Hi Pam,
Atlanta is generally warmer during the day than Seattle during the
winter. (Maybe average highs of 50 to 54) However, you are correct that
nurseries will not be offering much in the way of annuals more than pansies
and perhaps primulas, because the nights will be as chilly or even chillier
than Seattle's. Some will offer pots of prechilled daffodils and other bulbs
which could be plopped in the ground. He may even find things like
paperwhites on sale after the Christmas rush, although they will not last
for many more weeks in bloom. Sometimes in the south they will sell
ranunculus in pots in winter. If the winter is mild enough for them to
survive, they will often bloom into late April. Occasionally a nursery in
the south will sell pots of delphiniums in mid-winter in the south, not yet
blooming, and if the right combination of cool nights and not too much rain
and humidity come too early , they will bloom very nicely in April and May
before turning to mush in the heat and humidity of summer.
There is a garden cable show filmed in north Florida (Jacksonville or
thereabouts, I think) that shows the plant materials commonly used there in
by commercial landscapers. (I think it's called home landscaping, or some
other imaginative name (sic). Commonly used on it are hollies, ligustrums,
euonymus, giant varieagated liriopes, camellias, boxwood, and azaleas. Pine
straw will be sold cheaply by the local nurseries in tightly bound bales,
and is often used in the South as THE mulch, raked around nicely to be even
and clean looking. If this guy is hoping to sell his house in the next
month of so, I'd spend some budget money on a fair-sized already fully
budded and blooming camellia (which might be $30-50) and an azalea in a
complementary color to give the yard some color, and then just do the rest
in basic green shrubbery.
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:FxpKb.754701$Tr4.2122382@attbi_s03...

"J Kolenovsky" wrote in message
...
Since you are selling the house, that makes a difference. I wouldn't put
sticky. prickly specimens there. Go by your nurseries and plant what is
in inventory. Some are probably having sales now. If you can find some
color now, I'd stick with, say , one or two colors in drifts or runs.
Annuals could be the bilk of what you plant with some inexpensive shrubs
here and there and maybe 1 or 2 small understory trees. The annuals can
be anything. In my opinion, I think it would be nice if the shrubs and
small understory trees were natives. Tell the nursery sales people that
you would like this kind of mix, annuals, native trees, native shrubs,
and let them guide you. You need not spend a lot on the natives as the
annials are the bulk of the plantings.

Am I missing something here?? We're talking zone 7b in midwinter. That's
an
average minimum winter temp of 10F. I'm in zone 8b and it was 19F last
night with 8 inches of snow expected tonight. What the heck kinda annuals
can he expect to find? Perhaps a few winter pansies or some primulas,
maybe.
It may not have been very chilly so far this season, but I'd be willing to
bet that the temps are gonna plunge at least once or twice before the
house
hits the market. Stick with a few broadleaved evergreen shrubs, maybe a
container of color close to the entry that can be tucked away when
freezing
temperatures threaten.

pam - gardengal.