What type of plants and flowers grow best in Charlotte?

[DonnaPGH]

Cheers anyway mom!!!

[superk]

Upon a recommendation from a nursery, we use groundcover roses in the direct sun, relatively dry soil areas, and they have thrived wonderfully. Also, last summer is planted Lantana, and they also did very well under the same conditions.

Hydrangeas do well (they have blue flowers due to the acidity of the clay soil), as do Azaleas and Abelia. From what I understand from watching a lot of gardening & landscaping shows (PBS & HGTV), there are very few plants that won't grow well in NC.

[miklaur]

Originally Posted by superk

Upon a recommendation from a nursery, we use groundcover roses in the direct sun, relatively dry soil areas, and they have thrived wonderfully. Also, last summer is planted Lantana, and they also did very well under the same conditions.

Hydrangeas do well (they have blue flowers due to the acidity of the clay soil), as do Azaleas and Abelia. From what I understand from watching a lot of gardening & landscaping shows (PBS & HGTV), there are very few plants that won't grow well in NC.

I am so glad to hear this. Thanks.

[CRock]

Originally Posted by kelle

Wow, that's not a lot of replies! I guess it's early yet...

I would check out the nearest Botanical Gardens, you can usually see native plants that grow best in that climate. I don't live there yet so I can't tell you, but I plan on heading to the nearest Botanical Garden to see what everything looks like when I get there!

Be sure to check out Stowe Botanical Garden in Gaston county. It was endowed by the Stowe family who made it big in textiles years ago. I believe he donated the land and seed money. Ive been several times over the years and its awesome!

http://www.dsbg.org/index.php

[HiYaBB]

Don't forget you can always seek advise from professionals at the garden shows. The Southern Home and Garden Show is at Merchandise Mart Feb. 28-Mar 3rd this year. Check the newspaper for ticket information. I know nothing about gardening so I'm looking forward to getting some advise there myself. I planted some Gardenias and Azaleas when we moved in last year and so far they're still alive. The ground is exceptionally hard in NC so an Auger will probably be a "must have" for any digging. Good luck.

[Markh]

Originally Posted by DonnaPGH

We'll be moving to Wesley Chapel in two weeks and I was wondering if anyone can tell me what I can plant. I heard there is a lot of clay in the ground. I wanted to plant hostas, peppermint ( for Mojitos ) an herb garden and some perennial flowers that I can plant once and not have to worry about year after year.

Does anyone have a green thumb?

Count me in on the Mojito party too.

Good website is www.davesgarden.com you have to sign up and you can choose to pay for additional features but there's tons of info in the free sections.

[marvinnative]

Originally Posted by thebearsmom

A Master Gardener is someone who takes classes through the NC Cooperative Extenstion. They learn about native plants, plant classification and identification, gardening techniques etc. My mom really enjoyed her classes and volunteers at her local arboretum. I am not sure which county you are in, but here is the link for the one in Mecklenburg:

http://mecklenburg.ces.ncsu.edu/inde...age=lawngarden

Anita

Here is the link for Union County:
http://union.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=lawngarden

A local garden center with very helpful staff:
Young's Garden Center in Indian Land, SC
http://www.youngsgardencenter.com/

[snowhite]

I can't tell you how happy I am to find like minded people who want to get their hands in the dirt. I wonder how the associations deal with gardeners. I am an avid gardener, and everything seems to be "landscaped" in Charlotte. Any other good nurseries that people love/recommend? And plant camellias - we can't have them in CT - I've tried but the blooms always freeze. Can't wait to have camellias!!