Gardening in the shade is the delight of Southern gardeners. Because a mature garden is often a shady one, we are blessed with trees and large mature shrubs. There may be a part of the landscape that gets full sun – usually the south or west side of the house. The eastern and northern exposures will be in the shade in summer and winter; temperatures may be considerably cooler in these areas. In the site plan of any new landscaping you would want to know where North is. It is usually shown as an arrow. Looking at a landscape plan, the relationship of the buildings to the north arrow will help in the selection of the right plant for the right place.

During the milder weather of spring, pastels shine in Lowcountry gardens. They almost glow against fresh, new green leaves. However, as the heat of summer bears down upon us, the pastels tend to fade out. By noontime, when the sun is high, they can almost look bleached. That is the time when the bright, hot colors like reds and oranges really pop. They also bring a tropical look that melds well with our palmetto dotted, moss-draped landscape.