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Charleston Landscaping Ideas

 

General Info Palms Trees Shrubs Grasses

 

General Info-
Your Charleston landscaping ideas and designs will require a little research before planting.  Now, I am not claiming to be a landscape architect but I have already done an extensive amount of research for you regarding the different types of plants, shrubs, trees and grasses which are common to the Charleston area.  From my own personal experience, I have found that your best bet is to stick with and select native plant materials which are common to the Charleston SC area.  Basically, what you are looking for when selecting your home's plant material is to find the most hardy and drought resistant specie available all while you trying to maintain the desired look you are after.  If you should make the mistake of selecting something other than South Carolina native plant materials, you will spend countless hours nurturing the plant's growth.  Charleston's long and hot summers require lots of water.  Sometimes during a long dry Charleston summer even the native plant materials have a tough time surviving.

I hope you find my extensive list of native and non-native options that I think grow and show really well throughout the Charleston landscape helpful.

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Palm Trees

 

Palmetto Palm

 

The state of South Carolina is so proud of the native Palmetto palm you will find it embroidered on our state flag.  South Carolina is called the “Palmetto State” and you will find these beautiful palm trees growing in their natural habitat throughout the state of South Carolina.  The Palmetto palm is designated as the state tree because of its ability to grow in the wild and survive anywhere in the state.  Another name for the Palmetto Palm is the “Cabbage Palm”.  The Palmetto palm is a must have for your landscape design.  The Cabbage Palm makes for a great solitary specimen and can be used as your end-caps to show off  your home.  When planting the Palmetto palm, you will need to be sure and allow at least five or six feet from the corners of your home.  Otherwise the palm fronds will overhang onto the house and look cramped.

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Palmetto Palm Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Windmill Palm

 

The Windmill Palm is a little more temper mental to full sun than the Palmetto palm and is the perfect specimen for partial shade and shaded areas.  You will find the Windmill Palm growing in areas like front entryways, back yard patios or among other shrubs bordering the property line.  The Windmill Palm is very symmetric and the fan-shaped fronds are the perfect accent to your landscape.  You will find the Windmill Palm adds a formal and tropical elegance around patio and sitting areas.

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Windmill Palm Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance

 

Sago Palm

 

This is really not in the Palm tree family.  It is a member of the cycads family and the Sago Palm is a “living fossil”.  The sago palm is very popular in the lowcountry and really does look great in the landscape.  This "palm" can take full sun and neglect. The Sago Palm propagates by seed produced by the male (cone) and female (flowering) plants during spring.  These seeds can later be found in the female's flower sometime in January or February.   The Sago palm is a really slow grower at the rate of 1" per year.  There will be new leaves produced once a year.  These new tender light green leaves will appear all at once in a circular pattern. You will need gloves and long sleeves to prune their prickly leaves.  The sago palm adds and compliments every lowcountry landscape with its very tropical look.

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Sago Palm Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 


 

 

Large Trees

 

Live Oak

 

Most generally, when people think of the south, they picture a beautiful live oak tree draped in Spanish moss.  The movie "Gone With the Wind" is a great example of this.  The live oak is a native tree and you will find massive Angel Oaks dating back hundreds of years.  You will find that a well cared for live oak will bring a premium to a home's value.  Some of these trees date back centuries and are truly breathtaking.  It will become obvious to you why someone is willing to pay thousands of dollars more in price for the home with one of these beautiful trees to be located on the property.  The live oak is a coastal specimen with high a tolerance for full sun, salt air and drought.

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Live Oak Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Southern Magnolia

 

The Southern Magnolia's beautiful, white, fragrant, saucer-shaped, flower is a southern landscape tradition.  The Southern Magnolia tree will form into a dense dark green pyramidal shape which makes for a great property screen. There are many variations of the Southern Magnolia but it is often difficult to see real differences among them. If you enjoy the white blossoms but aren't keen to big trees, then check out the little gem magnolia as a fine alternative.

