In particular, Im looking for Vaccinium Formosum and Crassifolium. It started with me wanting blueberries (I already have two native variety Corymbosum plants) and now even if theyre not ideal to eat, I want them just to spite the world and say that I have them.

I can find some cultivars of Crassifolium albeit only one with commercial availability, but absolutely nothing true native and absolutely zero about Formosum except a random dude on YouTube finding one in the woods. Any ideas?

With the recent zone change in the triangle, I’m all for a worthwhile risk, but I just planted Party Time Alternanthera in the ground. It’s actually been surprisingly receptive, but I fear it’s too close to frost to survive the winter. Thoughts? Advice?

Why are trees/shrubs planted so high and what type of soil is used on the mound?

Tl;dr: looking for recommendations for tropical-looking plants that will thrive in zone 8a, Charlotte NC, in good soil with near-full sun.

(xposted a few places)

I’m in love with the island tropics. I know, right? I come here on bended knee asking for the collective expertise of Reddit. I have some plans and plants in mind, but I’m trying to thread a pretty thin needle.

Background: I’ve been working on my yard and garden for a couple of years now—mostly grading, figuring out what goes where, getting to know the soil and light patterns, and repairing both the compaction from construction and the aftermath of 20+ years of neglect. I have a few wildflower areas, some clementines and cherries, and some (but not all) of the front border in some kind of shape I’m happy with. The next few months of this endeavor will be some hardscaping and the plant selection for a tropical garden near the back porch, and stretching further back into the back gardens. I’ve done almost all of the work myself (including the grading, using mostly a shovel and a rake), and really enjoy it. Professional landscapers would just think I’m nuts (and not be wrong), and they’d probably be correct.

I don’t presently have a greenhouse and likely won’t by the winter. I’m also not looking to have to move things around if I can avoid it. Once planted and established, I want to leave it in the ground (or in the large pots).

The challenges:

• This area is a floodplain. While the floods don’t reach the area I’m designating for the tropical planting, the ground can stay wet for a bit. I have drainage mitigation in place and it works pretty well, but the water table is very high.

• I’d like to use plants native to the US southeast as much as possible, with nothing invasive for the statements (except for a banana/plantain or two, which I’ll keep on top of). I’m looking for the look and feel of a tropical paradise using as many well-adapted natives as possible.

• The planting area in question is near to the house, but due to the position of the building, it’s almost full sun for most of the year. In the evenings there’s some shade, as there’s an old, tall forest behind me. I’ve had mixed success with ferns even under the trees in the back, any ferns used in the area will have to be able to cope with a lot of light, heat, and an occasional soaking.

The good stuff:

• The soil here is pretty rich. There’s a thin clay layer (presumably fill from original construction in 1958). It’s loose enough to work with. I can dig a post-hole to 18” in about 90 seconds, and I am not a professional athlete.
• The area is mostly flat, with a gentle slope toward the back. No retaining walls necessary.
• No HOA.
• Redesigned 8a this year, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.
• I have a fair amount of space to work with, so can have some pretty big stuff.
• I compost, so there’s a lot of nutrition to play with if needed (it hasn’t been so far — if anything, the soil is a little too rich for some of the wildflower areas).
• Despite the high water table, the drainage is pretty good. Standing water doesn’t stand for long, and only after a heavy rain.
• I’m not trying to do this on a tight budget, so please pull out the wish-list stuff. I’m not swimming in cash, but this is my forever home, so I’m prepared for $10-15K in just plants, pots, and ornaments to get the core elements in.

Given the novel I just wrote, what do you think? What plants, shrubs, bushes, and trees would you put into a tropics-inspired garden with those goals and conditions? TIA.

I’ve seen a few too many Japanese beetles on my garden (spotted on strawberries and pepper plant). They took out my raspberry bush last year so trying to get ahead. Organic and natural suggestions preferred! Thanks!

Zone 8a here, piedmont.

I bought some tropical plants from your average big box store and I could not give them what they needed in this region. Do yall have any native plant recommendations?

I bought a "mountain cabbage" last fall at an apple orchard south of Asheville and I'd like to try to grow a few myself. Does anyone know what variety that would be considered/what seeds i should buy? Any tips for growing?

For those in the zone 8a of NC what do you normally plant for fall and winter harvest? I already have some short day onions, cabbage and collards planned but looking for other things that may do well.

Looking for a bit of help. Im originally from western NY and moved here 10 years ago, this is the first time ive been able to actually plant a garden. I have never had this much trouble with tomato plants.

I put these in about 3 weeks ago, water them regularly, and planted them in raised planters filled with beautiful compost. I also hit them with a sprinkle fertilizer when i put them in. They get 8+ hours of sun a day.

My friends tomato plants are all going nuts and mine all look like dwarves. We are doing the exact same things. Can anyone help me get these growing? Im watering every 3 days.

I have a gripe with the gardening community, perhaps this is specific to NC, but this is a problem I’m running into trying to do my best to research and plan my garden design.

I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time on the NC State extension plant database browsing and taking note on what I’d like to plant in my yard.

The database is so extensive that there’s even an entry for poison Ivy.

