So
you have a new house or you’re looking to replace existing landscaping and are
on a budget. What do you do? Those shows on HGTV offer lots of great, yet
expensive, ideas. Is it possible to
design a garden on the cheap? Oh, it sure
is. There are many ways to plan out a
garden and do it on a budget. Here are
some tips to help you on your way.
1. Plan, plan, plan. Figure out which plants are best for your
site and narrow down choices in advance.
As I’ve mentioned before, knowing which plants do best in your location
is one of the most important factors for success. Do not make last minute impulse buys. Take your list and ideas with you when
shopping for plants. Take pictures of
the area you want to plant and bring them along as well. Knowing the site well and choosing plants in
advance will help save money in the long run.
2. Visit
as many garden centers and/or supply stores as possible—yes, even big box
stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s. It’s
surprising to learn prices and how much they vary from store to store. At the same time, note the quality of the
plant—keep an eye out for diseased leaves, or droopy foliage. I once worked for a while at a local Home
Depot. Every now and then, tucked into a
new plant shipment, were some interesting choices. During one such delivery there were some
rhododendrons I knew were not available locally. The plants looked great and were really
cheap. Needless to say, a couple plant
lovers came in and snapped them up right away.
I wouldn’t buy a specimen tree at a big box store, but certain shrubs
and perennials would be fine. Local
garden centers may offer special deals during the summer to entice customers
in. Take advantage of them. Generally speaking, your local garden center
will also be able to offer more in the way of customer service. However, if you need a trio of lilacs and
Home Depot has them at a great price, grab them while you can.
3. Set
aside money for one major specimen plant.
If you truly want a showy tree for the garden, make sure you have funds
set aside specifically for it. Go to
local garden centers and do comparison shopping. This will be your big budget item so it’s
best to aim for quality over price. What
should you choose? Well, aim for a
smaller decorative tree such as: Cornus
kousa (Korean Dogwood), Cercis canadensis
(Redbud), Chionanthus virginicus
(Fringe Tree), Syringia reticulata
(Japanese Tree Lilac), Acer griseum
(Paperbark Maple), Prunus “Hally
Jolivette” (Hally Jolivette Cherry), Styrax
japonica (Japanese Snowbell Tree). All
of these plants produce flowers except for the Acer griseum. None of these
trees get tremendously huge and work well in a foundation planting. Still, give them at least 15’ distance from
the house to allow for spreading growth.
Please note that I’m avoiding weeping cherries, Japanese maples, and
Florida dogwoods. Weeping cherries become
very large fairly quickly and can overpower a house, or come barging into the
house to say hello. Japanese maples are
planted all the time and although they’re fairly inexpensive, why not aim for
something a little different? Florida
dogwoods have trouble with a fungal disease called Anthracnose and although
there are varieties that are less prone to it, I’d skip this plant to be on the
safe side. Another popular specimen tree,
frequently planted for decorative bark and summer flowers, is the Stewartia pseudocamellia (Japanese
Stewartia). It tends to grow larger than
other trees I’ve listed and its hardiness is somewhat questionable (Zone 5-ish
possibly even 4 with protection). They
prefer rich, organic soil and do not tolerate hot, dry, windy locations. If your yard is protected from scorching sun
and you have space to plant it further from your house, then it might make an
excellent choice. I’ve also noted that
this tree in particular takes a while to settle in after transplanting. It may be a few years before it starts to
take off and produce a major show of blooms.
4. Plant
perennials. Many perennials can be
purchased inexpensively and some are easily propagated via division. Hostas, daylilies, Siberian Iris, Monarda (Bee Balm), ornamental grasses, and
numerous other perennials grow rapidly and need dividing fairly often. One pot of Monarda, for example, can probably be divided immediately upon
purchase if there are enough runners present (Mondarda is in the mint family and spreads via runner growth). Perennials extend the bloom time of the
garden and can add interesting textures/foliage as well.
5. Plant
perennial herbs. There are many
perennial herbs available and most often I’ve found them to be much less
expensive than other perennials. Sure,
they may not be as showy as a cluster of Asiatic Lilies, but they’re frequently
difficult to kill and interesting when mixed in with other plants. Chives, catmint, lemon balm, apple mint,
chocolate mint, or garlic chives, would all make excellent garden
additions. The mints will need some
roping in, since they can quickly turn invasive, but they’re great plants with
a little preparation. Thyme is also a
perennial herb, but has the awful tendency to die unexpectedly after
flourishing for a few years. Although an
annual, dill might be a good choice as well since it frequently spreads readily
via seeds.
6. If
you must plant annuals, aim for something showy. Geraniums, impatiens, marigolds and pansies
are commonly planted annuals.
Unfortunately, it frequently takes a number of them to have a decent
showing. Instead of planting these, aim
for one of the more unusual annuals that will add some bulk to the garden. This way, you can plant fewer of them yet
still get masses of flower color. For
example, Nicotiana alata, is a great
annual that can reach up to 3’ high and produces lots of white trumpet shaped
flowers. There are many annual salvias
that produce interesting flowers in shades of rich blue and purple. You might also consider annual flowering
herbs such as Borage officinalis or
nasturtiums. As an aside, one annual to
avoid is Verbena bonariensis as it is
proving to be invasive in some situations, even here in New England.
7. Visit
plant swaps and garden club sales. They
always offer interesting plants and you can frequently find inexpensive
options.
8. Repurpose. You’ve found some large interesting rocks
while digging in the yard? Add them to
the garden. There’s an ugly statue in
the front yard that you cannot get rid of because it was a gift. Clematis might look quite nice scampering
over it. Your neighbor is disposing of
some hostas to make room for more lawn—adopt them! Even if the hostas are an uninteresting
variety, they can be used to take up space.
Use them as a ground cover beneath your new decorative tree or use them
as filler plants on the shady side of the house. Those bricks from the chimney you had
removed? Use them in the garden to build
stepping stones or as a section of wall.
Be creative, there may be many free items in your own yard that just
need to be repurposed to find new use.
9. Mulch
everything. Yes, it is an expense, but
you want the plants you’ve spent hard earned money on to survive weed growth
and/or summer drought. Mulch is an
important cost to factor in and should be considered essential. It doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to
help retain soil moisture and keep things cool.
10. Think
about walkways, water features, structural needs (such as stone walls), house
color, roof drip line, and driveway position.
Why? Well, they’re all expensive
additions and/or changes. Those lovely
stone walls you see being built on television are expensive. Water features are nice, but are hardly
essential. Unless you’re willing to pay
to have your house painted, you’re stuck with that color so plan out flower
colors in advance. Walkways are
generally needed and can be expensive additions/replacements. If possible, use what you have.
Recommended Plant:
Borage officinalis
or Common Borage. This fantastic annual
herb offers up interesting fuzzy foliage, bright blue flowers, is edible, and
attracts lots of honey bees. What’s not
to like? Well, maybe the bees, but
still, it’s a great plant. It grows
rapidly, tolerates full sun and dry conditions, and more or less makes itself
at home rapidly. If you’re looking for
an annual herb to add some interesting color and texture to a foundation
planting, consider borage as an option.
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