Welcome to GA, Greenest! I moved here 15 years ago -- from the midwest. Gardening here is very different. No rich, black soil -- lots of red clay! More and more varied pests to fight. But a much longer growing season!

The best thing I did was to buy a book called Gardening in the South - What to Do and When to Do It -- by Don Hastings. This is my gardening bible! Super, super helpful. Amazon has it used for $20. That is expensive, but I thought it was well worth it.

Also, get acquainted with Walter Reeves! He is a local treasure with books, a t.v. show, and a radio show. He sometimes broadcasts the radio show from local nurseries. Everytime I watch or listen to him, I learn something new.

Lastly, you've found this group! Many folks on here are amazingly knowledgeable! Can't tell you the number of times of got great advice and ideas from the members!

Good luck and enjoy yourself!

Welcome! I live in that area and it's a great place. I don't grow vegetables though. The University of Georgia extension service is very helpful and Cherokee county has an active Master Gardener program so you can always ask them your questions. They often have free classes at the Hickory Flat library.

Thanks, bagsmom and esh_ga, for your replies, and for the fantastic information contained within them! If the map's right, I'll be fairly close to the Hickory Flat library, so I will be sure to check out that resource; I'll also check amazon for the book recommendation - sounds like the kind of book you want to have in hand, and not just borrow from the library.

I currently live just a few miles from the Mojave Desert - I'll trade this dry sun-baked soil for just about anything, including red clay. :) I'm from North Carolina, and still have family there, so red clay isn't so unfamiliar. :)

I really should be preparing to move, but I am so excited that my thoughts tend to be consumed with planning outdoor space and mentally arranging furniture inside our new home.

Thanks again!

Greenest -- have you already decided where you will put the Christmas tree? :)

Hi Greenest, Welcome to GW!! Like previously mention you will find tons of info on here. I like to go to the different forums when I am wanting to read up on a particular plant and do a search for the topic. You can just about find any info you need. Theres lots of great folks here with lots of valuable info.

A couple great nurseries close to you are Autumn Hill and Scottsdale. I love both of them. I live about an hour from both so don't get to visit as often as I like. Plus theres Pikes and all our Lowes and Home Depots!! Getting that spring fever bad around here. Our winter has been soooo mild and a few things are starting to pop but most are still tucked in safely underground. OK, I could go on forever talking about flowers. Have fun and I hope you have a great growing season and enjoy living here.

Take care, Judy

Yes! ...but I must confess that it was actually something I considered in all of the houses we really liked. Our current house does not have a good spot for a tree - we've been here for five Christmases, and the tree has been in three different spots, none of which really "worked".

The house we're buying has a bay window in the front room, so it'll go right there, in front. :) It also has a charming little porch, so I'm already imagining the green boughs for a garland, and little white lights to go with it. :P

Hi Greenest,

One newbie gardener to another I suggest the most important thing is to start. Choose one spot and focus your efforts there. Once you get a feel for that area and what works here it will help to boost your understanding and adapt your gardening in general.

From Walter Reeves: Gardening success can be summarized in just three rules:
1. Know your plants.
2. Know your site.
3. Even if you ignore the first two rules, plant anyway!

Hello Greenest, Welcome to Georgia living and gardening! I am further south, but I can tell you from experience about the 10 year olds! They love sunflowers. And regardless of what we've all been told, my blooms would only FACE EAST. They would only "follow the sun" when they were small. So plant them so you'll be able to enjoy the faces of the blooms.

And for her vegetable garden there are really cute directions at the link below for making a beanpole teepee. Easy to make, not much space, and bamboo is easy to find in Georgia. She'll be the hit of the neighborhood and have lots of new friends in no time!

Happy gardening, and good luck with your move.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beanpole Teepee

I'm assuming you are crazy with moving right now, but when you surface - Gardening in Georgia by Erica Glasener and Walter Reeves, and The Southern Living Gardening Book.

And irises of various kinds do just fine here, from what I have seen. I have only had Siberian iris, but my neighbors have others, and I enjoy looking at them. Welcome!

Welcome! Just wanted to second the Southern Living Garden book and Walter Reeves suggestions. If you can stand it, you can wait a year to make any big changes to your yard. Mostly to see what comes up and what areas get the most/least sunlight, what happens when it rains (like will some areas stay wet longer.) If you can't wait (and who can blame you!) start small, then hopefully you won't feel overwhelmed.

I love your idea of recreating your Dad's garden. I think he'll be really pleased. And irises typically do well here. I've purchased plants and shrubs that have my kids' names as part of the common name (Deutzia "Chardonnay Pearls" is also called Duncan, which is my son's name), which might be something fun you can do to honor your dad and your daughter. You can look up plants by cultivar name on Dave's Garden.

Maybe your daughter can do a pizza garden. Make it a circular bed, and plant things like tomatoes, basil, bell peppers, onions. Fun and tasty!

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Welcome to Georgia, the home of really bad soil, never-ending droughts, and obnoxious carpenter bees in March. We're neighbors, since I live in the Hickory Flat area. The best advice I can give you is to work hard on your soil first. Start a compost pile, because you'll always need organic stuff to work into new beds. Other posters have mentioned some good nurseries in the area, and I would like to add "Blossoms and Blooms" on Birmingham Hwy. Very close to Scottsdale, which is very expensive....but much better prices. Nice, knowledgeable staff, too. Don't forget the Lowe's clearance area, where you can find really neat bargain plants.
Enjoy your gardening adventure here. And please note: it's not always 85 degrees in March here...thank goodness!