• Flowers flourish in Southern gardens.iris image by ynartseo from Fotolia.com
  
  The temperate, often humid environment of the Southern United States can provide the ideal setting for many garden plants to thrive. For generations, Southern gardeners have lavished attention on their gardens, creating some of the most eye-catching displays in the country. Plants that thrive in the South can provide a garden with colorful blossoms, pleasing fragrances and ease of growth.
  
  

Johnny-Jump-Up

• The johnny-jump-up (Viola cornuta) grows as a short-lived perennial or an annual. The tiny plants rarely exceed 10 inches in height. Their vigorous growth and self-seeding tendencies make them spread rapidly. They can create a carpet of non-stop purple and yellow blossoms from March through August. The plants have escaped cultivation throughout the South and many other parts of the United States. They can be found along roads, beneath trees and in numerous other locations. Despite their invasive potential, they serve no major threat to native plant life.
  
  The small flowering plants grow best in full sunlight, but will tolerate partial shade. They require a soil temperature of 65 to 75 degrees F for germination to occur, according to Texas A&M University.
  
  

Cemetery Iris

• The white cemetery iris (Iris albicans) was first in cultivation prior to 1860 and was known as the "iris Florentina," according to the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historical Plants. A naturally occurring hybrid from Yemen and Saudi Arabia, it produces pure white blossoms or light blue with a white beard that features yellow tipping. The plant was widely planted in cemeteries on graves throughout the Southern states and parts of the Midwest. It produces flowers from March to April that are highly fragrant. The plant grows to a height of 24 inches, and the flowers make striking springtime bouquets. The cemetery iris spreads through rhizomes only. The hybrid is sterile and produces no seeds.
  
  

Deutzia

• The deutzia (Deutzia scabra), often referred to as the fuzzy-pride-of-Rochester, grows to a height of 10 feet. A deciduous shrub, it produces white and pink flowers that drape down in panicles that measure up to 6 inches in length. The flowers appear in the South during the months of April to July. The foliage of the plant is covered in small hairs. The bark of the shrub is a reddish-brown and often peels, which gives the shrub an interesting look during the winter months. Following flowering, small seed capsules are produced which persist into the winter months.
  
  The plant prefers to grow in moist soil locations in a sunny location. Prune after flowering to maintain the plant's size.