The database is an EXCELLENT resource, but when I finally start searching for the stuff I want to plant, none of it is available to purchase anywhere! No big box stores carry any of these, and it’s extremely difficult to see which local nurseries might have this stuff without going out to each one and searching.

For example, I own the NC Extension gardening handbook, and they provide an example of a perennial flower bed design. These are what they list (see picture). I started googling and looking for how to source half of these and it seems like it’s only one or two online sources who charge crazy shipping fees. Would these plants be available at like Logan’s or Homewood Nursery? Where do y’all source stuff like this? I can comb through the NC database and find early/middle/late blooming perennials that I’d want to plant together but that doesn’t mean squat if I can’t source them. Does anyone have a recommendation/ list of plants that work well together and are readily available for purchase?

On top of all that, I’ve followed this Hort Tube guy who is local and he’s made a ton of great recommendations for things to plant, but then his recommendations conflict with what the NC Extension site says. For example here he is recommending a wavy leaf lingustrum as a privacy hedge but the Extension website says this is one of the worst invasive things that we could plant in our yard. It’s so confusing!

https://youtu.be/3iGe2u9KPAg?si=0AC5-F36BRKDEEmk

My brother had a stroke last year and has severe aphasia. He doesn’t talk much now. My 7 year old adores him and she caught wind of the fact that he loves cantaloupe and watermelon and insisted we grow some. I had no luck last year. I have starters that I’m wanting to plant. Can anyone give me advice on the best way to plant/grow them? I’m in Southeastern Coastal North Carolina.

Thanks in advance!

I ordered some tulip and daffodil bulbs (ships in fall). I had the intention of planting them in my balcony container garden, under some summer perennials that die back in the winter. I wasn’t planning on digging them up afterward, I figured they’d be alright staying in the pots. Now I’m nervous because I’m reading that the bulbs can rot if watered a lot over the summer, or they can freeze in containers if it gets too cold in the winter.

Has anyone grown tulips or daffodils in pots in Charlotte area? Please help!

I bought this Baptisia about a week ago and had it in the pot until I had time to plant it. I came outside today and found this, the plant on the ground, with the stem black at the bottom. I’m wondering two things, first of all, what happened? What got my plant? And two can I still plant this? I’m guessing the roots might be fine, will it recover?

Hey all,

I live in Asheville, NC and just built two 4x8' garden beds using untreated pine. I'm trying to determine if I need to treat the wood. From what I've read online, it sounds as if (depending on the area) untreated pine can last for 3-7 years. If that's the case, I would be okay with that, however I do want to ensure I'm making the best decision for these beds.

What is y'all recommendation for the area? If you say treat the wood, if you're able to provide any details about what I should use/how it's best applied (outside only, both inside/outside, etc) that would all be very helpful. I have done a few Google searches but get extremely overwhelmed with all the information out there.

I've attached a pics of my beds, in their current state. I plan on adding hardware cloth to the bottoms since we have groundhogs that like to hang out in our yard. Also, not sure if adding gardening fabric to the inside of the bed would aide in protecting the wood, or if that step is not even worth it.

Thanks y'all!

Hi all, I need step by step instructions on planting a lilac bush that’s coming by mail from Salem SC . I live in Lenoir NC in the foothills and it does get hot here.. I have a spot that gets full sun that I want to plant these two bushes in and am hoping it’s a good spot. So if anyone knows about planting lilacs in Northern Carolina I would appreciate ya’lls advice ty🙂.

I have a bunch of little gnats in the soil of my pepper plants. They don’t seem to be harming the actual plants, but they are all over the soil. I’ve been using sticking gnat traps that kill a lot of them, but there are still so many. Also trying a spray mixture of dish soap and neem oil.

Any other suggestions? Would soaking citrus peels (oranges and lemons) in water then spraying that help?

Finally got permission to do some work at my new place (coastal North Carolina) and am planning to plant some native grasses and flowers. The problem is the yard was neglected for 3+ years and after clearing away the leaves, the entire area has hundreds of rooted Live Oak seedlings. I’m hesitant to use a tiller because I don’t want to damage the actual trees’ roots—is there any other solution besides hand pulling everything?

I've had a handful of aloe plants for a few years, transplanting the pups and giving them to friends.

This morning, when I was putting them outside, I was surprised to see one had what appears to be blossoms forming. Obviously, I'll let it do what it wants -- I've just never seen one before.

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https://preview.redd.it/0vgi6n21efmc1.png?width=843&format=png&auto=webp&s=fe67b6c1e8b941e8be599face2602fc87f7374f6

I just tried the soil test kit I purchased at Lowes. The Ph chart goes from green (7.5 - Alkaline) to red (4.5 - Very Acidic).

Mine turned blue. I tested it twice. Does this mean that my soil is extremely Alkaline, or is something wrong with my kit?

If it's extremely Alkaline, are blueberries a lost cause?

Thanks.

This last year I had pounds of peppers I was harvesting a day, I have buckets of green beans and peas, I had excess of nearly everything I grew (I'm not that good, I just planted too many lol).

Does anyone else trade the food they grow? I'm wondering if there are enough of us about that we might be able to do some kind of trade events.