I could write a book in answer to your question. Here are a few quick thoughts:

1. Mulch/compost is a must and should be applied at soil surface, not dug in. In your nursery prowling keep an eye open for organic cotton burr compost. It is not well known here on the east coast but I have found it to be the best mulching product for sand.

2. You have many plant choices. Suggest you purchase the paperback book by Lois Trigg Chaplin titled "The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists". An important and useful book for your situation.

3. Also new on book shelves is "Gardening at the Shore" by Frances Tenenbaum, horticultural editor for Houghton Mifflin. Excellent book. Straight forward. You should find it very helpful especially if you are directly on the ocean and combating wind.

4. Study your neighbors gardens. A wealth of information there as they have made the costly mistakes. You should be in the perfect growing zone for many of the heaths and heathers. Fun plants to grow.

Purchase salt tolerant plants. There was a nursery beside Vista Florist in Manteo. (seasonal)also in Manns Harbor is a nursery, Caimen Gardens. I lived there for 20 years, and worked at Vista for some of that time. Vista has a green house and sometimes sell landscaping plants or at least they did. The owner Brooks is a font of knowledge, try stopping in and asking for him for some "local" info.
Russian olive, oleander,azaleas, Wax mytle, and crepe myrtle. are good ones for that area.
Geranium and vinca do well also.
Soil amendment and mulch are very important!
Stay local for plant searches, 50 miles it too far away.Avon is right on the ocean, so Salt tolerant plants are a must.
Good Luck! i envy you in Avon.. :)

The blue hydrangea is probably Hydrangea macrophylla which can be blue or pink according to soil pH.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mophead hydrangea

Thank you nandina,blossom in the sun & esh ga for your help. I plan to check the books out you mentioned nandina they will be a big help. We are as far away from the beach as you can be at our house in Avon. I have never heard of cotton burr compost but I will be on the look out for it. Nandina why do you say not to dig in the compost? What would you suggest for getting the soil to be more water retentive? Esh I know the hydrangea is H macrophylla I was hoping to find out which variety ( i.e. Nikko blue ) it is. It may be more than one variety, but it must be tough as nails to take the sandy soil and hot sun down there. Thanks again guys. Lynn

Not every blue hydrangea is a cultivated variety (like Nikko Blue), especially those in older yards. H. macrophylla is very easy to root from cuttings. You could certainly stop to admire someone's garden and inquire about making a few cuttings. Many gardeners are pleased to have their plants admired and happy to share cuttings.

good point esh that is exactly what I will do. Does anyone know if Miscanthus will grow on the Outer Banks? If it does is it too invasive?

I love your question because I've been studying about gardening in Wilmington because I want to help out my MIL who lives there. I'm in Raleigh, NC, and I just happen to have a sandy loam soil in my yard, so I'm very interested in drought-tolerant plants anyway.

I agree about using your local nurseries. Below are some great choices I suspect you'll see:

Herbs love poor sandy soil with excellent drainage. Many are quite ornamental. Jerusalem sage is a recommended groundcover. White Jupiter's beard (Centranthus ruber, var. albus). My book also shows a pretty red Jupiter's beard. They pair it with blue catmint (Nepeta faassenii). Consider Russian sage for gray foliage and lilac plumes with deep roots and a spreading habit. It can be invasive even. Groundcovering thyme is your friend. Wonderful for holding the soil and it flowers. There are many different salvias, which are in the sage family. Some are used as an herb and others more for their ornamental value, but hummingbirds love them and there are probably plenty that would appeal to you and suit your soil.

Sea thrift (Armeria maritima) is made for your situation. It is covered with pink flowers on deep green foliage. Sun rose (Helianthemum nummularium). Rock soapwort is a pink-flowering groundcover that is very cute and loves the seaside garden.

Many bulbs love sandy soil and tolerate sea-side sites, including Dutch irises.

Cleome is a reseeding annual that wouldn't mind your sandy soil. Not sure about salt spray.

Artemisia loves good drainage of sandy soil. It is mostly about the gray foliage, but it alsogets yellow flowers. You can have daylilies, but they do appreciate amended soil. I'd just use cow manure. There are much more interesting ones than the old orange ones. There are some lovely goldenrods. Some noninvasive ones include Sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora), rough-leaf goldenrod (S. rugosa
'Fireworks', S. spacelata 'Golden Fleece,' and the hybrid cultivar 'Cloth of Gold' stays under 2 feet tall. You can grow Hibiscus. They appreciate some cow manure also. If you have some trees, if you want the look of grass, consider dwarf Mondo grass. It's a spreader, but stays nice and short, so mow or don't. There are different kinds of flox, tall or spreading, but all are tolerant of your soil. They don't mind some amendment though. Coneflowers will grow in the toughest environment. So will Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan). Sedums are easy, easy, easy, and good drainage and sun or mostly sun is what they need. Yarrow, verbena, lantana are all tolerant. Mexican petunia might go a little crazy, but it can certainly handle your conditions.

