Need info:How will HOSTAS do in Yonges Island(Hollywood) SC?

I will be moving from Long Island, NY to Yonges Island, and I am an AVID gardener, hoping to grow many new plants in my new home, and, I hope to move some of my vast collection of Hosta cultivars, Hydrangeas, Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia Struthiopteris), Dicentra, Vinca minor, and Aucuba. Will I have any trouble with having any of these thrive in the South Carolina coastal lowcountry?

Hi,

Your best bet will be to look up the plants you want to bring in plant files

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?Search=Click+here+to+search+for+plants

which will tell you it's hardiness zones. Hosta's seem to do well here in the south as long as they aren't in blazing hot sun.

X

Some of those things may make it down here Karlmale, but probably not the Hostas. You CAN grow hostas here, but you have to select varieties specifically bred for heat/humidity adaptation(there are many). If your Hosta varieties grew well in NY, I can almost guarantee they'll suffocate down here. Don't know if you're familiar with Plant Delights Nursery, but that would be a good place to start your re-education. The owner (Tony Avent) is a bit of a Hosta nut, and has been playing with "Southern" Hostas since dirt was formed. Extremely knowledgeable, and loves to talk Hostas. I got one he recommended 10 yrs ago and it has been a source of pride and joy every year since. In a pot, outside year round, and virtually neglected.

no hostas in my yard have ever come back for more than 2 years at the very most

I had no problems with hostas in north central florida which is the same zone as where I am at now. The only thing I can think that might keep them from surviving along the coast is the salt. I'm really surprised!

X

i guess i'm just a sucky hosta grower then... lol

Speaking from inexperience (lol) I'm way farther north than y'all, and I have developed a disdain for hostas, which were the first plants I liked. Most of the tropicals I am growing require less water to look decent than my hostas have. I'm finding other plants to replace them that are more drought tolerant, because I'm not sure this year will be that much better than last for rainfall

aucubas and vinca should be easy in deep shade, and I've not grown ostrich ferns. But the hostas, dicentra, and hydrangeas (oh my gosh they need so much water) will require lots of water in the summer. When you move South, you will likely find more natives and other plants that you will love as much as your Northern faves, but will more lower maintenance

I have to thank y'all for the fine information regarding my inquiries yesterday - I am particularly thankful for the referral to Plant Delights Nursery, and I intend to check it out.
I happen to have about fifty varieties of hostas, from small-leaved chartreuse, and blue toned, to absolutely huge Blue Angels. Nearly every color combination, leaf size, and configuration, so I will try to hedge my bets by attempting to bring at least one of each variety down there to Yonges Island, which I believe may be Zone 8b (?), and besides, all of my hostas need to be thinned-out anyway!
I have read that the Ostrich ferns, from which we collect the "fiddle-heads" in the early spring, will do okay in the shade down into Zone 9, and I think I have seen vinca planted around street trees downtown in Charleston.'
I happen to be the only person I know that grows Kiwis, (both the large, fuzzy type, and the small, smooth type) up here on Long Island. I harvested dozens last November, and kept them in the refrigerator for months! Can anyone tell me what kind of fruits trees I might hope to have success with in my new land down South? ( I am hoping to plant a grove of nespole, or loquats, and need to find out the best way to propogate them, too).

I almost forgot!
STONO - I read your thread about your hardy bananas, and was thrilled, because I purchased what was called a "mini banana" in a supermarket in NY a few years ago; they seemed to have been a fad, and one could find them anywhere. Of course, I saw a challenge, and kept it in a pot through the first summer, transplanting it to a larger pot when it got to about four feet tall. The, indoors, in the winter, it sent up four or five "pups", and I planted the whole bunch outdoors in the spring, where the original plant just died back but the pups flourished through the summer, growing to five or six feet, and too large (at that time) to move back, re-potted, indoors for another winter, so I, regretfully, let it die back entirely when we went into winter. I have always regretted not mulching it heavily, for I suspect that it might have come back again. Since then, I have not seen ANY musas for sale up here, and I wonder if you could tell me A) what variety, if known, you had that success with, and, B) where I can purchase some , and finally C) when it would be best to try planting some in Yonges Island?
( As you might suspect, I think I am a "closet" tropicalist! or that's what I've been told...) I appreciated any related info, (and photos?) you might have, too.

Stono will be the closest to you and he will have the best info. I live about 20 miles south (as the crow flies, 2 hours by road) and one of my newer neighbors brought 250 hostas with her from up north. I believe she found the smaller ones, the actual miniatures, to do a little better. Sadly, she lost almost all of the larger ones.

There is a yellow, climbing dicentra that is said to do well here; it is on the cover of a locally written book "Some like it Hot" by F. Brian Smith and PJ Garten.

