A Blank Slate

I have been so excited to have my own piece of land in which to garden! Our back yard is quite plain, and I have big plans for its transformation. I plan to dig a bed along the fence and plant what I can to cover up the chain link fence (and the view of our neighbor's garbage cans.) My raised bed vegetable garden will be along the right side of the barn. I have all the materials for that, thanks to my parents for a lovely housewarming gift: wood and dirt!

I have budgeted just $100 for initial landscaping and plants for both the front and back yards, which will not go very far if I am to purchase everything. Creativity in the plant acquisition department is key if I'm going to keep to budget. I have found that trading my seedlings for mature perennials with friends is a great way to fill the garden beds for almost nothing. I do have a lot of flower, herb and vegetable seedlings to trade, thanks to $25 start up costs for potting soil and seeds.

I mentioned my desire to trade to a few friends who have lovely gardens. A friend gave me about 20 hostas she was clearing out of a bed. Also, I have about 10 striped ones and two bleeding hearts that I dug up from the woods at our old house. I have been saving them in planters for our new house for months. I am transplanting a few huge ostrich ferns (also salvaged from the compost pile out back of our old house,) to go behind the barn next to the composter.

Plant bargains are at the stores, too, but it's always by chance that I find them. I scored 3 rose bushes at Aldi on clearance for 99 cents each. Roses aren't ideal with a toddler around, but at that price, I'll take them. They have been cut back, but are alive and hopefully will sprout and thrive, covering up the fence.

Our local, non-Big Orange garden store had a 50% off rhododendrons special and I got 2 beautiful, medium sized ones for $60. This was my splurge, but I think a good investment, since they are green year-round. Of course I had to swing by the garden department on one of my many trips to the Depot this week. I discovered that individual Big Orange stores have their own specials on surplus plants. I got Buy-1-Get-1-Free Crimson Pygmy Barberry shrubs for $18, and day lilies - about to bloom - at 2/$10. So at that, I've pretty much blown my budget. We'll see how far what I have goes, and if I can restrain myself from buying a hydrangea, my favorite plant. Who knows? Maybe I can find one for less than $10. In the fall, after we get our stimulus tax credit, I'd like to plant a tree in the right far corner.

Now if my seedling zinnias, asters and bachelor buttons would just hurry up and grow, I'll have lovely fillers for the beds!