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Southern Magnolia Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Red Sunset

 

The Red Sunset Maple is an excellent choice for your backyard tree.  This tree will provide you with an interesting backdrop during all four seasons.  The outstanding ornamental characteristics start during the spring with brilliant red flowers followed by the red summer fruit and then the magnificent display of its colorful fall red leaves.

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Red Sunset Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 


 

 

Small Trees

 

Crepe Myrtle

 

This tree is a Charleston favorite.  You will find plenty of Crepe Myrtles growing in the Charleston area.  There are many different varieties available to choose from.  You can even select a dwarf crepe myrtle.  The colors, sizes and flower duration are all personal preference.  You will find some varieties of Crepe Myrtles where there flowers will last over 120 days all during the hot summer months.  One thing is for sure, Crepe Myrtles are just another southern statement of Charleston's beauty.  In the winter and early spring, you will find owners committing acts of “Crepe Murder”.  This is when the Crepe Myrtle owner prunes the tree completely down to the base trunk. These trees are very hardy and can take a lot of pruning abuse, but please do not torture your Crepe Myrtle and prune your tree back to its main trunk.

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Crepe Myrtle Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Little Gem Magnolia

 

This small tree is like a dwarf Southern Magnolia.  The Little Gem's flowering blooms are just as beautiful and the best part is the tree will have multiple blooms throughout the year.  This is unlike the bigger Southern Magnolia which blooms only once during the spring time.

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Little Gem Magnolia Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Flowering Dogwood

 

This tree grows in full sun or partial shade. I recommend you select partial shade with a well drained soil.  This will produce the best results if your plans are not to water during the summer.  The Flowering Dogwood is beautiful during the spring with its beautiful flowers and in the fall produces colorful foliage with bright red berries.

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Flowering Dogwood Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 


 

 

Shrubs

Crimson Bottle Brush

This is truly one of my favorites.  The Crimson Bottle Brush will produce bright red flowers on and off throughout the late spring and summer.  The flowers are fragrant and are very attractive to Hummingbirds and butterflies.

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Crimson Bottle Brush Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Azalea

The Rhododendron family offers the gardener an abundant amount of choice.  My favorite selection here is the "Hino Crimson".  This evergreen shrub will produce spectacular late spring blooms and excellent fall color.  You will not be disappointed with this shrub.  The first weekend in April is also the Summerville Azalea Festival which is great fun for the entire family.

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Azalea Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Fairfax Wax Myrtle

 

This variety of the tough durable Wax Myrtle family is my favorite.  The Fairfax Wax Myrtle is also very popular to birds.  The female, Fairfax Wax Myrtle, will produce bright vibrant fruit in late summer and last through winter.

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Fairfax Wax Myrtle Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 


 

 

Ornamental Grass

 

Sea Oats

 

The lowcountry is plentiful with this beautiful tropical and salt resistant ornamental grass.  You will also find  Sea Oats growing along the sand dunes helping stop beach erosion.  This tropical grass works wonderfully mixed in with other plant materials or as a stand alone ornamental grass.

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Sea Oats Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

Fountain Grass

 

Fountain Grass has bright green leaves throughout the year and in the fall produces these beautiful light and airy pink plumes. 

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Fountain Grass Fact Sheet

Height Spread Growth Rate Drought Tolerance
       

 

The suggestions given to you on this web site are just those, suggestions.  Each person will obviously have their own unique tastes for selecting their own home's ideal landscape design.  I have outlined for you some of my favorites which require very little or no resources and are very low maintenance. You may enjoy hand watering flowers and plants like some of my neighbors who are retired and like to garden.  However, should you end up selecting plant materials which do require frequent watering, please be sure to design your irrigation system with this in mind or at least locate the plants close to the hose bib.

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Clemson Home and Garden Information Center


 

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Isle of Palms, SC. 29451

 

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