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  • Home
  • Our Roots
    • Careers
  • Landscape Services
    • Landscape Design
    • Landscape Build
    • Maintenance
  • Portfolio
  • Garden Center
    • Brownswood Grown
    • Learning Center >
      • The Gardener's Corner
  • SHOP
    • Gift Cards
  • (843) 559-3425

Tropical Plants for a Lush Charleston Landscape

8/1/2022

 

Tropicals for Sun & Shade

A landscape infused with the vibrant colors and lush foliage of tropical plants takes enjoying Summer activities outdoors with family and friends to the next level. Tropical plants make great additions to containers or garden beds that set the stage for fun times around the pool, patio, or pergola. They can even be used to create privacy around the perimeter of your yard.
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A Charleston favorite! Philodendron selloum offers large, bright green leaves, a unique texture, and a mounded habit to shady spots. Evergreen. Mature size: 6-10' tall x 8-10' wide. Prefers shade.
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A pop of color for low light spots. Shell Ginger provides excellent contrast to greens often found in  the shade. Mature size: 4-5' tall x 4-5' wide. Prefers Part Sun to Shade.
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Hardy Hibiscus offer colorful blooms throughout the Summer. Shades vary from white to blush to dark pink with magenta centers. Once dormant, they benefit from being cut back in preparation for the next season's growth. Mature size: 3-5' tall x 3-4' wide. Prefers Part to Full Sun.
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One of our most popular plant types! It goes without saying that Palms fit right into the tropical landscape. We have different varieties available in all sizes, including some that would be great for large pots! Mature size: Varies depending on variety. Prefers Part to Full Sun.
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Are you seeking a taste of the tropics with the added benefit of privacy? Clumping Bamboo will do the trick! Bamboo grows fast to form a dense screen with feathery foliage that dances in the breeze. Mature size: Varies depending on variety. Prefers Part to Full Sun.
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A Charleston garden mainstay. Fatsia has proven itself a durable, evergreen favorite offering shiny green (classic variety) and variegated (shown: Spider's Web variety) palmate leaves. Mature size: Varies depending on variety. Prefers Shade.
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Colorful blooms (orange, red, or yellow) and foliage (green, red, or variegated)! Canna lilies are rugged performers, tolerating adverse conditions such as soggy soils. Cut away old foliage ahead of new Spring growth. Mature size: 3-5' tall x 3-4' wide. Prefers Part to Full Sun. 
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A multi-purpose problem solver! Papyrus is an ideal choice for spots with wet soil. Use in large containers for height or plant in the back of a border to add privacy to the landscape. Mature size: 6-8' tall x 4-5' wide. Prefers Part to Full Sun.
Lucky for us here in Charleston, mild Fall and Winter temperatures allow many of the tropical plants that are available at our Garden Center to thrive without special protection during cold weather. This means that the plants you see this Summer, although some will need to be cut back before the next Spring, will survive the Winter to flourish again year after year.

Not sure where to start in selecting plants for your landscape? Our Nursery Professionals will be happy to assist! Or, if you're ready for a full makeover with a tropical theme (or other theme of your choosing), book an at-home design consultation today!

Ready to Transform Your Yard?

The first step is booking a consultation with a Design Consultant. $150 reserves your spot on our Consultation schedule. ​
BOOK NOW

Espoma Organic Fertilizers

3/1/2022

 

Find Your PLANT's Perfect Match This Growing Season!

Such anticipation! Southern Indica Azaleas and Carolina jessamine are in bud and bloom, the weather is warming up nicely, and we couldn't be more excited about Spring arriving in Charleston. This month, we'd like to share a helpful guide for selecting Espoma Organic fertilizers by plant type to keep your flowers, shrubs, and trees in peak condition.
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Ready to Get Growing? We're Here to Help!

Make a list of existing landscape plantings, or take photos and bring them into the Garden Center. Our Nursery Professionals can assist you in plant identification and provide you with fertilizer recommendations specific to your plant type(s). We are also happy to review the proper fertilizer pairing for any new plants when you're here shopping.
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Get STARTED - What you'll need WHEN you plant:

​We highly recommend amending the soil in your planting area with Brownswood Premium 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.
Download our Planting Guide
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GROW & THRIVE - What you'll need AFTER you plant:

​Espoma's other organic 'tone' fertilizers can be used after planting, throughout the growing season. These easy-to-use granulated fertilizers are typically applied around the plant at the soil level. (see application instructions on each product label for frequency and amount to use)
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Azaleas, camellias, and gardenias:
Azalea-tone® organic fertilizer is formulated for all types of azaleas, camellias, and gardenias - plus other evergreen trees and shrubs!

