Landscape plants that thrive around Asheville

So, I've just moved here. I'm tired of making mistakes, so I'd like to know what works best here and for you. The obvious so far are Azalea, Rhodies, magnolia, ferns. What else?

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Permalink Reply by Polly McDaniel on January 1, 2010 at 9:29am

Do you have sun or shade? Or some of both?

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Permalink Reply by Barbara on January 1, 2010 at 7:58pm

The back yard will be shady and on a slope. I'm thinking rhodies, ferns, hostas, etc.
The front yard has azaleas near the house, and the rest of the yard has sun. I know there are some daylilies, but since I bought in late October don't know what else is there.
My expertise is in iris and daylilies.
What else will work ?

Barbara

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Permalink Reply by Karen Hatton on January 2, 2010 at 7:02pm

Hydrangeas would work. Oakleaf hydrangeas provide interest year-round.

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Permalink Reply by Barbara on January 2, 2010 at 7:46pm

Oh, I love those. How about the big blue/red ones? Do they do alright?

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Permalink Reply by Karen Hatton on January 2, 2010 at 7:55pm

My house only came with oakleaf hydrangea and one that has small white flowers. I'm just starting to add ones with color so it's too soon to say on that. My soil is acidic so I'm expecting blue ones even though some I bought claim to be pink. You can amend the soil if you want the flowers to stay a certain color.

Family members in northwestern N.C. have had success with the big blue ones.

I really like the oakleaf hydrangea. Blossoms start out a pale green, then go to snow white, and at the end, there's a slight pink tint sometimes. The leaves turn red in the fall, and in the winter, you can see the peeling stems, which can add interest to the landscape.

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Permalink Reply by GardenThymeGirl on January 5, 2010 at 10:03pm

There are many plants for our Zone 7 area. It would be in the best interest if you asked a reputable garden center or landscaper/designer for plant ideas. My yard contains hellebores, ferns, hostas, toad lillys, hydrangeas, kousa dogwoods, florida dogwoods, gumpo azaleas, camellias, ninebark, jacobs ladder to name a few of my numerous plants. My yard is partly shady and my plant choices work with the soil, temperature and sun/shade requirements.

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Permalink Reply by Polly McDaniel on January 6, 2010 at 1:42pm

I would recommend these books as resources for plant selection:
- “Easy Gardens for the South” by Pamela Crawford, Harvey Cotten and Barbara Pleasant.
- Wildflowers & Native Plants” by Asheville’s own Peter Loewer.
- “Southern Shade: A Plant Selection Guide” by Jo Kellum.

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Permalink Reply by Mitch on February 6, 2010 at 11:19am

Here is a long detailed answer!

Check out the NC Native Plant Society's website, http://www.ncwildflower.org/natives/basics.htm, for site characteristics, and a list of reputable sources of native plants. I would recommend getting your soil tested through the NC Extension Service. It's free and will save you much time and money from planting the wrong plants in your specific sites. County Extension locator, http://buncombe.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=countycenters
Specific site for soil testing info: http://www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/pdffiles/stflyer.pdf Current turnaround time is about 6 weeks. Here is a link, http://www.ncwildflower.org/neatstuff4you/books.htm to compliment Polly's book list. Gardening with Native Plants of the South by Sally Wasowski is a good one. The Botanical Garden at Asheville, http://www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org/ ,does a great job of showcasing natives.

Finally, join the Asheville Chapter of the NC Native Plant Society for a native plant symposium at the NC Arboretum on Sat., Feb. 20 from 9-3. For more info see, http://www.ncwildflower.org/index.php/site/event_details/calendar-w...

Good luck!