I built one from Tennessee sandstone left over from commercial projects(subdivision entrances), donated by a friend. Have several species of sedum, succulents, seven mini Hostas(yep, in the sun!). many small bulbs, Scilla. Ledebouria, species Tulip and a Serissa foetida(a woody, treated as a bonsai). Plan to add some Iris reticulata, danfordiae and other bulbs from the Scilla family from S Africa. I use a small amount of potting mix, along with sand to plant in the cracks and crevices. The entire RG is covered with a layer of pea gravel to prevent erosion from downpours. Have had many favorable comments about my "Alpine-NOT" RG and some have tried to emulate it. Rb

Jilly, Welcome to SC. Your Lady's Mantle probably won't live here - see the recent post about it. As far as the ginger goes - I assume you are talking about the ginger lilies, growing tall with fragrant flowers? - they aren't dead from the root. Mine will over-winter here, in a sheltered spot, and well mulched. You can cover them up after you cut back the stalks, and then pull some of the mulch back in the spring, but not all - they like it damp, so mulch helps. Books: The Southern Living Garden Book, anything by Toby Bost, Passalong Plants by Felder Rushing and Steve Bender, anything else by either of them, anything by Elizabeth Lawrence (old, maybe out of print, but very good, Charlotte area), Garden Bulbs for the South by Scott Ogden, AHS Heat Zones Book (don't necessarily buy it, but do read and understand it - some of the larger nurseries [Monrovia for one] are marking heat zones on their plants), Southern states wildflower books - even if listing those in NC or TN, the maps should extend to your area or nearly - and if the "pure" wildflower will grow in your area, the selected cultivars should do so also. There are others, but if you ask around you can find them. Get to know your local county's Agricultural Extension agent, as he/she and the office can be of great help - get a soil test done so you know what lacks and plusses you are dealing with. Start a compost pile - if you have clay soil, compost helps, and if you have sand, compost is necessary! Visit all the local nurseries, get to know which are good, which are over-priced for basics and which are just pricey for unusuals, and which have knowledgable staff. Some of the nearby Lowe's and Home Depots will have knowledgable hursery people and some won't, but if you can get there when the new trucks are unloaded, you can get good stuff from even the bad ones, before it's too neglected. If there are local garden clubs, talk to members, and maybe join - if nothing else, you will meet people - some clubs are more active, some are more social, but you can learn something from most of them. Take Master Gardener classes - again, you will learn something and meet people. The climate will be VERY different, as will the bugs and diseases. If you start your own seeds, start them MUCH earlier than you would have, and remember that you can winter-sow a bunch - see the Forum on GW. AND, REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN!!!!

A couple of resources for you - The South Carolina Native Plant Society: http://scnps.org, and the Carolina forum here on Garden Web. You might want to spend a little time getting to know the sun/shade conditions of the yard (watch how the sun travels across the area over a day); you may have more sun than you realize. Morning sun is the kindest sun in the South and each hour of it counts just as much as what some people consider "full overhead" sun. Afternoon sun is very harsh and there are plants that need to be protected from it in the South. Georgia is similar to South Carolina; The Georgia Native Plant Society has some good lists and resources on it's website as well: http://www.gnps.org/. Here is a link that might be useful: Garden web forum for Carolinas

The Holiday Inn -- Historic District is a newly renovated property that is centrally located and reasonable. Middleton Place is the best public garden-- much better maintained than Magnolia Gardens and excellent garden tour guides. The house museum is not so great, but the food at their restaurant is excellent. Pick up a copy of Margaret Moore's Complete Charleston: A guide to the architecture, history and gardens of Charleston and the Low Country. It has great insight and walking tours plus some good advice on excellent restaurants. Charleston has some of the best eating in the nation, so pick wisely and avoid the tourist traps. Pick a day of viewing gardens when you can be South of Broad Street in the historic Old City or in Ansonborough.