Palms and tropical plants (including hibiscus!):
Organic Palm-tone® is specially formulated for palms and will also produce deep green foliage and larger blooms on tropical plants such as hibiscus.

​Herbs and veggies:
Organic Garden-tone® fertilizer provides a long lasting, slow-release feeding for delicious cool and warm season veggies as well as herbs.
​Annual and perennial flowers:
Get larger, more abundant blooms with organic Flower-tone® fertilizer. Use in garden beds, hanging baskets, or other planted containers.

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All-purpose organic plant food:
Plant-tone® organic all-purpose fertilizer is for use on all flowers, vegetables, trees, and shrubs for increased blooming and larger growth.

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Lemons, limes, oranges or other citrus:
Organic Citrus-tone® fertilizer is formulated for all citrus varieties. It promotes larger and more flavorful fruit.

And there's more! Not all of Espoma's Organic fertilizers are listed here. Formulations for other plant types are available.
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Visit the Brownswood Nursery Garden Center and speak with one of our Nursery Professionals about our complete selection of Espoma Organic garden products such as additional single ingredient soil amendments, fertilizers, and planting mixes. We look forward to growing with you this season!

Winter Landscape Frequently Asked Questions

2/1/2022

 

You Asked, We Answered!

​Naturally, the Nursery Professionals at our Garden Center receive lots of questions about the right time to perform various tasks in the landscape. We thought it might be helpful to share some of the questions we've received recently. We hope you enjoy these Winter tips!
When do I cut back my sweet grass?

Sweet Grass, or Muhly Grass, is a warm-season, ornamental grass that can be found all around the Charleston area. It's typically most noticed in Fall when its cotton-candy pink blooms appear - an impressive show that lasts for weeks! Sweet Grass will develop a straw-like appearance as the weather gets colder and the blades dry out. While it's tempting to cut this grass back when it starts to lose its green color, it's best to wait until late Winter or early Spring. Waiting to cut this grass back offers Winter protection for its roots in case of freezing temperatures.
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Sweet Grass
Is it safe to plant trees and shrubs this time of year?

Yes! We are fortunate to be able to plant year round in the Charleston area. In fact, planting during colder weather can actually lessen transplant shock as plants are able to get acclimated well before the onset of Summer heat. When planting, we recommend amending your soil with our Brownswood Premium Planting Mix as well as a starter fertilizer such as Espoma Organic Bio-tone® Starter Plus to give your new plants their best start. Click here to download our planting guide.
When is the best time to plant flowering perennials?
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While flowering perennials survive our mild Winter season, the best time to plant them is in Spring after the danger of a late frost has passed. This will ensure that flower buds are not damaged by cold weather. Another way of determining the right time to plant your favorite flowering perennials is when the selection of these plants becomes more plentiful at the Garden Center. While some varieties may be available sooner, early to mid-March is a good time to start checking for in stock perennials.
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Blue Plumbago
Which plants should I avoid pruning during the Winter?

While many shrubs and trees can be pruned during the Winter months, those that bloom in Spring should be avoided. Shrubs such as azalea, forsythia, loropetalum, and viburnum, for example, have already formed their Spring flower buds by Winter and should be pruned after flowering. Likewise, wait until Spring to prune Winter flowering shrubs such as camellias.
When do I prune my crape myrtle trees?

The best time to prune a crape myrtle tree is late Winter while the tree is dormant (leafless). We recommend pruning a crape myrtle minimally to maintain the canopy and overall health of the tree. Cut away dead or crossed branches and remove suckers growing from the base of the tree. You can also limb the tree up at this time, removing smaller, lower limbs along the trunk.
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Crape Myrtle
Have a question that wasn't answered here? Feel free to contact us on Facebook or Instagram or, send an email to sales@brownswoodnursery.com. 
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