Enhancing your garden’s beauty requires some research and planning. This is why you’d naturally ask this question: what flowers grow well in South Carolina?
Plants that thrive in USDA growing zones 7a to 9a will grow well in your South Carolina garden. Some of these plants are drought-resistant, so you shouldn’t even worry about regular watering, except when the weather is too hot.
In this article, we’ll highlight some of the best flowering plants that bloom in the warm weather of South Carolina to keep your garden in perfect shape.
8 Bright Flowers that Grow Well in South Carolina
Careful planning is needed whenever you’re planning your landscape design. Luckily, there are several types of flowering plants that thrive in South Carolina and will add the needed pop of color to your garden.
Goldenrod
Goldenrod plants grow medium green foliage and attractive golden-yellow flowers that bloom from late summer to fall. The plant grows up to a height of 5 feet in optimal growing conditions and doesn’t need much care, so it’s suitable for less experienced gardeners.
This plant needs full sun exposure, although it can tolerate some partial shade. As long as the soil is well-draining, goldenrods will thrive and bloom. It can even tolerate poor sandy, clay, and rocky soil.
Weekly watering is recommended until the plant is well-established, but after that, it becomes drought-resistant. Adding a layer of compost in the summer will help the plant grow taller, but too much fertilizing will negatively impact flowering.
Coral Honeysuckle
Coral honeysuckle is a beautiful addition to your South Carolina garden, growing beautiful red, orange, pink, or yellow flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. In winter, the plant grows red berries that attract songbirds to your garden.
This plant is evergreen in warmer regions, reaching a maximum height of 25 feet. It’s best to plant it in spring or fall, as the heat will stress a new plant. The blooms appear in spring and summer.
Coral honeysuckle is easy to grow and needs nothing but good air circulation to prevent the spread of diseases. However, this plant thrives when left to wind on its own, so providing a trellis will be a good idea to add this plant to your garden.
You can grow this plant in slightly acidic to neutral soil, as long as it’s well-draining. You can also add compost to support better plant growth. Regular watering is essential for young plants, but once established, coral honeysuckle becomes drought-resistant.
Sweet Alyssum
Unlike other South Carolina perennials, sweet alyssum blooms in the colder spring and fall when other flowers disappear. It’s a fast-growing plant with attractive hairy leaves and grows small white, purple, and pink flowers that add a pop of color to your garden.
The eye-catching flowers emit a sweet honey-like smell that attracts pollinators, so it will be a good choice if you want to design a butterfly garden. In addition, the plant is highly versatile and can be grown in small spots where you need to fill crannies or in baskets and flower beds.
Sweet alyssum plants thrive in full sun but can tolerate partial shade, especially when the sun is too strong in the afternoon. They’re not picky about the soil condition, as long as it’s well-draining. As a result, you can grow them in sandy soils and even on dunes. One inch of water per week will be enough in the colder months, but you shouldn’t let the soil dry out in the hot summer.
Yarrow
Poor man’s pepper or common yarrow is a perennial with aromatic feather-like leaves and beautiful yellow, orange, pink, red, purple, or white flowers that bloom in summer and fall.
Common yarrow is an excellent choice for the hot weather in South Carolina and can tolerate sandy, loamy, and even clay soil. As long as the soil is well-draining, regular watering will help this plant grow in the first season, and it can tolerate some drought once established.
This plant prefers full sun but can tolerate some partial shade for short periods. Light watering might be needed during the dry months but should be avoided entirely during periods of natural rainfall. The plant is toxic to pets and horses, but the bitter taste of the tannins in the plant usually prevents the animals from overconsumption.
Bugleweed
Bugleweed is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial that covers your garden with an attractive cover of shiny dark green leaves, blocking the weeds that compete with your other plants for food and water. During the months of May and June, the plant grows beautiful blooms that come in shades of blue, purple, and violet when planted in late spring or early summer.
The plant has a height of 6 to 9 inches, filling a large area in no time. However, this can be a problem if you grow it in areas where the underground stolons can disturb the other plants in your garden. Yet, the extensive root system prevents erosion and prevents soil loss.
Bugleweed prefers to grow in well-draining nutrient-rich soil and needs at least two inches of water during the growing season. Once established, one inch of water should be enough. The plant prefers full sun growing conditions that help the foliage become more vibrant, but partial shade can be tolerated.
Yellow Flag Iris
Yellow flag iris grows from an herbaceous perennial that usually reaches a height of 3 feet. The sword-like gray-green leaves look attractive in your garden, and during the months of May and June, the plant will grow yellow flowers with brownish-blue veins.
This plant will thrive in the wet areas of your garden, so it can be the perfect plant to grow around a pond. In addition, it’s deer-resistant and low-maintenance, so it’s an excellent choice if you’re a beginner gardener.
Yellow flag iris rhizomes spread quickly, and without enough attention, the plant can become invasive. However, you can control its growth by growing it in a container or removing the seed pods to prevent self-seeding. You can also control moisture in its environment, as this will slow down its growth.
This plant prefers full to partial sun but can tolerate more sun when the soil is too wet. Boggy soil is the perfect soil to grow yellow flag iris in South Carolina.
Black-Eyed Susan
The black-eyed Susan is a fast-growing perennial with the ability to self-seed, reaching a maximum height of 3 feet when it’s fully established. This plant is almost problem-free and a perfect choice for beginner gardeners, growing daisy-like yellow flowers with large seed heads on top of the rough broad leaves.
The yellow flowers bloom in summer and don’t need much care, except deadheading the spent ones to extend the blooming season. However, you can keep the faded flowers on the plant, as the seeds provide a tasty food source to the birds in your area.
You can get more and healthier flowers from your black-eyed Susan if you grow the plant in full sun, but it can handle some partial shade. It prefers growing in well-drained soil that is not too rich. The plant needs regular watering in the first season but can tolerate some drought once it’s well-established.
Bee Balm
Bee balm is a perennial weedy plant that can be 2 to 4 feet tall and grows vibrant flowers that come in shades of scarlet, purple, and pink. The flowers have spiky petals and emit a sweet fragrance that attracts bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators, so it will be a great choice if you’re planning a butterfly garden.
You can plant bee balm in the spring or fall, and the blooms start to appear in summer, blooming throughout the warm season. With little effort, this plant will spread in your garden, so unless this is your preference, you need to divide the plants every few years to control growth.
Bee balm prefers to grow in full sun but can tolerate some shade if the soil is moist. However, too much shade should be avoided because it negatively impacts blooming.
The plant thrives in rich, well-draining, moist soil that can be slightly acidic. You should water your plant at least once weekly and increase the watering frequency in the hotter months.
Wrap Up: What Flowers Grow Well in South Carolina?
South Carolina is known for its long hot summers and mild winters, so you must pick flowering plants that can handle high temperatures and extended drought periods. There are many colorful flowers that you can add to your South Carolina garden, but you need to pay attention to their care instructions to make sure that they bloom for long.
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