CRAPE MYRTLES baby! Oh my gosh, you are going to have so much fun discovering all the 'new' plants for old southern gardners. I have lived here just under two years and am having a blast. Spend lots of time driving around. The crape myrtles don't start blooming until mid summer and it's a welcome surprise. They are everywhere, lots of different colors, and the bark in the winter is interesting. We planted six last year. They are very fast growing. Gardenias are wonderful and seem to be easy to grow. There are different varieties. I have one that looks great all winter. The neighbor's variety dies back quite a bit but recovers. Camelias are shocking to this midwestern girl........ who knew you could have something bloom in December??? Dogwoods grow in the woods like redbuds do in the midwest. They are beautiful among the pines. I planted a Forest Pansy redbud last fall..... it's just starting to bloom. Magnolias obviously scream SOUTH! They are gorgeous year round. Osmantus is a great evergreen with fragrant flowers, either once or twice a year, depending on variety. Chinese fringe is a nice contrast to green bushes. Landscapers also seem to like laurel. Just for the record, my husband and I have fescue grass that we LOVE! Some of the neighbor's have Bermuda that they swear by. Coming from a colder climate I can't imagine not having green grass year round if you can! =) WELCOME TO SC!

Hi Natasha! I am WAY FAR from an expert, but... MULCH MULCH MULCH and AMEND AMEND AMEND! (Got that advice a few years ago from one of the regulars here... can't remember who at the moment!) My soil still isn't great, but I started by adding bags of topsoil and mushroom compost and mixing it up into my beds. I hear leaf mold mulch is great, but I haven't tried it yet. I have lots of deciduous trees in my yard, and I use the raked leaves to make my own mulch. Six years later, and I've turned what was nothing but a sand pile into something I can be proud of. Nothing like what the REAL experts and pros here have going on, but we plant and learn! ;-)) Plant acid-loving plants if your soil is acid (it probably is, but you may want to test it). My azaleas grow like crazy and they're beautiful every year. Crape Myrtle loves it here. Purple Heart grows well, as does lantana. If you've got shade and large containers or raised beds, impatiens will give you breathtaking color from April to November. My mom loves to say, "stick a dollar plant into a five-dollar hole." I do that whenever I plant a new shrub, tree or perennial! I've also discovered the joys of container gardening... I love to use huge to small sized containers of everything from annuals to evergreens. (There's a container gardening forum on GW, too.) In the winter I can move the evergreens around so there's always something going on in the garden. Containers can also be almost anything! I love to haunt thrift stores and yard sales for "finds". I've got some that I love and paid way too much for, and I have other that I love just as much and got - or made - for free. I work at USC in Columbia, and the campus has beautiful landscaping. If you have a chance, talk a stroll around it and take your camera. If you don't know what you're looking at, visit the Name that Plant forum here on GW and post a picture or link to a photo-sharing website. (I use PhotoBucket.) I don't know what those guys over there do, but I've never failed to get an answer almost immediately on anything I've posted... once someone in Australia identified my Cabbage Tree! Best advice of all - visit this forum often! There's are folks here who can answer any question you can possible dream up... even though I'm not one of them! Welcome to SC - smiles and hugs to you! Claudia

I haven't got a clue what your climate is, but the following information might help: Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile, Anthemis nobilis, Family: Asteraceae): Half-hardy perennial, sometimes grown as an annual, to 60cm. Chamomile will grow in full sun in milder climates but prefers partial shade in hot climates. Seeds should be sown in spring, at an ideal temperature of 20°C, and established plants can be divided. Seeds germinate in less than 2 weeks. It may also be propagated by root division. Do not allow the soil to dry out but water well and provide good drainage. Cut back in autumn to promote new growth. Mulch in winter in harsh climates. One variety, C. nobilis ÂTreneague does not produce flowers or seeds and is preferred for lawns. Chamomile grows best in a sunny position, in well-drained sandy soil which is slightly acidic, pH 6.0-7.5. It will tolerate light shade. Pull out any seedlings which are unusually tall. These are probably the seedlings of the less desirable German Chamomile (see below). After flowering, cut back to main growth. German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita, Family: Compositae/Asteraceae) is also known as Sweet False Chamomile. It is the annual form of chamomile, similar in appearance, habits and uses to the Roman Chamomile, though usually taller, about 70cm, its flowers are slightly smaller and they have hollow, yellow central disks. The foliage is not as fragrant but the dried flowers are less bitter than those of C. nobile. It will self seed readily once established. Here in the subtropics, I tried ONCE to create a small chamomile lawn. It was an abysmal failure - the fierce heat of our sun simply cooked the plants to a crisp! Since that failed attempt, I have always regarded chamomile as a cooler-climate plant.

This is one of my all time favorite plants. I hope y'all don't mind if I rave a few minutes! Angelonia thrives in the blazing heat and sun in my western facing front beds....in northern Alabama's clay soil. It blooms all season long, until a hard frost takes them out. They are quite drought tolerant once established...I don't have irrigation and rarely haul the hose out. No deadheading, no pest or disease issues, and no fading out in the heat. I have Angelonia planted both in the ground and in containers. Plan on giving it at least 12 inches from stem to stem....they are very robust and fast growing plants. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all like mine.