I haven't lived there in quite a while, but I remember the gardens as being absolutely gorgeous. Summers are warm and humid, Charleston especially so. Expect winter temperatures to stay near 50, with freezes possible throughout the winter months. Pine trees are common. Dogwoods, crepe myrtles, azaleas - spring is unbeatable in beauty there.

I'm prepared to dislike some summer days..I know they'll be hot and humid..but who likes bitterly cold days?..I don't!..so as here in winter in South Carolina there might be summer days that you don't stay out long..shade is a blessing here..I can work in my yard on days when people that I know who don't have shade can't..I like your oaks, magnolia and crape myrtles..I have some tropical plants here that I have to bring in..some (bananas) would be able to overwinter in the ground in SC..how many months do you have annuals?..when do you buy them?..here I don't put them out until the second week of May..they last until early November..

Your bananas should be fine if they are reasonably hardy. We’ve overintered musa basjoo, Black Thai, and a couple others in the ground. As for annuals? 12 months a year :) Seriously, I plant snapdragons, violas, Icelandic poppies, artemisia, larkspur, foxglove, dianthus and wallflower in the fall (October) to overwinter as plants and bloom in the spring. Then I plant summer stuff in spring, with a second sowing to fill in for the ones that poop out around September. Second sowing keeps me in color while the winter crops are bulking out. Use cold weather veggies with your winter Annuals and you have beauty and food!

Oh, and by “spring” I mean March. My first big rose flush in my garden is mid April. I have flowering apricot, quince, Star magnolia, pieris, winter honeysuckle, osmanthus, and Daphne in February. Narcissus and crocus about this time. I’m in the piedmont, zone 8. Winter camelias are doing their thing presently, along with red buds and saucer magnolias. You’ll have so much grow season, you’ll want a break in high summer anyway! :)

that sounds great!..can enjoy gardening all year long..that's what I want..in Indiana it feels like I'm wasting several months a year of my life :-( if you went to Lowe's today does the garden center have plants?..when would the summer annuals come in?..my banana is a musa basjoo..a hardy one..would do well in SC I think..do you have macrophylla hydrangeas?..I love those..

You will love it, then! Yes, to the garden plants, they have been in since the beginning of feb. Some summer annuals are creeping in, but I think it’s too early for marigolds, personally. When you get here look for local plant festivals, too. There is one in spring in Columbia and the quality and selection beats most of the big box stores. Prices were nice, too. Your banana will love it here. We have to chop ours down and thin out the clump every other year, or it’s a jungle. I highy reccomend Alocasia macrophylla for a tropical bushy plant, as well as pineapple guava and osamanthus fragrans for evergreens. You will also get to do brugmansia and hedychiums in the ground. Macrophylla hydrangea do fine here, but I give all Mine afternoon shade. They are very thirsty, so I try to site accordingly. Near the cost the soil is so sandy so mulch and make compost!

That’s a beautiful house and lot! I think you will have a lot to choose from, plant wise. The only perennials and shrubs that I have trouble with are those that need cold weather to bloom properly or to color up (fall color is meh here, but I moved from the mid Atlantic) or those that want mild summers. Tulips last about a week or two. Lilac? You will have to make due with Miss Kim, Mayeri Paliban or similar. Peony? Hit or miss. But classic southern plants are foolproof. I’m a big believer in raised beds and mulching. Barring that, an annual generous layer of compost makes the clay and/ or sand much more workable.

I’m envious about the hosta! Mine get eaten by slugs and deer. I use hellebores and carex instead.

another good reason to buy a house with a wooded lot..better soil and organic matter for compost..tulips are a waste here..short lived..fall color here is beautiful but if I can avoid winter I'll live without it..my fall color..

Those are beautiful! Japanese maples look good here. I love them paired with ginko or parrotia. Chinese pistache also colors up well. Spring is my favorite time here. It’s just so short. I used to get winter blues so badly in VA, so being able to actively grow down here has been a godsend.

I love hellebores and have them..I know our hostas are probably bigger..I saw a guy on a gardening show from Georgia with hostas in pots and they were very nice..

Heard this joke?..4 seasons in SC are almost summer, summer, STILL summer and Christmas..

Depends on the fern, but many do well. Holly fern is evergreen and most diopteris (sp?) do well. I think southern maidenhair does too? But it looks ratty in winter. We sometimes use asparagus fern or foxtail at my work garden. They come back if the winter is mild. I like bletilla in shade too. It’s a cute hardy orchid.

The four season thing is SO true! I wore shorts and a tank top Friday because it was in the 80’s.

It will be fun to try new plants..I'll miss my "little forest" in Indiana but that's why I NEED another wooded lot..I appreciate your thoughts..glad to know that you are happy living and gardening in SC..

80's..sounds like summer to me!..believe it or not Feb 20 it was 77 here!..today it's 46..

