Designing commercial landscapes that can withstand South Carolina’s intense summer heat requires more than just a keen eye for color. It takes local expertise, thoughtful planning and the right plant choices.
We sat down with one of our contractors, Renee McGrady, Independent Floriculture Designer and Consultant at Carolina Colorscapes, to learn more about summer flower installations that thrive in South Carolina’s intense heat.
Q&A with Carolina Colorscapes Floriculture Designer Renee McGrady
What region of South Carolina do you primarily work in, and how does the local summer climate impact the types of flowers you select and how you care for them?
Key Takeaway: 🌞 Across the Southeast, choose heat-and-sun-tolerant flowers that match their planting environment. Proper airflow, the right amount of water and spacing are crucial to avoid disease and pests.
Carolina Colorscapes is based in the Midlands of SC with clients in various parts of the state. Those clients have properties in all four regions of SC with one having commercial clients in Charlotte, NC that I am honored to assist in their designing flower beds.
While the Upstate, Pee Dee, Low Country and the Midlands may have variances in the soil and winter weather conditions, the summers are extremely hot everywhere in SC! So, a flower that can tolerate full sun, will work in each region. With heat and sun tolerant flowers, irrigation must be managed. While no plant is exactly drought proof, selecting more drought tolerant options is a smart way to begin designing. It is necessary for all the “rights” to be covered: the right plant in the right location paired with the right water and environmental factors. With that statement, all items in a flower bed must be compatible with each other to maintain beauty all season long.
You don’t want a water loving plant planted with a plant that would prefer drier conditions. One will end up thriving and the other will succumb to demise. Remember, over-watering can be just as detrimental as underwatering and unfortunately bring about dreaded diseases and pests. Environmental factors take in account the wildlife that comes with select properties. Deer, rabbits and armodillos can wreak havoc overnight. By knowing that the possibility exists, selecting flowers that are not favorites to the wildlife will protect the flowers from being a buffet. Education is powerful and can save you time and money in the long run.
Flowers are living creations just like people and pets. All need the basic elements of air, food and water. Once planted, flowers need to be tended to for survival. A newborn cannot be left alone to survive and flowers can not either. Necessary factors need to be taken so each can grow to their maximum potential. Air flow around plants can help prevent diseases, pests and under-performance. This goes back to correct spacing of flowers from the beginning. If a plant is choked with mulch, planted too close or planted too deep, the plant is being set up for stem rot, yellowing of the foliage and even death. Planting items too close gives pests a wonderful place to hide and multiply. Let’s not let them win.
What native flower varieties do you recommend for commercial landscapes that need to withstand intense summer heat and sun exposure?
Key Takeaway: 🌸 Native plants like Carolina jessamine, iris, and purple coneflower are capable of withstanding that region’s soil, temperature, rain amount and wildlife.
Native plants are those that are considered to have lived in select regions for many years and are capable of withstanding that region’s soil, temperature, rain amount and wildlife. Native plants can be trees, shrubs, vines or flowers. These living items can thrive in that area, sustain the habits of the wildlife, resist diseases and pests and require less water. Sounds like a perfect thing to plant. The SC state flower is Carolina jessamine which is a yellow flowering native vine to our area that will bloom in the spring.The SC state tree is the Sabal Palmetto.
In a commercial landscape I think natives can be used in many locations to add a pop of color or used as an enhancement without a lot of care and maintenance. Selecting ones that flower in different times of the year will make sure that something is in bloom on the property year round. Iris could give you a multitude of color choices in spring. Carolina jessamine would be a perfect plant for a trellis or a fence to showcase the yellow flowers. Purple coneflowers (echinaceas) would bloom from the heat of the summer until the hardest frost or freeze.
What placement strategies help ensure long-lasting blooms and low maintenance in commercial flowerbeds or large-scale planting areas?
Key Takeaway: 💐 Use bold colors for visibility and branding. Combine long-blooming flowers like begonias and salvias with sun tolerant plants like coleus or duranta.
Commercial flower beds differ from residential flower beds. Commercial properties use flowers as a welcome mat to their property. They want color that can be seen from a distance, possibly incorporating colors associated with the business and the selection to be as low maintenance as can be. The flowers by the entrances and business signs are a way to attract interest in the business and can act as a reflection of a business image. Many commercial properties want long lasting color throughout a particular season to get the bang for their buck. Who doesn’t, right? This can be achieved by the selection of flowers that have large blooms that last for many days and incorporating colored or variegated foliage that will bring about constant color while not being a magnet to pests and wildlife. Some flowering plants that have large blooms that last a considerable time would be: begonias, salvias, vinca, gomphrenas, echinaceas, pentas and angelonias. To pair with those, I would consider colored foliage plants to ensure continuous color. Some of my favorites include sun tolerant caladiums, sun coleus, bronze leaf begonias, set creases, duranta and alternanthera. Even the use of ornamental grasses can give color, height and movement to a flower bed.
One of my favorite combinations would be to use yellow duranta as a low border, bronze leaf red begonias behind the duranta and Victoria Blue salvia as a back row plant. By placing these plants in that order, that will ensure that all plants can be seen in a stairstep fashion and provide color on any given day. If the budget of the property allows, I would add a Purple Fountain grass or two as needed for visual interest. All of those plants are compatible with each other and their watering needs, can be seen from the road and are usually resistant to wildlife and pests. These varieties also are very low maintenance which is a bonus to a commercial client since their landscape provider may only visit once or twice a month to clean and inspect the flowers.
