Roots and Shoots Nursery

Roots and Shoots Nursery Native plants and southern fruits! At the root of it, we're really into sustainability.

We’re all about sustainable gardening, offering the plants and supplies you need to create vibrant, living landscapes that support all the creatures sharing this beautiful planet. Make the most of your yard with fruit trees for you and native plants for them... We share our world with countless creatures that occupy soils below to treetops above and our whole ecosystem relies on all of these lovely plants to feed us all.

Continuing Pollinator Month with our love for butterflies! 👑 Did you know South Carolina’s official state butterfly is t...
06/16/2026

Continuing Pollinator Month with our love for butterflies! 👑 Did you know South Carolina’s official state butterfly is the magnificent Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)?

These striking, yellow-and-black beauties are some of the largest, most eye-catching visitors to our yards. But to keep them sticking around, you need more than just any pretty flowers—you need a complete habitat that feeds them at every stage of life.

Here is how to invite them to make your backyard their permanent home, from tiny caterpillar to flying adult:

🌱 The Cradle (Larval Host Plants):
Female butterflies are incredibly picky mothers. They will only lay their eggs on specific native trees that their caterpillars can safely digest. If you want more swallowtails, consider planting:

Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) – A fast-growing native tree with unique, tulip-shaped green and orange flowers.

Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) – A powerful wildlife supporter that hosts dozens of local pollinator species.

Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) – A gorgeous choice for SC yards with glossy leaves and wonderfully fragrant white blooms.

🍹 The Diner (Adult Nectar Plants):
Adult swallowtails are big and heavy, so they need large, sturdy flowers to perch on while they drink. Plant these native perennials in full sun to create the ultimate butterfly buffet:

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – A tough, reliable garden favorite they absolutely adore.

Joe-Pye W**d (Eutrochium) – Tall, massive pink flower clusters that act like a literal butterfly magnet in late summer.

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) – A moisture-loving shrub with unique, spherical white flowers that are absolutely packed with sweet nectar.

👉 Garden Tip: Male swallowtails participate in a behavior called "puddling." Leave a small, damp mud patch or a shallow dish filled with wet sand and a tiny pinch of sea salt in a sunny spot. They will gather there to sip mineral-rich water!

What butterflies are visiting your garden this week? Let us know in the comments! 👇

💚 Flying Emeralds! Meet the Metallic Showstoppers of the Garden 💎🐝If you are looking closely at your flowers this June f...
06/15/2026

💚 Flying Emeralds! Meet the Metallic Showstoppers of the Garden 💎🐝

If you are looking closely at your flowers this June for Pollinator Month, you might spot something that looks less like a typical bee and more like a flying gemstone. Say hello to the Metallic Green Sweat Bee!

These tiny, hyper-fast fliers are some of the most stunning native pollinators in North America!. 🎨

✨Here are a few mind-blowing facts about these shiny specimens:

👕 Why the name "Sweat Bee"?Yes, it's true: on hot summer days, some species in this family (Halictidae) will actually land on humans to lap up our sweat! They aren't trying to sting you—they are just treated to a natural sports drink packed with the moisture and salts they need for energy.

👗 The Fashion Rules (How to spot males vs. females):In the green sweat bee world, you can actually tell who is who just by looking at their outfits: The Females: Are often dressed in pure, head-to-toe metallic emerald, teal, or coppery-gold.The Males: Party on the top, business on the bottom. They sport a brilliant green head and thorax, but their abdomens are vividly striped with bright yellow and black!

🏡 The Ground-Dwelling Real Estate:While they are total generalist feeders—meaning they will happily drink nectar and pollinate almost any open, flat flower from spring to autumn—their nesting is highly specialized. Most are solitary ground-nesters. A female will dig a perfectly miniature vertical tunnel deep into bare, uncompacted soil to build safe nurseries for her larvae.

🛒 Their Favorite Supermarkets:Because they have relatively short tongues, they prefer wide-open, accessible flower platforms. They are absolute superfans of the Asteraceae (daisy/sunflower) family.

