I just moved to Alabama - Huntsville area - 2 years ago, a little over 1 year in a permanent yard. I came from MA, so am getting adjusted to what works well, particularly in my (currently) 100% clay soil. Here are some things I've had success with. Daylilies - great in clay. Echinacea - native to the area Gaura Gaillardia Montauk Daisy Columbines In annuals: Sunflower Moss Rose Strawflower Zinnia Coleus (shadier area) Herbs: Basil Rosemary (IMO, everyone needs at least one. I have 3 so far) Bronze fennel Hibiscus sabdariffa (roselle) Lavender - growing this in pots, though - am trying my first one in the ground this year; my soil may retain too much moisture for it to do well - time will tell. I might recommend rose of Sharon as a tall, flowering, easy maintenance bush - but it does seem to be susceptible to Japanese Beetles. Think soil, moisture, light - I have wet clay soil in a mostly sun yard, so try to think of things that do well in clay and/or are drought tolerant. The gaura & gaillardia - both started easily from seed - are real workhorses for me, blooming early & long.

Goatster, fall planting usually works better in the south because garlic starts growing very early in the spring. Here in my Kentucky gardens, for instance, I see new shoots around February. This can be a good thing, though, as you can spend the summer building and amending the border beds, and have them ready to go come October or November. Keep in mind that alliums are heavy feeders. If you're growing organically, amend the soil with compost, and blood meal, bone meal, and wood ashes. Apply those last at the rate of 1 cup each per ten row feet. Then, next May, side-dress with those same amendments. Onions benefit, during the growing season, with an application of nitrogen about every two-three weeks until they start bulbing, at which time cease the nitrogen. As a general rule, softneck varieties do better in the south. This doesn't mean you can't grow hardnecks as well, just that they don't do as well. Garlic and onions can work very well as a border. Keep in mind that they grow kind of tall, though. So you'll want to keep an entryway into the rest of the garden. Plus, alliums and legumes are antagonistic, so you'll want to keep your peas and beans as far from the border as you can. As many of us have discovered, alliums can be grown in permanent beds dedicated to the purpose. So this could be a long-term addition to your garden. The alliums also are useful in deterring some pests, which will also be a help. I've noticed, for instance, that rabbits will not cross my onion and garlic beds. For on-line and mail-order sources, best bet is to peruse the back-threads. We've discussed this many times, and you'll likely come up with a list of 8-10 reliable suppliers. In fact, there's a very recent thread on this, which should still be on the front page. Good luck with this project.

I grow silene because there are so many different ones and I keep trying. My recent find is absolutely stunning- Silene Purple Prince from PWS. It is most gorgeous purple foliage in the spring and stunning magenda flowers all, repeat- all summer, it takes a part shade well. Violas are just like pansies- am not sure what difference is I grow them every year for spring show, this year they bloomed all through summer since it was pretty cool. Carol, if you would be interested in silene seeds I have some. Am totally outdated on my seed page and have not been trading at all.

I found a website the other day that is interesting and helpful called the American Clivia Society. hope this helps. Grace