Welcome,welcome,welcome!!! I can't place Lowgap but if you're excited to be a whole zone warmer, I'm excited for you.

Thanks dottie, I'm going to be just west of Mount Airy.

I have Leatherleaf Mahonia, Carolina Laurelcherry, Sabal minor, Needle palm, rosemary all growing in Mt.Airy. I see Long Leaf pine in town as well.

Crape myrtles grow well in the area; so much so that they're overly planted.

Thanks alex, that helps alot, I'm looking forward to contributing to the crape myrtle saturation...well, if you've never been able to grow them with success they seem pretty exciting! Maybe I'll tire of them someday, but they are so beautiful...

Aw, crape myrtles are great IMO because they are so drought tolerant. However, the Japanese beetles like them a bit too much and munch my flowers some years. Makes me really mad.

Welcome to the warmer zones!!

If you can, plan to take a Master Gardeners class - your county extension office should offer one, and if your doesn't, the neighboring ones probably will and are usually good about letting neighbors participate. Counties and extension agents vary as to when the classes are held, usually spring or fall, sometimes both, depending on demand, etc. You will learn a lot about what grows in your area. You do have to "give back" 40 hours (I think) a year, usually manning the phone in the office to answer caller-ins questions - yes, you can say "I don't know, we/I will look it up and get back to you" - but some counties do other garden-related projects as well. The Master Gardeners group also takes field trips to nurseries, public gardens, etc., etc. throughout the year. And it's a way to meet other gardeners in the area - not all of them will be newcomers!

I can't begin to offer any nursery recommendations, so good luck on that search. I know one of the Master Gardeners here compiles a list of nurseries, in Greenville, Spartanburg, SC and Polk, Henderson NC Counties, and tries to keep it up to date, so you have another reason to contact the county extension office. They won't "officially" make recommendations, but might sort of steer you to or away from some, in conversation.

Hi there I am on the other side of Surry county. The last 2 winters we have been a zone 8A although we are 7A. Can recommend a good tree & shrub nursery in Surry county and have attached link.

squirrelspur

Here is a link that might be useful: Foothills Nursery

dibbit, I had thought about taking the Master Gardeners class- seems like a great way to learn about my new area and meet people. squirrelspur, thanks so much for the link, its always a treat to have a recommendation. Sounds like I should be in a solid zone 7A and since I am coming from 6A that is an improvement.

Hi Machree,
I live in Stokes county right next door to Surry. I am about 40 minutes S of Mt Airy.

Moved here from Massachusetts so I am lovin the long war growing season. My hubby and I grow lots of veggies, about a 1/2 acre garden size. We are still picking broccoli and cabbage. I dont do much shopping locally so I cant give ya any leads on nurseries. I actually might check out the one that squirrel gave the link for.

Hope your move goes smoothly. let us know when you arrive. I took acouple of the garden workshops Surry county offered and they were great.

Take Care,
Susan

Welcome to NC Machree!

We like to visit Smitherman's nursery in East Bend, it's west of Winston-Salem. We usually make a trip up there in the spring for his azaleas, although it has been a few years since our last visit. I don't think he has a website, but here is a link with address/phone number.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smitherman's nursery

Susan, we too grow a veggie garden, but not as large as yours! Thanks for the link zcat, I can't wait to arrive and begin the fun of landscaping come spring.

Unless the existing landscaping is AWFUL, I would suggest living with it for a while - you never know what treasures may be hiding. Do anything gradually - the spot you till up for a new bed may have had a plethora of summer flowering bulbs in its depths. Sometimes a little pruning - maybe a drastic pruning - is enough to make a silk purse out of what you thought was a sow's ear! If you HATE something, then get rid of it - you do NOT have to perpetuate the previous owner's landscaping, but don't throw the unrealized baby out with the bathwater!

And I am quite sure you have already thought of all this, so sorry for stating the obvious!

Thanks dibbit, I had figured that there might be some nice things waiting for Spring to pop up. There are some nice things going here already, but there is a lot of empty fields around (about 4 acres worth) so I do want some nice drought tolerant trees so eventually I have a more wooded area, of course not for 10 years or so, but whose counting! lol