To invite these emerald beauties into your yard, be sure to plant:
Obediant Plant
Coneflowers (Echinacea)
Black-Eyed Susans
Blanket Flowers (Gaillardia)
Autumn Asters & Goldenrod (to feed them late into the season)

Keep your eyes peeled for a flash of metallic green this week! 🕵️‍♂️🌿

🌸 June is Pollinator Month! 🐝 (And it’s time for a garden upgrade)We all know pollinators need our help, but did you kno...
06/13/2026

🌸 June is Pollinator Month! 🐝 (And it’s time for a garden upgrade)

We all know pollinators need our help, but did you know that many of our local bees, birds, and butterflies are specialists? They don't just need any flower—they need specific native plants to survive.

If you want to show our local eco-heroes some true appreciation, the best thing you can do is plant native blooms that span across the seasons.Here is exactly who you'll be helping when you plant these four backyard powerhouses:

🌿 1. Crimson-Eyed Rosemallow➡ Supports the Rosemallow Bee
The rosemallow bee is a strict specialist. The females rely almost entirely on the large, coarse pollen of native hibiscus to feed their young. No rosemallow in the neighborhood? No rosemallow bees!

🔥 2. Red Sage ➡Fuels Hummingbirds & Butterflies
With its bright, tubular red flowers, native red sage acts like a neon "OPEN" sign for hummingbirds and migrating butterflies. It provides a high-octane nectar pit stop to keep them fueled up on their long flights.

🌼 3. Blanket Flower➡ Feeds Industrious Furrow Bees
These tough, sun-loving, cheerful blooms are a critical pollen hub for tiny, ground-nesting furrow bees. Blanket flowers bloom for a long time, giving these little guys a reliable station to stock up on resources all summer.

🎨 4. Purple Coneflower ➡The Ultimate Landing Pad for Butterflies
With its wide, sturdy petals and a center bursting with rich nectar, purple coneflower is built for heavy lifters. It is a critical mid-to-late summer fuel station for everyone from migrating Monarchs, to massive Swallowtails, to colorful Checkerspots and more, giving them a perfect, stable platform to rest and drink.

How to celebrate Pollinator Month this week: Take a look at your yard, garden bed, or patio balcony. Do you have something blooming in the Spring, Summer, and Autumn? If you spot a gap in your blooming schedule, head to Roots and Shoots Nursery and ask for a native plant that fills it! Let's plant for the specialists! 🌎💚

🥣 Forget being cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs… we’re cuckoo for CUCKOO BEES! 🐝💥Check out this incredible guest spotted taking a ...
06/11/2026

🥣 Forget being cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs… we’re cuckoo for CUCKOO BEES! 🐝💥

Check out this incredible guest spotted taking a nectar break on some short-toothed mountain mint! This striking, armored beauty is a Cuckoo Bee from the genus Coelioxys.

But don't let those cool, futuristic zebra stripes fool you—this bee is a certified backyard drama queen. 🎭

The Villainous Backstory:
Just like the cuckoo bird, cuckoo bees are kleptoparasites. That is a fancy scientific word for thief. 🕶️

Female Coelioxys bees don't build their own nests, and they don't even have pollen baskets on their legs to feed their babies. Instead, she waits for a hardworking leafcutter or resin bee to do all the heavy lifting. While the homeowner is out foraging, the cuckoo bee sneaks into the nest, uses that sharp, pointed abdomen to pierce the nest lining, and lays her own egg right next to the pollen pile.

When the cuckoo egg hatches, it takes out the host's egg and dines on the stolen pollen buffet. Talk about a brutal roommate situation!

Why are they on the Mountain Mint?
Because they don't gather pollen for a nest, adult cuckoo bees only visit flowers for one reason: high-octane nectar to fuel their own flight. Short-toothed mountain mint is basically the ultimate premium gas station for insects. It is absolutely bursting with nectar, making it a favorite hotspot for rare, predatory, and parasitic beneficial insects. 🌿⛽

The Silver Lining:
Seeing a cuckoo bee in your garden is actually a sign of a thriving, healthy ecosystem! It means you have a massive, stable population of host bees (like leafcutters) for them to parasitize. You can't have the predator without a healthy population of the prey!

