I would like to know that same things since I will be relocating to West Central Georgia by the end of summer.

I'm still a gardening newbie, and I'm not familiar with the coastal area, but one thing that's true in a good part of Georgia; our soil stinks. If you've got the same red clay I do, learn to love the beauty of a raised bed, or invest in a heavy, rear-tine tiller (front tine won't break the clay, it just bounces along on top!) and massive amounts of compost. ;-)
I'm not sure how they handle the mosquitoes down there, but as far as I know there aren't many spraying programs around. I think there might've been a little sporadic spraying here and there when West Nile first popped up, but there definately wasn't any where I was. You may want to check with whatever city you're in to see if they have a spraying program there.

Denna

I don't know anything about gardening in your area of Georgia, but wanted to say welcome and thanks for the tip (on another post) about the seed company with scented petunias. There are a bunch of gardeners down your way, so you'll get plenty of help on this forum.

Vcukittykat, what part of coastal Georgia did you move to? the newest USDA hardiness maps show coastal Georgia (to about 15-20 miles inland) as zone 9a, and areas inland zone 8b. Yes, there are some plants you wont be able to grow in coastal Georgia that you would in Virginia, but there are others that WILL be hardy for you that wouldnt be there. Your soil probably is sandy...being near the coast. You will have wonderful drainage but look forward to LOTS of fertilizing in the spring/summer. Why not try for a sub-tropical look, after all Coastal Georgia is the next best thing outside of Florida. There are many species of Palms you can try. Also, gingers, bananas, pomegranites, azaleas, camellias, philodendrons, cannas, lantanas, colocasias, agaves, bougainvilleas, citrus, castor-bean plants, the list goes on and on.
As for the mosquitoes, good luck! The worst times I have ever had with them were in the Everglades in Florida, and at a national park outside of St. Mary's Georgia. Both times I was wearing a white t-shirt, and both times I came out wearing a red t-shirt. Not to mention the deer-flies down there. That is what they call them, not sure of the real name but they are very large flies that just land on you and you feel like you just got jabbed by a knife......they REALLY hurt.
Good luck down there!

Thank you for replying and for the tips so far. Did the USDA zones change? I must have been looking at older ones. I will have to check on that. I am in Savannah about 10 miles from Tybee Island, so right on the coast. I have not done any gardening here yet because I have been so busy unpacking and getting settled in. But I have noticed that the soil looks sandy on the top. When I first moved in, I was a little frightened by the giant Silk Spiders all over the backyard. We certainly did not have those in Virginia! All the mosquitoes did not help either. There are already some camellias growing here and some kind of a palm. I don't know anything about palms yet. Is lavender hard to grow down here? I really love lavender. My partner sprung this move on me so I was not able to get cuttings of all my lavender plants. Everything is so different here.

Lavender is iffy here. It will do OK and then we will have a few days of rain followed by very humid days. Lavender just sits there and rots. I have wondered if it would do better in clay pots so that it's soil might dry out quicker.
You need to be getting your spring flowers like pansies in the ground now for spring bloom. It gets hot early and most of the annuals that you are used to, just can't take it.

I'm guessing that you are on one of the islands on the way to Tybee. Go to Hester and Zipperer's across from the Krogers shopping center. Check out what they have. They have been in the Savannah area for ages and are pretty reliable about what they sell to the locals. If you have one of the older homes, there is a good chance that you have bulbs in the ground that will soon be coming up.

Welcome to the Savannah area. I have been here since 1997 and I'm still learning what I can and can't plant. My rule is try it twice and if not successful then forget it. I have not had good luck with lavender. One spring I put some in a pot and mulched the top with pea gravel...that lasted through two summers and then died. Most doesn't make it through a season for me. So in lieu of lavender I now grow rosemary. Not the same wonderful scent but far more successful to grow. I grow day lilies, hostas, gardenias, cannas, hydrangeas, ferns, begonias and coleus. I find that things root so easily here that there is really no reason to purchase more than one of anything. The city of Savannah does spray for mosquitos. My husband sprays for the roaches once a month. We paid an exterminator to do it for a while, but once around the baseboards and the outside of the house once a month takes care of the majority of them. We get the stuff in a gallon spray bottle at the big box stores. I find that they tend to come in more when it is raining. I hope you have good luck with your tomatoes. I have not been successful, in part, I think because our yard is too shady. Maybe the heirloom varities will do better. I know they taste better..went to a tomato tasting at a nursery in north Georgia a couple of years ago who grew only heirloom varities...yum they were so good. Sadly the nursery has now gone out of business. Hester and Zipperer is a good nursery, I get a lot of stuff in the spring and through the summer at Davis produce on highway 80 East. There are several other wonderful nurseries in the area. I especially like Four Seasons on 204 near I-95 and Secret Garden is good too. Good luck and happy gardening!

On very good zone maps, there was a very thin strip of Zone 9 that went up the coast from Florida to Charleston. Most maps just usually dumped us in zone 8. So a Zone 9A is about right. We occasionally have heavy frost with a few nights of below freezing. And we also have winters where the Tropical Hibiscus not only don't freeze, but keep blooming. You will usually be 2-4 degrees warmer than the offical temperture that is taken at the Airport.

Logfrog and cc138, I am sorry I have taken so long to reply. I have been over on the Virginia forum feeling homesick. Thank you both for the good tips. Is Hester & Zipperer's on Johnny Mercer? I don't remember seeing it in the phone book when I was looking for gardening stores. Do they sell seeds too? I am a seed fanatic. I love starting plants from seeds. Do they carry just the usual flowers and plants like everyone else or do they have more interesting varieties? I was not able to get cuttings of my pineapple sage or mints before I left Virginia so I hope that I can find them again down here. I have searched and searched for seeds but have not had any luck. What does The Secret Garden sell? Both of you said that lavender does not do well but I think I will still try. I really love lavender. All of my candles are lavender scented. I cook with lavender. I wear lavender oil as perfume. I bathe in lavender. I am sure you get the picture of how much I love lavender. Do either of you know of a lilac that does not need a long winter in order to bloom and can withstand the weather down here? I am glad that hydrangeas can grow here. That is one of my favorite plants from childhood. Oh, I am not on the islands but just before. I live in a small old house off of the Islands Expressway near the two Parkers. Unfortunately, I could not afford to live on the islands at this time so I got as close as I could. I go to Tybee a lot so it wasn't too bad of a location. Thank you both for writing me! I hope to hear from you again.