Gardening on a budjet

Anyone got any tips for a novice on ways to save money and still create a fab garden?
e.g.
Whats the cheapest:
substrate for paths
border edging

How to fill your borders with flowers for little outlay?

Thanks

 

For free border edging I've been begging empty wine bottles from my neighbour who owns a restaurant (ok, so not everyone's idea of border edging but it is free and when the sun glints on the bottles it's a pretty effect). First saw the idea on pinterest and it is also a suggestion in this months GW magazine. In my previous garden (which was very small) we used bricks at an angle.

Plants I have been buying from the sale section of the garden centres, fruit trees from Aldi's and a little while back I bought some plants from Wilkinson's loving labelled "dying" (hebes mainly) at 75p each. I repotted them straight away and now, one of them is even looking like it is going to flower!

My mother's "trick" for acquiring free plants: as she went about her walks, if she saw a plant she liked, she would bend down to smell it and at the same time nip a piece off Someone on here suggested to me that if I saw something in a neighbours garden, knock and ask for a cutting.

Bootfairs are another source. Some charity shops even sell plants.

Substrates, you could try your local freecycle.

Some kind souls on here sometimes share seeds and there is a seed swap thread too.

I think much depends on how you envisage your garden looking and your attitude towards achieving it. For example, once I saw the bottle edging idea, coupled with my neighbour entering a new business venture (and my desire for recycling) and a need to work on a large garden with as little outlay as possible, it all sort of came together.

 

Seeds and cuttings are definitely the way to go with cheap plants. Although seeds can be expensive, there are lower cost and free sources, not least the plants themselves if you plan the season before!

Hard-landscaping: A bit trickier, but I would start collecting bricks, slabs and stones from skips or freecycle. Substrate - keep an eye on freecycle and ebay may turn up something. The bottle idea is also good, my sister has used that one.

I love the idea of recycled patchwork pathways but they need a good eye to make it all come together and also, cement and concrete to underpin things and make them durable. I must have spent about £60-80 on cement last spring just redoing edgings on a 40 foot length of path.

 

Irish cuttings from friends and neighbours are the best.

 

Gardeners are usually generous folk...if you see nice plant or two in someones garden ask for cutting. Most often they will,dig up a piece. When you buy perennials do it now or early spring. Most perennials are easy to split I to three or more pieces and they will give give good impact next year. After Xmas garden centres sell perennials in 9cm pots. Put them in bigger pots and by spring they will be impressively large. But seeds are most economical. Get few perennials as I've said and infill with drifts of annuals sown from seed. Again, g.centres will be selling seeds cheaply soon. Irish cuttings are brilliant landmad.......potatoes!

 

I'm in the Seeds and Cuttings camp too. If you can sell off your excess plants (car boot, or eBay if you can figure out a way to post them without them arriving "destroyed") then you should be able to have a zero-cost hobby - i.e. from a packet of seeds you should have enough left over that the proceeds pay for the seeds, compost and pots etc.

I take cuttings whenever I see something I like; where there is someone to ask I ask - they've never said no, although I do flatter them with what an attractive plant it is and how I've been looking for one for ages and ages .... !! where there is no one to ask I'm thoughtful about it - taking from large plants which won't be decimated by people taking cuttings, and never in a garden that has the same plant for sale in their nursery.

For hard landscaping I would ask at building sites if you see anything in a skip that you could use. They are paying to have the skip taken away, so if you empty out half the skip ("Skip diving") you'll be saving them half the cost of the skip rental ... so it is in their interest too.

 

Seed growing is far cheaper and increases your choice hugely.
Easy to grow from seed perennials include;

Penstemon *
Campanula #
Salvia #%
Dianthus*
Iris
Lobelia #%
Abutilon x hybridum #%
Digitalis lanata and parviflora
Key;
* may flower in the first year
# flowers reliably in the first year
% tender (or some forms are)

Large annuals for impact that are easy and fast growing from seed include;

Nicotiana sylvestris
Cleome
Amaranthus
Leonotis nepetifolia

Easy from seed climbers include;

Eccromocarpus scaber (hardy)
Morning Glory (annual - self seeds reliably)
Sweet Pea
Rhodochiton (tender perennial)
Aserina (annual)

 

Make as much as you can from pallets. Compost bins, planters etc. Also don't be afraid to raid skips or ask for something you suspect someone doesn't want. I've picked up lots of free stuff this way in the past.

Peoples junk can also be transformed into uses for the garden if you think outside of the box. Wellies into planters for strawberries, Bed frames used as climbing trelis, ladders turned into arches etc. I bought an old wooden ladder from a boot sale a few months back and have turned it into an arch. Only cost me £4 to do, it need to be painted though so won't post pictures of it yet. But I've probably saved myself about £20-40 on just buying a standard boring arch.

 

Cut up those BIG builder's bags (used for sand etc). for substrate, No deposit.

Cheers, Tony.

 

Wow thats very helpful thanx everyone

 

As already stated grow from seed and cuttings. Also sign up on seed company email offers and join gardening clubs at garden centres you get a discount when buying and also get emails with good offers aswell. As for edging etc pallets are great and as Jungle Jane said check out skips and free cycle. Old windows and pallets from skips make good cold frames.

Rusty

 

My current garden started to evolve in 2009 after we moved here in 2008, we have a young family so the garden is whole heartedly done on a tight budget, here's a few tips;

• Sign up to your local freecycle/freegle sites, you'll be amazed what you can get, plants, pots, materials for building things etc.. Be prepared to offer stuff you don't want too it gets you a good name.
• Always browse the sale beds at garden centres, DIY stores etc
• Keep an eye on your local market stalls and florists, you'll quite often pick things up at a fraction of garden centre costs.
• Grow from seed, keep an eye out for places like Wilkos selling off their seed in late summer/early autumn.
• Try striking cuttings of your favorite plants, if you see something in another garden don't be afraid to ask, I've done it a few times and necer been turned down.
• Make your own compost, it'll save you money in the long run.
• Don't set yourself unrealstic deadlines for anything, just go with the flow and enjoy.

 

Look on Gumtree as well , search for free plants , many time peoples just give away plants as they clean the garden .

ps anytime , you eat vegetables remember that you can collect seeds out .

 

Hannah. All good advice, we can discuss what`s best for your garden sunday if you wish.

 

yes - so looking forward to it