Gardening on the Cheap

I recently had the opportunity to give a tour of my garden to a lovely guest. As we strolled through the beds, I found myself talking about all the things that I obtained for free, or at very little cost. It occurred to me that some of the ideas might be useful to others who would like to garden "on the cheap." I have several ways to get the most bang for my buck for both plant material and garden "art."

I am going to start with the plants, because they are my first love, and endless source of joy. The very first tip is to become a Norfolk Master Gardener (NMG), because you join a community of generous plant nuts who invite you to tour their gorgeous gardens, and invariably provide you with the loveliest parting gifts. My own garden is full of the examples of treasured favorites that were gifted to me by other Master Gardeners. My next suggestion is to volunteer to help your neighbors do their yard work. This fosters a bit of goodwill, and some free plants if your neighbors happen to be digging and dividing something you find interesting. Though a bit of caution on taking pass-along plants: they are sometimes vigorous little growers, and in the blink of an eye, you may find yourself, instead, as the giver of plants. Another way I have garnered plants for my yard is to ALWAYS talk plants EVERYWHERE I go. I talk about gardening as I walk through the neighborhood, at parties, and even in the line at the grocery store. You just never know who has something to share, like a perennial you have never seen before, or an envelope full of seeds that will color up your yard next spring. Speaking of seeds...even if you are not offered free ones, the investment in a seed packet or two at a big box store is a minimal expense. Yes, the seed thing requires a bit of patience (especially for perennials), but the "beauty on a budget" appeal is undeniable. In November I deploy seeds such as Poppies (Papaver), Larkspur (Delphinium), and Bachelor Buttons (Centaurea cyanus). In the spring they come to life and provide landing pads for my early pollinator guests. As spring blooms fade, I replace them with Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) and Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) seedlings that I start indoors during March. Many of these annuals self-sow in the garden, and I harvest seeds from my plants in fall, so the investment in seeds has greatly reduced over the years. Shopping the many plant sales of local organizations such as Master Gardeners, Virginia Native Plant Society, and the Butterfly Society of Virginia have afforded me the opportunity to get many plants at a fraction of big box store prices. If you do shop the big box stores, the best time is at the end of the gardening season. They often have rolling racks of bedraggled looking perennial specimens that are way past their prime, but offered at deeply discounted prices. The only warning here is to check the foliage for insect pests, and tip them out of the pot to ensure the root system is still healthy.