Your ferns and kiwis should thrive here. The more common mophead hydrangeas and the vincas are almost weeds here. Aucubas which are common in other parts of SC will burn if they get too much sun in the lowcountry.

Charleston has a number of fine nurseries. There is a wonderful herb farm right on John's Island and there is a terrific fellow that grows citrus and other tropicals down here in Beaufort. Cream and Raja Puri are two edible bananas that will do well for you. Although most are not edible, just wait until you see and smell the incredible variety of gingers you will be able to grow.

When are you moving south? The Charleston Horticultural Society will be having a wonderful "Plantasia" sale shortly, I think it is in early May.

Curious world we live in Karlmale! I was born and raised on Staten Island (BV---before the Verrazano destroyed the place forever), but escaped to the south as soon as it was legal, and never looked back! Yongues Island is a 10 minute run down the ditch for me by boat (but as Ardesia points out, considerably longer over hard ground).
I don't remember the name of the Banana that produced fruit for me, but it produces pups every year and it's getting to the point where I have to dig them up and pitch them over the fence, or give up my veggie garden---which I ain't gonna do! So if you want one, Dmail me and I'll pot one up for you. You can also grow a bunch of citrus down here (I have "more than one" variety that seem to be doing well). Whole different world down here! But as an aside, while you are technically in zone 8b, don't plant anything that's not rated for 9a; it will struggle here. Also, if you don't already have one, get a copy of Southern Living's "Garden Book". If a species/variety in that book has a "CS" (Coastal South)designation next to it, it will probably grow here. If it doesn't say "CS", don't waste your time. Been painfully accurate so far...

....and I escaped the north end of Syosset (I think it is called Oyster Bay Cove now) back in the 60's for our SC adventure. Still have family in Stony Brook.

Your hostas will do great here as long as they are protected from the afternoon sun. Under a tree with filtered light will be great. I don't live far from you either and I have always know them to do fine temperature wise. I think a good book also is "Garden Guide to the Lower South" by the Trustees' Garden Club of Savannah, Georgia. No pictures, but an awesome practical guide for gardening in our area of the country which is so different from where you are coming from. It is the best gardening book for here that I know of. You can probably pick it up at a local nursery, Barnes and Noble, or maybe Amazon.

Good luck with your move and gardening endeavors.

It is also going to depend on how much salt you have in your soil. I would be sure to have soil tests (with emphasis on the plural) ASAP. You can take about a pint of soil for each one to the Charleston County Extension office and for a small fee you will get recommendations. Be sure they test for sodium.

I don't share gardener 413's optimism on Hostas down here. Found I can coax some traditional favorites to grow, but not many, and not well. And in the long run, not worth it. And Ardesia's right...the first thing you must do is get a soil sample done. Ph can be a killer here, but so can salt content (I have a real problem with this---my well water has too much salt in it---35ppm---for decent irrigation. Clemson says 5 ppm is barely acceptable). Whole new world you're entering, karlmale! But I wouldn't trade it for anything, anywhere!

I'm fairly new to hostas, I'm originally from Los Angeles where you can't grow them at all. But, I concur with Stono, follow the advice of Tony Avent @ PDN. I've had half a dozen Sum & Substance for several years that are getting bigger and bigger, monsters that they are. They emerge late April and stay in leaf until frost. Guacamole, Fragrant Bouquet, Paul's Glory also have done well in my yard. Last year I bought from PDN Cathedral Windows, Jewel of the Nile, Lakeside Shoremaster, Paradigm, Rainforest Sunrise and Stained Glass. We'll see how they do this year.

When it gets really hot they're happier with added water, but they've limped along just fine without.

Jenny

Here's a good link to a discussion on the hosta forum to hostas for southern gardens.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/738133/

Jenny

Jenny, how big do your Sum & Substance get? I have had good luck, by sea island standards, with that one but it has never gotten any larger than 2 1/2' - 3'. I have seen them close to 3 times that size in other parts of the country.

I wonder if it is not the cooler weather in general that they need but cooler nights in particular.

Mine aren't that old, 3 years, and they're all about 3-4 ft. in diameter so far. The get a little bit of morning sun, but sit under a monster of a live oak. (I know, what a shocker for down here.) I had to do it again, I wouldn't stick them so close to the oak. My yard, however, only has two options- full shade, or full sun.

I kind of surprised things do so well in the yard. I finally sent in a soil test. YIKES!!! Micronutrients were fine, but the pH was 4.8. I know the south has acid soil, but that seems to be a bit much.

I'm mucking out the barn this weekend, so we'll see how the hostas respond this year to decomposed sheep poop as mulch.

