Planting and mulching in Bluffton, SC
Shrubs and beds planted with species suited to Lowcountry soil and salt air, then mulched.
- Bluffton
- Hilton Head Island
- Okatie
- Hardeeville
- Ridgeland
Beds are the part of a property people notice first and replace most often, usually because whatever was put in originally was never going to survive where it was planted.
Getting it right is mostly about species selection and preparation. Plants chosen for this soil, this light and this salt air will settle in and keep going with very little from you. Plants chosen because they looked good at the garden center will need replacing, and you will be the one paying for it twice.
What planting and mulching covers
- Choosing species for the actual conditions, so sun, salt exposure and drainage
- Clearing and shaping the bed before anything goes in
- Preparing the soil so new roots can move out of the root ball
- Planting at the right depth and spaced for how big things actually get
- Defining a clean bed edge that holds its line against the turf
- Mulching to depth to hold moisture in and keep weeds down
How a bed goes in
Look at the conditions
Sun, drainage and how close the bed is to salt air drive the plant list. We look at all three before suggesting anything.
Prepare and plant
The bed is cleared, shaped and prepared, then planted at the right depth and spacing.
Edge and mulch
A clean edge gets cut and the bed is mulched to depth. That edge is what keeps the bed looking deliberate months later.
Planting for sandy soil and salt air
Sandy soil holds very little water and very little of what plants feed on, so anything going in has to either tolerate that or get the soil improved around it. Salt in the air near the water narrows the list further, and plants that are perfectly happy a few miles inland can scorch on an exposed site.
Mulch does more here than it does in a lot of climates. A proper depth of mulch slows evaporation out of sandy soil through the worst of the summer, keeps the root zone cooler, and suppresses the weeds that otherwise take a new bed over before the plants have filled in.
Related services
Landscape Design & Installation
Outdoor spaces planned around how you use the yard, then installed start to finish.
Lawn Care & Maintenance
Weekly and biweekly mowing, edging, trimming and weed control, with the same two people on your property every visit.
Irrigation Installation
Sprinkler zones laid out around your yard's sun and plant types, so no water is wasted.
Planting & Mulching questions
How often should mulch be refreshed?
Once a year is typical for most beds here. Mulch breaks down, and the layer thins out to the point where it stops holding moisture and stops suppressing weeds, which are the two things you are paying it to do.
How deep should mulch go?
Deep enough to work, and not piled against trunks and stems. Mulch mounded up against a trunk holds moisture where you do not want it and causes rot.
Can you replant a bed that is already there?
Yes. Pulling out what has failed, reworking the soil and replanting with species that suit the spot is a lot of what we do. Often the bed itself was fine and the plant choice was not.
What plants actually do well around Bluffton?
It depends how exposed the site is and how much sun it gets. Rather than give a list that may not suit your yard, we look at the conditions on the walkthrough and choose from there.
Get a free estimate
We come out, walk the property with you and price the work before anything starts. Serving Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, Okatie, Hardeeville, Ridgeland.