Homeowners usually are more willing to try new cultivars of plants even if they have small blooms. Their containers and beds will consist of plants that appeal to them by color, specimen or growth habit since they are usually placed closer to the house or patio where they can tend to them and water on a more frequent basis. These may require more maintenance than a commercial property needs. Homeowners are willing to try what is being heavily advertised or what their neighbors are doing. Social media has a way of influencing consumer buying habits. Every flower has a place, just having the education and knowledge of where it should be can be determined by a professional landscaper.
Large scaled flower beds look best when just a few color choices are used in large sections. Large properties with many beds look best when repetition of color or plants are used to create the image of consistency. The Principles and Elements of Design along with Color Theory are useful tools to consider to complete an aesthetically pleasing commercial or residential property.
What irrigation considerations are most important when designing flower installations for commercial spaces in hot climates?
Key Takeaway: 💧 Install separate irrigation zones for flower beds. Ensure containers have proper drainage and avoid watering at night to prevent disease and pests.
Flowers during different times of year will need different watering needs than the sod and the well established woody shrubs and trees. To help with the different needs, a separate water zone for the flower beds would be ideal to keep all the elements of the landscape happy. Annual flowers need to be planted for the season in which they are developed. Flowers planted in the spring should live until the hardest frost or freeze for that area. The lifespan of that annual is to be all that it can be in six months or less. While on the other hand, the sod, trees and shrubs are planted with many years of life expected and have established and larger root systems. To meet compatibility issues, this is the reason for having flower beds on a separate irrigation zone so the resources of water and money are not wasted. I do not recommend installing flowers without an irrigation plan.
Water needs to get to the root system of the plants so adequate watering times may need to be adjusted on each property to reach where the water is actually needed in the hottest months. Remember, the water needs to get to the roots after it makes its way through the plant’s foliage, mulch and/or pinestraw. Someone will have to physically dig down into the soil to see how deep the watering is. Plants would appreciate a deep thorough watering to moisten all the roots several times a week rather than just shallow watering on a daily basis. Shallowing watering will not help the plant establish its root system and not force the roots to find water on its own.
Containers of plants and flowers are common near entrance doors and places where just a pop of color is desired. Containers “contain” the roots and soil so special watering will be needed to keep them looking their best all season. To begin with, make sure your container has a drainage hole to release the excess water. If a drainage hole is not present, drill one. Water sitting in the bottom of a pot can rot the roots and may not show issues until the plants are completely rotted and drooping over the container overnight. Your pots and containers can not absorb ground water like flower beds so these will be more inclined to extra watering. Ask your landscapers about ways to add supplemental water to these areas through your existing irrigation system.
Early morning watering is the best time to water flowers. This will give the plants a chance to dry off before the sun comes out. Wax leaf begonias don’t like water on their foliage as the water droplets can act like a magnifying glass and burn holes in the foliage. Morning watering also helps reduce the chances of fungus. Night watering leaves the soil damp and we know slugs and snails love that environment and will destroy a beautiful specimen. We can’t control the rain but we can control an irrigation system and stop hand watering during rainy spells. Remember not all commercial properties are the same and individual plans need to be considered. “One size fits all” does not apply to landscaping.
Are there any innovative trends in commercial flower design you’re excited about for summer 2025, such as color schemes, planting techniques, or native plants use?
Key Takeaway: 🌱 Commercial landscapes favor reliable, low-risk plant choices, but sustainability and soil health are gaining traction. Pollinator and themed gardens are becoming more popular to attract hummingbirds and butterflies for biodiversity and beauty. Plus! Mocha Mousse is Pantone’s Color of the Year for a natural, grounded look.
Leave the trends and fads to homeowners. Commercial clients need tried and true to get their value out of their seasonal flower budget. As flowers are considered an additional expense to many companies, the right selection reflects the designer, the installer and the company who is paying for the service. Everyone involved has a reputation to uphold. Expectations must be discussed so no one is disappointed. Every client is different with different needs and wants. Sometimes what a person wants is not going to work on their property. Compromises and explanations must be considered.
I am a firm believer of “your inputs create the outputs” you will receive. This all goes back to using quality inputs to create quality outputs. We all know the adage of “you build a house on a firm foundation” or “you reap what you sow”, thus a flower bed is the same. Soil health is a very underlooked factor that plays a vital role in the outcome of any landscape bed. Your soil needs to be alive with earthworms, rich organic material and fertility. Don’t skimp on this important part. One needs to start a flower bed correctly, right from the get-go. Sandy soil drains water and does not have nutrients. Clay soil holds too much water and is too hard for fresh little roots to penetrate to even try to grow. Organic matter is needed to give live goods a fighting chance to growl. The plants can then grow to their maximum potential all while warding off pests and diseases naturally reducing the need of pesticides.
Sustainability has become more talked about since we are now learning the effects of past agricultural and everyday practices. We, as a society, are more enlightened to how our Earth has been changed and the measures that are needed to rectify past practices. I don’t see sustainable measures as being a trend or fad but a new way of living and thinking. Even the smallest change to add more native plants or planting pollinator gardens can make a difference. This alone will help us reduce our water consumption and increase the bee population.
Themed gardens are becoming increasingly popular. Planting items to attract hummingbirds and butterflies is easier now than ever. Stores are designating sections devoted to having all the plants grouped together by attraction to make shopping easier. Seeds are already blended to have what you are trying to attract all in one seed pack. Manufacturers are putting pictures of hummingbirds and butterflies on the information tag so the consumer can easily identify what can be attracted.
Each year Pantone Color Institute selects a Color of the Year. Mocha Mousse, a version of brown, was selected for 2025. The color, brown, can symbolize nature, strength and trust.
Closing thoughts
Our partnership with Carolina Colorscapes has been a rewarding collaboration, resulting in vibrant, climate-resilient flower installations that truly elevate commercial spaces. If you’re ready to refresh your landscape with sustainable summer blooms, contact our team today to start planning your next project.