Jenny

I am so envious, the soil here is about 6.5 with an over the top phospherous level. That yummy acid soil is why the dogwoods do so well across the road from you at the Old Sheldon Church.

Your hostas will love the sheepy poop.

Geez, Ardesia! You can't be serious? They actually changed the name?!! Shows you how much I know (or care!) about my roots. Syosset is now "Oyster Bay Cove"?? How totally yuppie! Levitown revisited! (think they recently went bankrupt...)! Syosset always worked for me. Still does... But now that they've raped the northland, they're headed south, and woe is us...

lol, No, they haven't changed the name of Syosset proper.

I haven't been back in years but I was recently told the northernmost area around 25A is officially called OBC now - or so I am told.

Hey, Y'all, I am driving south from Long Island, NY to Yonges Island, SC, today, with a truckload of plants, though not nearly as many as I had intended.
I intend to check out Plants Delight Nursery, and check in again at Palms, Ltd. Can anyone please advise me as to what grass seed to put down on fairly recently cleared land? My neighbor put down some winter rye (I think?) for the past few months, as a temporary cover and nutrient, but I need to know what I should do, for I think I am probably already very late. Plan to establish lawn/pasture areas, sunny AND under live oaks and amidst loblollies. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
P.S.: Oh, and I have also heard about the Oyster Bay Cove, but Syosset is still intact so far as I know. (and, parts of Shirley are now East Yaphank!)

Oh dear, about that grass seed, you will likely need to sod the lawn. Southern grasses, at least for the coastal areas, grow from stolons and it would take years for a seeded lawn to fill in. Sod is not all that expensive around here because that is all we use.

Depending on your sun/shade situation you will probably use centipede in sun or St. Augustine in the shade. Some folks use zoysia. Just be sure to stay away from Burmuda which requires a whole cadre of greens keepers to keep in check.

I hope you will consider that grass takes lots of water, which is pretty expensive down here not to mention the pesticides which run off into the waterways. Less grass means lots more tropical plants. :-)

It is chilly today and supposed to be cool again tomorrow but by the end of the week it will be heavenly, you will be so happy you moved to paradise.

Have a safe trip.

if i were you, i'd use st augustine. centipede is too common.... even though that is what we have in our yard, but we had no choice but centipede or bermuda

St. Augustine is a bear to cut, a good stand of it is so thick; and when you are from LI where they grow the most beautiful grass in the world that will be a big shocker.

But, St. Augustine is pretty from a distance. ;*> I swear you can cut your feet on it, though.

I grew up in L.A. and my Dad lost his mind for a few years and we had a dichondra lawn- talk about soft to play on- but a maintenance nightmare. I know, it's not even grass. It was so pretty, though, it was in the Scott's ads for years.

My theory is if it's green and I can mow it, it's lawn. I think my "lawn" currently consists of more dollarweed than anything else at the moment. It's definately low maintenance...

I have a lot of Dichondra in a bed right now, must have brought it in on something.

I'm not a "grass freak" by any means, although I do love the comforting green look of a well-kept lawn. When I first arrived here in the low country, I considered the thick-leaved St. Augustine varieties
"crabgrass", and wouldn't even consider "planting" it. So I sowed about 2 acres around the house with Bermuda seed. It did it's thing. Came up reliably, spread like wildfire, and I had a beautiful green epanse to look out on. But then I started to try to plant real "garden beds", which the Bermuda grass quickly over-ran. I curse the stuff now. Plugged the whole thing with St Augustine. and 2 years later, had a fairly decent (and manageable) lawn of thick-leaved St Augustine(a.k.a. "Crabrass") It spreads just as much as Bermuda, but way more slowly, so it's manageable. It grows in full sun, semi-sun, even heavily shaded locations! I've learned to love it, even though it still looks like crabgrass to me...

i love st augustine.... growing up in Columbia, i saw bermuda everywhere, and thought it was weedy and st augustine was beautiful!....the exact opposite of you.... i guess its just dependent on what you arew used to

LOL Back when lawns were sprigged (I haven't seen them do that in years) a friend had a newly sprigged St. A lawn and her New York MIL visited, saw all that *crab grass* out there and pulled every last sprig up.

sprigged? whats that??

Years ago, workers would walk along with a hatchet. They would whack the hatchet into the soil and stick a little piece (sprig) of St. A or Centipede into the slash. They would do this about every 6" to 12" all over. Within a year or so the grass would spread and cover the soil. Obviously this was very labor intensive. It was fun to watch, the workers would each have their own rhythm as they moved down the rows. Ask your grandpa about this, he will remember.

I still do it, ardesia!

ooooohhhhhh thats what i thought, but wasn't sure