I hope I'm not posting this too late for you to see it, but I wanted to recommend the Southern Living Garden Book (http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Living-Garden-Paperback-Oxmoor/dp/0848720237/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213026388&sr=8-3). It's very detailed but still easy to understand and breaks down the South into zones so you can see which plants grow best where you live and when you should plant what based on your local climate.

My husband, who does all the gardening around here, swears by it.