Trees

Trees are the biggest investment you will make in your landscape, and therefore need to be chosen with care and planted correctly.  Consider the usage--do you want to screen a neighbor's house, provide shade in summer, add winter interest, or have a long bloom time?  Is the site wet or dry, is it in full sun or very shady?  Do you need something that will grow quickly like a Red Maple or do you need something that will stay on the smaller size in a courtyard garden?   Our staff members can recommmend the perfect trees to suit your needs, and our landscape department can deliver and expertly plant them!

Popular Varieties:  Southern Magnolia, Crape Myrtle, Red Maple, Japanese Cherry, Purple Plum.

Japanese Maples

The quintessential specimen tree, from the master growers in Oregon. Weeping or upright, red or green, dwarf or full size--Dearness Gardens has the best selection of Japanese Maples in the area.  A great time to shop for a Japanese Maple is in the early spring or late fall when there are no leaves and you can really see the structure of the branches.  And luckily these are the best times to plant as well!

Popular Varieties:  Bloodgood, Crimson Queen, Ever Red, Fireglow, Coral Bark. 

Shrubs

Our selection of shrubs at Dearness Gardens is amazing!  Do you need foundation plantings?  Maybe you're trying to screen a neighbor's house or create a hedge between property lines.  Or maybe you want to provide some color and interest to a wooded natural area.  Perhaps you just want a rare and unusual speciman shrub that nobody else has.  We can provide all this and more!

Popular Varieties:  Gardenia, Azalea, Loropetalum, Abelia, Wax Myrtle, Holly, Juniper.

Annuals

Annual plants are those that live for one growing season and do not come back the following year (like perennials do).  Annuals are used to provide season-long color and interest.  They can be used in flower beds, mixed in with perennials, and work great in container gardens.  Dearness Gardens carries an extensive selection of both spring and fall annuals, including the famous Proven Winners line.  Proven Winners continues to add to their line each year, providing new introductions of the latest and greatest annual plants.  Come on in and check out our selection!  Or bring in your containers and we will gladly create stunning container gardens to your exact specifications.

Popular Varieties: Pansies, Geraniums, Coleus, Wave Petunias, Marigolds, Begonias, Impatiens.

Perennials

Perennials are plants that you plant once and they will continue to come back year after year.  Perennials continue to increase in popularity because they are more cost-effective than annuals (since they do not need to be replaced each spring and fall).  However, unlike annuals, perennials tend to have a shorter and more specific bloom time.  Therefore, to create season-long color, it is advisable to mix early, mid, late, and winter blooming perennials in your beds and borders.  Dearness Gardens has the best selection of perennials in the Lake Norman area!  We carry all the old garden favorites like Black Eyed Susans, Shasta Daisies, and Garden Phlox, but we also add to our collection each year to include all the new "cutting edge" varieties and new introductions.  Our staff members would be more than happy to help you create a fantastic eco-friendly perennial garden that provides season-long color and interest, attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, and provides food for birds and bees!

Herbs

Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal and ornamental.  Dearness Gardens takes pride in the fact that we have one of the most extensive herb collections in the area!  Of course we carry all the old favorites like sweet basil, rosemary, sage, and thyme.  But if you are looking for stevia to sweeten your tea, or maybe you need some french tarragon for that special dish, or perhaps some lemongrass for a spicy thai soup...look no further than Dearness Gardens! From purple basil to creeping rosemary to mosquito-repelling citronella plants, we have what you are looking for!

Popular Varieties:  Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, Chives.

Roses

What garden could be complete without some roses?  Dearness Gardens carries a complete line of roses from Jackson & Perkins--climbers, tea roses, floribundas, and antique roses.  We get one annual shipment of J&P roses in early to mid April, so don't miss out!  Year-round we carry the famous line of Knock Out shrub roses--vigorous, floriferous, disease resistent, and low maintenance, these roses have changed the way we think about roses!  We even have the brand-new Sunny Knock Out--a new introduction that has a bright yellow fragrant flower!

Popular Varieties:  Pope John Paul II tea rose, Knock Out roses, Zepherine Drouhin antique rose, Cecile Brunner climbing rose.