Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Native plant knowledge is not so difficult to master; remote garden design is a different matter altogether.  Because so many variables come into play in designing a garden, Mr. Smarty Plants has learned that trying to make specific recommendations without seeing a garden site is a largely fruitless effort.  However, we have some tools to help you make your own choices and some general suggestions to help you, too.

The NPIN Native Plant Database has two tools which you should find valuable in selecting species for your garden.  The first is the Recommended Species search tool.  Just click on your state on the interactive map and the database will produce a list of species native to South Carolina.  For a more refined search, use the Combination Search tool.  Select "Shade" in the Light Requirement section and "Wet" in the Soil Moisture section to narrow your search to just those species with the sun and water requirements you desire.

It is natural for grasses and other herbaceous plants to quickly sprout up in a clearing left by a falling tree.  The more you disturb the soil, the more likely non-native and unwanted species are to appear in the new clearing.  Plant natives like your Indian Wood Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium wherever you want them and heavily mulch the rest of the area to suppress the offending grass and weeds.

For your rain garden, visit natural landscapes in your area with conditions similar to your garden.  Pond and streamside environments are probably going to have habitat most like that in your rain garden.  Note the native plants growing in those natural settings.  Those are the species you'll want to use in your own garden.  Species needing more moisture can be sited in the more depressed (thus, wetter) parts of the garden, while those liking drier feet can be planted on higher terrain or even on slightly mounded soil.  It's just that simple.