Nature is wild, beautiful, and sometimes a little bit ruthless.

🚨 Spot the Glitch! 🌿 Did my plant just change colors?One of our staff members noticed a few funky, cream-splashed leaves...
06/09/2026

🚨 Spot the Glitch! 🌿 Did my plant just change colors?

One of our staff members noticed a few funky, cream-splashed leaves on an American Beautyberry in the landscape and asked: What is going on here, and will it stay like this?!

You are looking at a beautiful biological accident called Variegation! 🎨

The Science Bit: Normally, leaves are green because they are full of chlorophyll—the tiny solar panels plants use to turn sunlight into food. Variegation happens when a random genetic "typo" occurs in the plant’s growing cells, causing some sections to completely forget how to make chlorophyll.

The result? Gorgeous streaks of white, cream, or yellow.

Will it stay? Probably not! Because those white patches can't produce energy, they are essentially freeloading off the green parts of the plant. Since nature values survival over aesthetic, the plant will likely "revert" back to all-green leaves over time to maximize its energy output.

Enjoy this beautiful genetic hitchhiker while it lasts! Nature loves to experiment. 💻🌱

Get ready to have your breath taken away this autumn! 🍂✨ If you want a garden combination that stops traffic, you need t...
06/08/2026

Get ready to have your breath taken away this autumn! 🍂✨ If you want a garden combination that stops traffic, you need to plant this ultimate late-season Power Trio.

Imagine a massive, vibrant sea of rare, deep-violet Georgia Asters (Symphyotrichum georgianum) colliding with the glowing foliage of Threadleaf Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) and the electric energy of 'Fireworks' Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa). 💜💛💥

Here is why this native trifecta creates an absolute masterpiece in your yard:

🎨 The Ultimate Color Clash: Right as the Georgia Asters burst into their late-season, rich purple glory, the feathery leaves of the Threadleaf Bluestar transform into a brilliant, glowing golden-yellow.

💥 The "Fireworks" Factor: Just when you think the display couldn't get any better, 'Fireworks' Goldenrod explodes onto the scene with radiating, horizontal sprays of vivid yellow blooms that look exactly like bursting Roman candles. That electric yellow against the Georgia Aster's deep violet is pure magic.

🌾 Texture on Texture: The fine, cloud-like foliage of the Bluestar perfectly softens the dense, daisy-like structure of the asters, while the arching lines of the goldenrod add spectacular movement and drama.

🦋 The Ultimate Late-Season Buffet: While your eyes feast on the colors, local pollinators will feast on the nectar. Georgia Aster and goldenrod are two of the most critical late-season food sources for migrating monarchs and native bees before winter sets in.

Don't wait until spring to dream up your perfect yard. Plant this dynamic, native trio now, and get ready for an otherworldly fall show that your neighbors will be talking about all winter! 🧑‍🌾👇

Tell me you just went plant shopping without telling me you just went plant shopping... I'll go first. 👇📦This haul is he...
06/05/2026

Tell me you just went plant shopping without telling me you just went plant shopping... I'll go first. 👇📦

This haul is headed straight for an educational native flower bed! Teaching the community about the power of native roots, one bloom at a time. 🌸🐝

Looking for the ultimate hands-off, high-reward perennial for your garden? 🌿 Say hello to Anise Hyssop (Agastache foenic...
06/05/2026

Looking for the ultimate hands-off, high-reward perennial for your garden? 🌿

Say hello to Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)!

If you want a gorgeous yard without fighting the local wildlife, this native beauty is your new best friend.

Here is why it deserves a spot in your garden bed:

🐝 A Pollinator Paradise: The vibrant purple-blue flower spikes are absolute magnets for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Your garden will be buzzing with life!

🦌 Deer-Proof Armor: Thanks to its distinct, licorice-like scent, deer and rabbits find it completely unpalatable. Plant it, enjoy it, and skip the netting!

