Good beginner books: Southern Living's Garden Book, The Southern's Gardener's Book of Lists, Month by Month Gardening in the South. All should be available at your local Barnes and Noble or Border's.

Yes, you are in zone 7, usually divided into 7a and 7b (roughly above the perimeter is 7a, inside or below 7b), but the lines are always changing!

Home Depot is an ok place to buy shrubs, if you get them when they are fresh shipments. The longer they sit in the store, the more they deteriorate. Also, there are tons of great small nurseries in the Atlanta area. Do a search on this forum and you'll find several old messages about peoples' favorites.

Hi Mara! Welcome to gardenweb. I live in Lawrenceville, which is not too far from you. I know there's a Pike's nursery on Hwy 29 close to Jimmy Carter in Tucker. They have A LOT of stone in addition to the nursery. I like going to Randy's Perennials in Lawrenceville. It's on Hwy 29 after you cross Gwinnett Dr (it's across from Central Gwinnett High School.) And you probably have already heard about the Growers Outlet. That's in Loganville at the corner of Hwy 78 and GA 20 (back behind the gas station.) You'll have a wide variety of prices and selections at these places.

I've only been gardening a couple of years, and I'm still learning so much. One book that I recommend is the Southern Living Garden Book. If you want to look into other titles without spending the big bucks, go to the library. They have lots of great resources.

Good luck!
Pam

Hi and welcome. This site will be your best resource, I know it has been mine. But as for books, I like to get whatever I can from the library and thumb through them and see which ones speak to me. All the books named so far are excellent choices for your personal collection. The book of lists is wonderful, but you will need to look up all the plants it names as there are not names or even descriptions, just list of what plants work where.

The grower's outlet is awesome, I just went today and got some great deals. As for online ordering go to Davesgarden.com and read reviews on all online sources prior to ordering. They will also list the best sites.

Mara,
You can probably find everything you want locally. I have learned a lot in just a year. Besides this forum, check out the other Garden Web forums. You can pick up so much by just "lurking" (looking and not even posting). I also learned a lot by talking to people at work and church. My wife and I still love to see other people's successes. Also, Pink's and Landscape Supply usually have Master Gardeners on site. They are a good resource.

Here is what we did. We started by looking at commercial landscaping. They put in what will work. When we found something we liked we searched it on the web (incredible resource), asked questions on this forum and at work, and talked to the Nursery people. We wanted what would work with little care.

So, welcome, and ask those questions.

Welcome to gardening! If your thumb is black, it must have good dirt on it...that is a great start! I learned a great deal from Walter Reeves' Saturday morning radio broadcast (AM 750) Also, ask your neighbors! If they are in their yard and can make things grow, they are a good resource for advice and maybe free plants and help. I found a fantastic resource and a lifelong friend in the owner of a small nursery near me, just ask. Most gardeners are actually nice people!
NN

You might also check out the Joe Gardner Show Saturday mornings from 7-10. Jow and Lisa Bartlett are a wealth of information. They do extensive interviews so you can really get an in depth feel for whatever the subject is. While I love Walter, sometimes there is just too much emphasis on lawns for my needs.

Hey, Newbie. Welcome and remember that everyone started with a black thumb. You will learn so much from the people here - I know I have. The Georgia Gardenerer's Guide is one of the best books for finding plants that do well in this area of Georgia. It's a good guide to the backbones - the "doers."
The best part of gardening is discovering what works for you. I discovered just yesterday while digging crocosmia corms out of a bed that over the years I have created some really good soil as a byproduct of all the other stuff I have done in that bed. Here are a few things I'll pass along that I've learned:
Almost everything you plant will thrive. If it doesn't, move it or rip it out.
If you don't like something, move it or rip it out.
Some mistakes will be costly and a hassle to fix. Most won't.
Hire someone (cheap if you can) to do the grunge work you don't like. Why waste a beautiful day putting in edging if you would rather eat nails than put in edging? However, if you have never put in edging yourself, you will miss learning all kinds of things about your yard. Nothing substitutes for intimate, sweaty, grungy experience.
Do something for the soil every time you are in a garden bed. Lots of people here can tell you a lot about amending soil. Listen to them. It pays off.
Some days everything goes right, and you're content. Some days everything goes wrong. It will pass.
One day you'll start thinking of yourself as a gardener. Truth is, you were a gardener all along.
Best advice I can give: Come to the plant swap this spring. Take every chance you can to share and swap with other gardenerers.