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!

In the Garden Web Directory there is a list of garden clubs.Is there something specific you are looking for a club to offer? I am a garden club member and highly recommend it. Our club also does a gardening program in a nursing home, awards a scholarship to a senior going into horticulture or related field, exchange plants with each other, holds an annual plant sale and provides arrangements for holidays and civic events. We have monthly speakers to increase our knowledge about gardening and flower arranging and best of all we are connected to other gardeners. Here is a link that might be useful: Our pond and gardens

Can you post a different, closer up photo with something in it right next to the plant in question, to show what the scale is? I'm not sure I've got a good sense of how large the flowers are based on the perspective in that photo.

Tragopogon porrifolius (purple one) Salsify. Tragopogon dubius (yellow one) Yellow Salsify.