Welcome to the Carolinas! We're so glad to have you. I have two books to recommend to you that I have found to be very helpful for gardening in our area (I'm a wee bit further north in Wilmington, North Carolina). You can run out to your nearest bookstore and buy these books or you can usually find them cheaper online at Half.com or Amazon.com:

The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists by Lois Trigg Chaplin
and
Month-by-Month Gardening in the Carolinas by Bob Polomski (there is an older version and an updated version of this one; get the newer version if possible.)

Month-by-Month Gardening in the Carolinas sounds exactly like what you are looking for. It will tell you what to do and when to do it. I'll include a link to that one at the bottom of this email.

I plant for hummingbirds and butterflies myself and one of the vines I'm going to try this year is the Cardinal Flower vine as I heard it grows fast and is very attractive to hummers. Be wary of some vines in your new gardening zone. Because of the long growing season and mild winters, many things can get invasive here. Like kudzu. Be afraid of kudzu; very afraid . . . think Jack and the beanstalk. Without the golden goose.

Seriously, that's where the other book will come in handy. It gives lists of the best hummingbird vines and perrenials, best butterfly vines and perrenials, best plants for humid wet sites, best plants for dry sights, best roses to grow up a pillar, and on and on.

Very best of luck to you with your new southern garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: Month-By-Month Gardening In the Carolinas

Welcome to the Low Country!

The simple answer to your question is that you can plant most everything twelve months of the year. The winter months are best for planting evergreens and deciduous shrubs, roses and perennials (if hardened off) in February, annuals when it warms in the spring, winter blooming annual gardens in September. In this sandy soil you must water well during the first growing season of any new plant. Also be aware that many perennials marked for bright sun are usually happier in dappled shade or just morning sun. You will go through a learning process coming from CA. The gardening situations are not the same.

Suggest that you attend the open garden tours in Charleston this spring and really study the plant material, how it is used and the light conditions they are growing in. This is one of the trickiest parts of growing in this area. Viewing these old gardens is an excellent way to become acquainted with the various vines that will grow here and how they are used in the landscape. Hummers are attracted to many plants and you should find lists in the suggested books.

BTW...you had better Google the latest information on treating mole crickets. That will be a new experience for you.

To answer some of your questions. Yes some herbs are perennials in our region. Lemon Balm, Mint, and Oregano to name a few. Most of these you want to plant after fear of last frost. To attract hummingbirds heres a mixture that hummingbirds can not resist. Tropical Butterfly Weed, Verbena on a stick, Red Salvia, Shrimp Plant, Nicotiana, and Petunia. Hummingbirds love red and orange flowers that are tubalur in shape. As for the butterflies they will enjoy the cominations above also, if the hummers let them get close. You can add the wonderful Butterfly Bush and some Lantana in your yard. Butterflies love these also. Try putting a wide shallow dish of water close for the butterfies to drink and your sure to have many. Hope this info is helpful. Happy gardening. P.S. If herbs are planted outside, plant extra for butterfly larve to eat on or they may not be much for yourself.