We have lived in three different SC locations. As a retired Yankee horticulturist/former nursery owner we first moved to the coastal Low Country area just south of Charleston. I loved the fall/winter/spring gardening. But I did not like the notorious coastal sand fleas that live in the soils there, that fly into eyes and under your hairline delivering nasty little bites. They made my gardening experience miserable along with alligators that adopted my koi pond as a resting place. And yes, alligators do climb fences!. So, with great reluctance we left the gardens I had developed on a beautiful lake and moved inland and a bit north. Here I can grow a wider assortment of summer annuals plus well shaded land is available, plus the best of the blooming evergreens shrubs thrive. Frankly, the gardening opportunities in SC will thrill you. Visit inland properties before making decisions. There are some wonderful communities tucked away to be explored. Come on down and smell the Gardenias!

nandina..we've basically been to Myrtle Beach,Charleston and Aiken (went to see my husband's aunt and uncle..both now passed away)..my impression so far..further inland (Columbia) too hot..stayed one night in Columbia on the way to Myrtle..I don't know how often I would make it but I love the idea of driving to a beach..but to live on one no..hurricanes, salt spray etc..one thing we need to consider - a VA hospital..practical to live near one for my husband..there's one in Charleston..I did see alligators near Myrtle Beach..ugh..can you give me names of the places you would consider if you were me?..

nicholsworth, your place is beautiful and would be hard to leave, but I get tired of winter too in NC. Have thought about moving to SC for a little bit warmer winter, but our summers are a little cooler. So it's a trade off. Humidity is not bad up here.

If I were you I'd consider NC as well. There are lots of trees. I'd check out the mountains. I think Black Mountain near Asheville is a great little town. No gators. Check out Eliot Porter's photos of the Appalachian woods.

erasmus..thanks for the compliment!..not every house has a setting this pretty..I was born in Henderson NC..have lots of relatives in NC..milder winters than Indiana but I would love to skip winter completely..you're right it's a trade off..nicer winter..hotter summer..the VA hospitals in NC - Durham, Ashville, Fayetteville and Salisbury..all of these places would be nicer than Indiana but a bit cold at times..thanks for the suggestions..looking them up right now..

It does snow and sleet in SC. I would second the suggestion of a close look at the Durham area in NC. Quality living. Only problem there is deciding which of the many area college teams to cheer on to victory. Retirees choose SC for the tax advantages. Another quick suggestion. There is a VA hospital in Augusta, GA. which is only a bridge crossing from SC. The town of North Augusta is located in SC just over the river, close to the hospital. That is a nice expanding area of new construction and golf course activities. Worth a visit.

Today I spent the day looking at real estate..for quite awhile now I've been researching the southern US for my retirement spot..I like NC and SC both..looked for houses in lots of cities in both states..when we stayed in Aiken we went to Augusta for lunches and dinners several times..I looked at Asheville and Black Mountain houses today..some had wonderful views..we lived in Napa CA once and I had a friend that lived in Lake Berryessa..half an hour drive up a curvy winding road..the drive made me sick..some homes in Asheville wouldn't work for me..and the growing season is shorter than I want..but it's appealing and I would love to visit..I keep going back to the Charleston area..it would be so exciting to have my own palm tree..

We used to live in the Raleigh area and now live near Greenville, SC. It's a nice small city with a lot to offer. For me, the dividing line between 7b and 8a is a nice compromise. Mid-summer is a little hotter than I'd like and mid-winter is a little colder than I'd like but neither are too extreme. I can still grow plants that need a bit of winter chill like hostas but at the same time, southern favorites like Camellias and Gardenias thrive.

so tough weighing all of this out..I would rather deal with heat than cold so NC or SC rather than IN..but within both states the cities are different..Asheville NC colder..Columbia SC hotter..we need to take a trip in the summer and experience it personally..maybe assume gardening is doable in both states and see what else each place offers..to have gardenias and camellias would be wonderful..

It's only a couple hours South of here, but to me, Columbia is miserably hot in the summer. It's too far inland to get an ocean breeze and too far from the mountains to escape the heat.

I like Asheville but there isn't much in that area in my job field. Might make a good retirement spot but they do get a fair amount of winter weather up there. Even so, it's a lot less than in Indiana.

checked GW one last time before bed lol..you confirmed what I thought!..Columbia too hot, Asheville too cool (and expensive) for me..after today I realized that I would never miss snow!!..so again I gravitate to the Charleston area..

My family in Charleston had 5" of snow this year. Icing on waterways too. It was an odd year. Saw some amazing photos. Made me jealous since in northern VA, I didn't get near that.

Relative to your climate question, May can be warm and humid enough to annoy. June-Sept is usually HOT and humid. Charleston has micro-climates being moderated by bodies of water in particular. I'm sure you can find a property with the right mix of growing area, trees, etc. Charleston area (and the southeast coast in general) is known for huge live oaks. Hydrangeas for sure grow. Bananas do as well. If you're not in a warm microclimate (and sometimes even if you are), the cold will kill down to ground (but they come back).