can show off its long blooming season in our area. Further, they can also be a magnet for bees and butterflies, meaning it not only brightens up the landscape, but also supports pollinators in the region. This would lead many to claim that the Coneflower is as beneficial as it is beautiful, as many Charlotte homeowners begin to consider whether their landscape is actively supporting pollinators that cause our local ecosystem to thrive.

Need Help Choosing or Installing the Right Plants?

At Verra Proscapes, we specialize in creating stunning and sustainable landscapes that thrive in the Charlotte area. Whether you're updating the beds in your front yard, adding privacy plants to protect your property from prying eyes, or designing a full backyard makeover that includes a life-changing pool or spa experience, our team can help you select the right solutions to take your space to the next level. We have designers on call that tailor perfect choices for your property's sun exposure, soil conditions, and overall aesthetic preferences.

📍 Serving the Charlotte region, Concord, Davidson, and Cornelius.

Call Us Today at (704) 218-9109