Best Trees to Plant in Savannah's Climate

The Georgia coast is a great place to grow trees if you choose the right species. Our long growing season, mild winters, and generally adequate rainfall support an enormous range of native and adapted species. The challenges are heat, humidity, sandy soils, hurricane winds, and salt spray near the coast. The trees below all handle those conditions well and bring different things to a Savannah landscape.

Live oak is the classic choice for a reason. Quercus virginiana is the signature tree of the Lowcountry, grows into a massive spreading shade tree over decades, and tolerates almost everything the coast throws at it. Live oaks are slow growing initially, then accelerate after about five years. They need significant space, ideally fifty feet or more in every direction from where you plant them. They are an investment for the next generation, but every Savannah live oak in the squares was planted by someone who knew they would never see it mature.

Crape myrtle is the workhorse of Savannah landscaping. Lagerstroemia varieties bloom from June through September in colors from white to deep red, tolerate heat and drought, and stay small enough for almost any yard. Modern varieties like Natchez, Tuscarora, and Muskogee resist powdery mildew, which plagued older cultivars. The most common care mistake is crape murder, the practice of cutting them back hard each winter. Proper care means selective thinning, not hatchet pruning.

Southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, is the other iconic Savannah tree. Evergreen, glossy-leaved, with huge white blooms in early summer, magnolias are statement trees that work in formal landscapes. They drop leaves and seed cones year round, so do not plant them over a pool deck or a walkway you want to keep clean. Little Gem is a smaller cultivar that fits residential lots better than the full-size species.

Flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, struggles in many parts of Savannah because it prefers cooler, more upland conditions, but in the right microclimate, dappled afternoon shade and well-drained soil, it is a beautiful understory tree with spring blooms and fall color. Kousa dogwood is a more disease-resistant alternative that handles heat better.

Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis, is a small native that puts on a spectacular show in early spring before the leaves emerge. The magenta pink flowers cover the bare branches for two to three weeks and signal that real spring is here. Redbuds are short-lived by tree standards, typically twenty to forty years, but they fit easily into smaller yards and tolerate partial shade better than most flowering trees.

American sycamore, Platanus occidentalis, is a fast-growing shade tree that handles wet soils that would kill many other species. The mottled bark is striking in winter when other trees are bare. Sycamores get large, sixty to eighty feet at maturity, so they need space. They are also messy, shedding bark, leaves, and seed balls year round, which is the tradeoff for the fast growth and the canopy.

Southern red cedar, Juniperus silicicola, is a tough, salt-tolerant evergreen that handles the worst coastal conditions. It is the right choice for windbreaks on Tybee, Hilton Head, and other beachfront properties where most other species fail. Red cedars can also be shaped into living screens between properties.

Bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, is the deciduous conifer of southern swamps and a striking ornamental in the right setting. It handles wet soils, even seasonal flooding, and grows into a tall, narrow specimen with rust-colored fall foliage. Bald cypress is unusual among needle trees in that it drops its needles in winter, so plan for the leaf cleanup.

A few species to think twice about. Bradford pear is fast and flowery and structurally terrible. River birch is gorgeous but messy and prone to chlorosis in alkaline soils. Mimosa grows everywhere and is essentially a weed. Leyland cypress is overplanted, prone to disease, and dies out in patches that ruin its purpose as a screen. Sweetgum drops spiked balls that puncture lawn mower tires and bare feet alike.

Planting technique matters as much as species selection. Dig the hole twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper. The root flare should sit slightly above grade, not buried. Water deeply but infrequently for the first two years to encourage deep root growth. Mulch in a wide circle but keep the mulch off the trunk to avoid rot. Stake only if necessary and remove stakes within a year.

Plant trees you will not live to see mature. That is the Savannah tradition, and it is the reason this city has the canopy it does.