10 ways to change your garden on a budget
Anyone who has ever been to buy plants from a nursery knows that gardening isn’t cheap. Plus, there is no guarantee that the 2m-high magnolia in full flower that you just had to have and took out an extra bond for will actually survive in your garden. Seasoned gardeners know that you have to be savvy with what you have in order to make a spectacular garden with few resources. But it’s not all hard work: Mother Nature also provides. The joy of growing a crop of green peppers from the seeds you harvested from a fruit you bought at a supermarket, carefully dried, sowed, watered and fed, makes gardening more than just a hobby, but a way of life. Here are 10 ways to get big impact without blowing the budget. Who knows, you may even be able to sell some garden produce and save up to buy that big beautiful magnolia!
choose perennials rather than annuals for mass planting in the garden. If you look after them, perennials can last between 3 – 4 years, or even a lifetime. Even the so-called short-lived perennials can then be divided, cuttings taken or seed saved. The second thing that will save on the budget is buying perennials in six-packs. Amongst the masses of annuals on sale at your local nursery, there will be some perennials in four or six packs that will give you the most value, as long as you have a little time and patience. Big swathes of perennials will give the maximum impact in a garden, especially when they flower. Try the following: • Agapanthus – in full sun for loads of flowers. They are drought resistant, hardy and low maintenance. • Echinacea – colourful hybrids that are tough plants and pollinator attractors. • Salvias – there’s plenty of variety available, and they are long-flowering and low maintenance. • Plectranthus – easy to grow and propagate from slips. Different sizes available, from large shrubs to groundcovers, for sun and shade. • Gaura lindheimeri – Masses of dainty flowers from spring into winter, low maintenance, frost hardy.
Tip Get on your local nursery’s mailing list and make use of sale days or end-of-season sales. Most perennials can be planted at just about any time, so get them cheap and save even more.
TEXT Wendy Moulton
perennials in six packs 1 Buy The first thing that will save tons of money is to
