How to Spend Less on Your Garden – 7 Quick Tips

By gardener | May 4, 2009

In the present economic climate there are more and more people trying to cut back on their spending and save more money. When it comes to spending money on your garden it is so easy to get carried away and spend a small fortune each year in an attempt to create a beautiful, colorful garden that you can sit in and relax. Quick tips on how to spend less on your garden are what a number of people are now looking for.

With these 7 quick and easy tips you should be able to spend less both now and in future years and still enjoy a delightful garden.

1. Before you go out and buy a wheelbarrow load of plants look at what you already have in your garden and what the neighbors are growing in their gardens. If you like the plants that your neighbors have then rather than buying new ones for yourself, ask if you can take some cuttings. It costs nothing other than a smile and a ‘Thank you’ and can stock your garden quite quickly.

2. Similarly, several plants can easily be divided. Have a good look round your own garden and divide some of the plants and grow them in another part of the garden.

3. When going to buy plants, shrubs or trees instead of choosing the largest plants growing opt for a smaller one instead. The more growth they have the more expensive they are. By choosing a smaller plant it may take a bit longer to grow but you are saving money in the meantime.

4. Buy perennials or even biennials instead of annuals. They will multiple each year so that in years to come you can also take cuttings or divide them and share with the neighbors. This can be used to replay their initial kindness.

5. Buy seeds instead of plants. With a little more time and effort needed you can grow almost anything from seed. Why not try growing vegetables and herbs as well as flowers and save even more money on your grocery shopping.

6. Make your own compost. Use an old barrel or bin and put some air holes near the bottom of it. Put grass cuttings and kitchen scraps in it and eventually you will be able to use it in your garden this saving you money on potting compost.

7. If you have a flower bed that has not yet been planted place a layer of black polythene on it. Cover the polythene with soil. When it comes to planting simply make small cuts in it just big enough for planting your flowers. This will prevent any weeds growing through and save money on weedkillers. You could do the same in between shrubs and other plants. Alternatively try using small rocks or coloured pebbles in the garden to act as ground cover. You could also try some fast growing ground cover plants.

By using these 7 quick tips you should be able to spend less on your garden and still have a beautiful well-stocked garden with plants you don’t have to replace each season.

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