Well, SC is my home state, and Aiken is my neck of the woods, so I'm telling you, if you get on the Freecycle (http://www.freecycle.org/group/US/South%20Carolina/Aiken) or the Carolina forum here and ask, you can end up with lots of places to go, and a ton of free plants.

South Carolinians love to garden, and love to share.

Crinum lilies will also grow there, but what you want to really get is azaleas and dogwood, and a lot of bulbs. Yes, Crape Myrtles do well there (I had a hedge of 28 of them), but they grow them differently, mostly as multiple trunks. There are so many different flowering plants to choose from, and all your stone fruits (cherries, peaches, plums) will grow there. I'll give you a short list of things I had growing in my yard:

Azaleas (the ones up there are so much prettier than the ones down here, and if you find a local grower, they can be had for next to nothing)
Dogwood
Flowering Crabapple (can also use the fruit for preserves)
Pink Mimosa (a bit invasive, but easy to control)
Crape Myrtle
Bridal Bouquet (has to be protected from the cold)
Quince (BEAUTIFUL spring blooms)
Pussy Willow
Confederate Rose (Hibiscus Mutabilis...I have seeds if you want them)
Hardy Hibiscus (these can be expensive at nurseries, because they won't withstand the winter unless they're two years old, but they are easily grown from seed, and kept in pot over the first winter, then put out. Ask for seed on the Hibiscus forum)
Purple Leaf Plum (puts out a cloud of pink blooms in spring. Plums are pretty much inedible, but the leaves are gorgeous)
Bradford Pear (ornamental only)
Datura and Brugmansia (grow quickly, but die down in the winter, and need protection from freezes)
Daffodils, jonquils, paperwhite narcissus, grape hyacinth
Daylilies (these do great!)
Crinum lilies (the shorter ones do best)
Amaryllis

FRUITS:

Peaches
Plums (wild red and yellow, and Santa Rosa)
Kiefer Pear
Muscadine Grapes (I had wild purple and hybrid gold)
Blackberries (I had hybrid, but the wild is good too)
Apples
Figs (these do great too)
Pecans
Strawberries (ask around and see if you can get a few starts of the old timey super sweet ones. Tiny berries, but wonderful!)
Blueberries (wild and hybrid)
Gooseberries

I could go on, but I had 5 acres, so it would be a very long list.

But seriously, don't be afraid to just stop by someone's yard and ask for cuttings, seeds, whatever. I'm telling you, South Carolinians are the best for sharing plants! I have plants right now in my garden that people gave me when I left. I have just as many that didn't make it, because they won't grow here. 1/3 of my moving truck was filled with plants. LOL

I'd find a local garden club, Aiken should have one or two, and get some info. Or you can just go to the library. Also, if you can find a local feed and seed (and believe me, Aiken is full of them), someone there can tell you about the local places that are cheaper, or who has the best garden in town that could help you.

And I'm so jealous! Aiken is horse country, which means all the free manure you want, and if you make friends with a horsey person, they might even load up their pickup and bring it to you.

Take it from a born and raised South Carolinian, there is nothing easier than getting free plants for your yard from SC gardeners.

Now I'm getting homesick. :(

That's it I'm moving to South Carolina, who's coming with me?

I'll come! Actually, I'd love to go back, but I can't sell this house. I really want to move to be with my aunt on the coast. She has a room all ready for me.

Look around Orlando and Apopka. Also check the Florida Market Bulletin.

I always found cheap Crapes in Orlando. I would but them for $3 for a gal that was a triple. Separate them and repot. Grow them for a few months to a year and them mail them off to my Mom and Sis in NC. Prices are outrageous for Crapes up there.

My dad is sitting on about 20 acres of farmland and not doing anything with it. There is a second home on the property that is empty. It has spectacular views of Black Mountain and Swannanoa Valley. What a nice place to have a vacation home.

Tropicalfreak

Well A Big Thank you junkyardgirl!! About half of the equestrian community here is moving to Aiken! Originally, I bought as an investment, but yes, the people there are very friendly. Florida, our home, is and has been very transient for many years, so it doesn't have what SC is offering, but it's taking awhile to get used to the move. My house hasn't sold yet either...it's saturated with homes for sale here.
I have a horse in Ocala and I think I can get some nice oaks there, but what I think I'm seeing is since there are so few nurseries in Aiken, they can put whatever price they want. I saw a couple walk out of a nursery there and they had maybe 8 plants. The bill was over $800....and they paid it! It was just periennials and crotons!! I love the backyard south florida gardeners and maybe I'm cheap, but there's so much else I need besides plants, and I'm not used to paying these prices.
Crepe myrtles in a 3 gallon at Lowes are $20 in Aiken, (the best price so far)
I bought 3 gallon crepes here for $7.00 in loxahatchee and now brought them up and planted them.
I'd love to bring up stuff and sell them at the greenmarket there and I meet my new neighbors!
First load will be hibiscus and crotons!! Boy, they love them there! I just don't know how that does in a freeze. Ha ha, I'm learning about winterizing my travel trailer...the hard way! dumb florida girl here! ;)
Thanks again for the info!