Shrubs: Shrub rose (Rosa sp). Flowering quince, euonymus, hollies. You can grow hydrangeas, but they do like amended soil with plenty of organic matter blended into the native soil. Make the hole wider than deep. Use thick mulch to keep roots cols and moist. They'll need watering to get established. If you like blue like I do, see if Endless Summer works where you are. Otherwise go with whatever works there. Spireas come in lots of choices and are tolerant.

According to one of my books, the only lilac worth trying is probably Syringa X laciniata, or cut-leaf lilac requires well-drained soils that are neutral or slightly alkaline. Should do great there. It is fragrant and has pretty purple flowers, but it looks more like a large heather than a lilac in the picture I see. Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) needs well-drained soil and it prefers poorer soils. It is like a more easily tamed butterfly bush. The leaves are shaped like marijuana. Grancy Graybeard (Chionanthus virginicus) tolerates well-drained soil. I think we know it as fringe tree. Very pretty. Silverbell is a native white flowering tree. Smoke tree tolerates tough conditions. I'd check and see if it works close to the ocean.

In answer to your question..."why do you say not to dig in compost"?

Even though you may be miles from the tidal ocean it still influences sandy soils along low lying coastal land here in the southeast. Tidal action exerts a 'pulling down' force and after 3-5 years you will find that your above ground mulch/compost has easily worked its way down into the sand. That is why you must keep adding above ground materials. This force also affects some plants and bulbs and you may find it necessary to replant them higher in the early spring or late fall. This is true of spring bulbs, lilies, rain lilies and Amaryllis. If they cease blooming check the bulb depth.

On very sandy, well amended soils a final top covering of pine straw really helps to retain moisture. Slow to break down a spring and fall mulching with it is worth the effort. Layers of pine straw slow down the process of your good amendments disappearing down into the sand beyond where it will benefit plant roots.

Wow laurabs that is a great list Thanks, I know all of the plants you mentioned and will definately be using some of them. Being that we have to rent the place out to help pay for it whatever I put in must be tough, almost thrive on neglect. I will probably put down a soaker hose on a timer for the fist year. Nandina I found what you wrote to be fascinating I appreciate you making me aware of the tidal influence.

Sandy soil is not the worst problem in Avon, it is the salt, that blows in from the ocean. Protected areas on the west side of the home, closer to the foundation or underpinning will provide some relief from Salt. Avon gets salt from sea to sound.

Besides the afore-mentioned Vista Florist and Caimen Gardens, both excellent establishments, there's also the garden store at The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, which for the most parts deals with native plants of the Outer Banks. Also, up in Kitty Hawk, there is Kitty Hawk Garden Center (on Wood's Road back in Kitty Hawk Village). Also, Central Garden Center and Nursery up at MP 1/4 in Kitty Hawk, right next to/behind the car (Chevy?) dealership. Good luck!

Welcome to the Outer Banks! I live in KDH on the sound (Colington Harbor).
Our favorite nursery by far is Nature's Harmony in Manns Harbor. Take the 'new' bridge around Manteo. I believe as soon as you get off the bridge you'll be at the intersection where you turn to go to Nature's Harmony. Nature's Harmony is a delight for the eyes and good for the soul!!!! The plants are healthy and the owners/workers extremely knowledgable.
I think Caimen Gardens closed down years ago.
The Aquarium in Manteo has a plant sale 2x a year - fall and spring. You can get native plants. I believe the Elizabethean Gardens has a plant sale too. I usually see it advertised in the paper.
I don't have tons of plants in my yard - lack of time. However, roses seem to do real well on the OBX.
My chives/rosemary have weathered several hurricanes! I don't think you can kill liriope (monkey grass).
I don't know if these will do well at the ocean - Canna, Daisy, Black eyed Susies, Snapdragons, daylilies, mums, salvia. I have a salvia - don't remember what kind. It is awesome - dies back every year and then returns. It is vibrant, blue/violet flower. It thrives on neglect. I love it!
Hope this helps!

Seashore mallow will do well in Avon.

Yes, I hear the salt is tough on plants, and certain bushes are used to help protect gardens from it. Bushes that can take it. So hopefully you'll have room to plant some of those to widen the list of plants you can have success with. My list above was probably extremely optimistic, but I did cover myself by mentioning you'll want to trust the local garden centers to supply what can work for you.

:o.

I'm more enthusiast than expert, LOL.

Aside from ACE Hardware, which has a fairly decent selection of stuff, there is a nursery in - I think Frisco? or possibly Buxton? One is an actual nursery, on the left going towards Hatteras Village, and there is also a lady who has a smaller nursery that she runs from her home - that's on the right. That'd be where I'd start. I'm sure they can point you in the right direction, and I wouldn't think they'd even carry a whole lot that just won't grow.

I don't live there, but I've been going there since I was a kid and just got back from vacation fort his year. Our house (as usual) was in Avon, and the home behind us actually had a very nice looking vegetable garden! And this was only 4 lots of so back from the ocean, so I know he had to do a lot to that soil. It looked good though, and shows you anything is possible!

{{gwi:582459}}

{{gwi:10494}} Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!