D.I.G. LANDSCAPES

We are a full service Landscape Design/Build firm serving Charleston and Coastal South Carolina.

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Native Plants are Best Choice for Charleston Landscapes

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South Carolina has so many beautiful plants we don’t need to look elsewhere for flowers, shrubs and trees. At DIG Landscape, we try to use as many native plants as possible in our Charleston landscape designs.

Not only does it make for a lovely landscape, but it also gives us an opportunity to educate our clients about native plants and why it’s important we incorporate them into our design. Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region and, over time, they have adapted to the climate and rainfall. So plants that are native to the Lowcountry area can survive the hot, humid summers and don’t require as much watering.

Here are a few other great reasons to use native plants from The South Carolina Native Plant Society:

  • It makes landscape maintenance easier. These plants are well suited for our Charleston climate so you won’t be spending so much time watering and caring for the plants.
  • Your garden can become a wildlife habitat. Native plants support wild pollinators that are critical to production of the foods we eat.
  • It cuts down on water usage. Most native plants will receive much of their needed water from rainfall, but a 1,000-square-foot lawn needs 10,000 gallons of water in the summer to keep it green and lush.
  • Skip the pesticides. Native plants are more resistant to diseases and pests so you’re less likely to need to break out the chemicals.

Once our clients are sold on native plants, the next step is determining which plants to use. It’s not as simple as going to the big box garden center. Just because a plant is sold locally doesn’t mean it is a native species. That’s why working with a landscape designer is so important. We know which plants work best and can shop the local nurseries and garden centers for native plants.

Here are few favorites: swamp sunflower, horse mind, prickly pear cactus, black-eyed Susan, seaside goldenrod and verbena. These plants will not only add color and beauty to your garden but will thrive in the Charleston climate, attract wildlife and give you the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting the environment.

Here’s a list of flowering plants, trees and shrubs that are native to the South Carolina coast.