Fall is one of our favorite seasons here in the Charleston. The cooler weather after Summer's intense heat and humidity is so refreshing! It's so invigorating, in fact, you may even notice plants in your garden starting to perk up with an offering of fresh blooms and new growth.

For this reason, Fall in South Carolina is a lot like a second Spring. Better yet, the temperatures will only decrease going into Winter. This means planting right now will give your new plants lots of time to get established, go to sleep for Winter, and wake up gently in Spring before having to face their first Summer heatwave! 

We highly recommend amending the soil in your planting area with a top-quality planting mix as well as a starter fertilizer such as Espoma Organic Bio-tone® Starter Plus to give your new plants their best start. You can find our Planting Guide at the link below. It provides planting instructions and helpful information about watering and getting new plants established. We look forward to seeing you at the Garden Center!

Ever walk into a Garden Center and find yourself overwhelmed with choices? You're not alone! Pairing plants with one another isn't always the easiest task, so we hope the following combinations for sun and shade offer inspiration for your next planting project! The Nursery Professionals at our Garden Center are pleased to assist you with choosing alternates for any of these suggestions or dreaming up entirely new possibilities to suit your specific landscape needs.

​Whether you're refreshing plantings in existing containers or want to start fresh with a new pot from our extensive collection of outdoor pottery, our talented Nursery Professionals are eager assist you with creating unique combinations for any season! Visit our Garden Center for inspiration!

​As Lowcountry residents, we've grown accustomed to the waves of heat and humidity that occur during our Summer months. Whether you find our Summer season charming or you can't wait 'til Fall, as someone who enjoys gardening and beautiful landscapes, you will certainly agree that plants well-adapted to our climate are highly regarded! The following is just a small sampling of the popular heat tolerant plants we have here at the Nursery for sun and for shade.

​Coneflower (Echinacea)
Coneflowers are heat and drought tolerant champions once established in a sunny location. Requiring minimal maintenance, these colorful perennial flowers return year after year much to the delight of gardeners and pollinators.

Lantana
This sun-loving perennial blooms prolifically through the warm season, providing bright color and plentiful nectar for pollinators. Available in many colors and mature sizes to suit any sunny, well-drained spot.

Sweetgrass (Muhly Grass)
This native perennial grass is covered in fluffy pinkish-purple or white plumes during the Fall season and appreciates a sunny, well-drained location. Sweetgrass proves to be low maintenance and stands up to heat very well once it's settled into its place in the landscape.

Bottlebrush
Another pollinator-attracting plant, Bottlebrush is a sturdy, evergreen shrub that gets its name from the many bright red, bottle brush shaped flowers it produces for weeks during the warm season. Bottlebrush comes in a variety of sizes from dwarf (2-3' tall) to standard (8-12' tall), making it a popular selection for any sized garden space.

Ligustrum Jack Frost
Tried-and-true Ligustrum Jack Frost is versatile, performing well in bright sun or part shade throughout the heat of the Summer. Variegated evergreen foliage and creamy white Spring blooms make this selection an easy choice for any location that calls for a sun-tolerant shrub with attractive foliage.

​Fatsia japonica
A Lowcountry favorite that enjoys our subtropical climate, evergreen Fatsia japonica offers large, palmate leaves and grows well in shaded spaces with rich, well-drained soil. Clusters of white flowers arise in Fall and are followed by berries that attract birds. Give this beauty lots of room as it will mature to a size of 6-10' tall and wide. 

Philodendron selloum
Another plant to round out a tropical oasis feel in the landscape is Philodendron selloum. This large-growing plant matures to 8-10' tall and wide and offers beautifully ornate split leaves. Though it looks as though it might not overwinter, this plant goes through our mild winters quite well as an evergreen.

Cast Iron Plant
As its name suggests, Cast Iron plant has a reputation for being virtually indestructible. Evergreen and tolerant of a variety of less-than-ideal growing conditions, including deep shade, the only thing this plant really asks is not to be exposed to direct sunlight. Matures slowly to 2' tall by 2-3' wide.

Anise
Anise is a popular evergreen shade shrub for its ability to tolerate heat and humidity and because it is not preferred by deer. Various foliage colors and mature sizes are available, allowing for flexibility when combining with companion plantings in shady garden spaces.

Sabal minor
This dwarf Sabal Palm grows well in shade or sun. A great selection for areas that are low lying and tend to hold water, this native Palm will also tolerate drought once established. Small fruits that form after late-Spring flowers attract wildlife.

​We highly recommend amending the soil in your planting area with a top-quality planting mix as well as a starter fertilizer such as Espoma Organic Bio-tone® Starter Plus to give your new plants their best start. On your next visit to our Garden Center, see one of our Nursery Professionals for a copy of our Planting Guide. It provides planting instructions and helpful information about watering and getting new plants established.