☀️ Tough as Nails: Once established, it’s highly drought-tolerant and loves soaking up the full sun.

Ready to upgrade your garden and support local pollinators? Grab some Anise Hyssop this weekend! 🧑‍🌾

☕ Bonus Uses for Blue Hyssop

Beyond its beauty and wildlife benefits, Agastache foeniculum (often called Anise Hyssop) is incredibly versatile:

Culinary Delight: Both the leaves and flowers are completely edible. They have a sweet, distinct anise (licorice) and mint flavor. You can toss the flowers into fresh summer salads, use the leaves to flavor jellies, or chop them into baked goods like shortbread cookies.

Herbal Teas: The leaves make a delicious, naturally sweet herbal tea (hot or iced) that has been used traditionally to help soothe coughs, ease congestion, and aid digestion.

Crafts & Potpourri: The foliage retains its sweet, licorice aroma remarkably well when dried, making it a fantastic addition to homemade potpourri, sachets, or dried floral arrangements.

Whew, it’s definitely getting steamy out there! 🥵🌡️ But honestly? We can’t even mad about the heat because June brings s...
06/02/2026

Whew, it’s definitely getting steamy out there! 🥵🌡️ But honestly? We can’t even mad about the heat because June brings so much magic with it.

We are officially bananas for June, and here is exactly why:

🦋 Butterflies bouncing around from flower to flower.

🐛 New generations of caterpillars making their debut.

🍃 Leafcutter bees busy slicing perfect little circles for their nests.

🍓 Fresh, juicy berry picking sessions.

💐 Gorgeous, fresh-cut flower arrangements on every table.

✨ Unique natives in bloom—we’re looking at you, Buttonbush!

Summer is showing off, and we are 100% here for it. What’s your favorite plant in your garden right now? 👇

🍊 Don’t Panic! Your Citrus Tree Isn't Being Attacked... It's Hosting Royalty! 👑🐛Have you noticed a rather large, slightl...
05/31/2026

🍊 Don’t Panic! Your Citrus Tree Isn't Being Attacked... It's Hosting Royalty! 👑🐛

Have you noticed a rather large, slightly bizarre-looking caterpillar munching on your citrus leaves lately? Before you reach for the pest spray, take a deep breath!

You haven't been invaded by a garden monster. You’ve been chosen by the Giant Swallowtail, the largest and one of the most stunning butterflies in North America! 🦋

🎭 The Ultimate Master of Disguise
As babies, these future beauty queens are affectionately called "Orange Dogs." To protect themselves from hungry birds, they have evolved a hilarious defense mechanism: they look exactly like bird droppings.

🍽️ Is My Tree in Danger?
The short answer: It depends on the age of your tree.

Mature Trees: If your citrus tree is established and healthy, a few caterpillars are nothing to worry about. The tree will bounce back quickly, and you get a front-row seat to a spectacular butterfly transformation!

Young Trees: This is where we need to step in. Because young trees have limited foliage, a few ravenous caterpillars can completely defoliate and severely stress them, stunting their growth.

🪵 The "Sacrifice Tree" Solution!
If you have a baby citrus tree and want to save both your plant and the butterflies, we recommend a relocation mission! You can move the caterpillars to a native "Sacrifice Tree" that they love just as much as your lemon or orange trees.

We carry the perfect match right here at the nursery: Hercules' Club (which we lovingly call the Toothache Tree!). Because it's in the same botanical family as citrus, Giant Swallowtails naturally seek it out in the wild.

🐛 How to Move Them
Don't worry, you don't have to pick them up directly! Simply clip the twig or leaf the caterpillar is sitting on and place it gently onto your Toothache Tree. They will happily continue their feast without putting your future citrus harvest at risk.

Got a hungry caterpillar on your hands? Swing by the nursery to grab a Toothache Tree, and keep your young citrus safe while still supporting our local pollinators! 🌿✨

Address

1108 Wappoo Road
Charleston, SC
29407

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm
Saturday 8:30am - 4pm
Sunday 8:30am - 4pm

Telephone

+18436331429

Website

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