How do I create a colourful garden on a budget?

Buying beautiful flowers from Garden Centres can work out to be very expensive.





Any ideas - for an amateur gardener who has no idea what she is doing - to create an impressive and eye catching garden without spending a fortune would be appreciated!

How do I create a colourful garden on a budget?
Visit a few garden centres and buy up the 'out of date' seeds that will still be viable then next year clear your ground in the spring and sow yourself a flower garden!
Reply:I'm on a budget and I bought the cheapest troughs from Wilkos, lined them up on my patio wall and filled them with cheap compost and trailing nasturtian seeds -( they grow anywhere in anything!!) - You should see them now!! I grow them every year and the display is stunning! They're so colourful! Makes me smile everytime I look out of my kitchen window! :) Have to be careful though as they're prone to blackfly, but apparently spraying with soapy water kills the pest.
Reply:go into burpee.com and take a look at the different daisies. Usually you buy them by a tuber or runner or plant and they are tall, pretty as a backdrop and they come up every year. There are other flowers like petunias that you can save the seeds from year to year and replant. Then there are some flowering bushes that would be great as well as you don't hve to replant (and they can be at the corners of your yard for color. Those would be your starter plants, and each year you can just buy a pack or two of colorful seeds for up front..
Reply:http://www.nres.uiuc.edu/uploads/files/E...
Reply:I've got a wonderful book - 'Everything you need to know about gardening but were afraid to ask' by Rob Cassy and Valerie Scriven. It's packed full of useful ideas and information which should get you started.





Work out what's already in your garden - whether you like it or not (you could always do swapsies with friends or neighbours). Also, instead of buying ready-grown plants (which I agree are expensive) try growing your own from seeds - it's really good fun and so rewarding (and if you have kids, they will love it too). Keep an eye out for local flower shows, where they often have bargains, plus if there are allotments nearby, it might be worth a visit and a smile or two!





I'd set a budget and invest in some evergreen shrubs, so even in the winter you have some interest in your garden.





You'll need to work out what will thrive in your garden and what won't (you can get a cheap PH test to see if it's acid or alkaline), and look at the amount of light you get, which direction it's facing etc.





Don't be afraid to try new things. Plants will either thrive or die, and if they die, get something else instead - don't break your heart over it - that's the beauty of gardening - things will always grow next year.





And the most important thing - have fun!
Reply:Most gardeners are very proud of what they have achieved, why don't you ask friends and family for some cuttings from their gardens. It's a great compliment to have someone ask for cuttings - most people would be happy to help you, and give advise at the same time.


Packets of seeds are really cheap, and with a little time and patience, you can grow plants and vegetables from seed, just use plastic cups,or even the plastic egg boxes. - you can put these on your windowsill, and watch the seeds germinate and grow until they are strong enough to plant out. If you have children or young relatives who would be willing to help - they will have lots of enthusiasm and will love watching the changes that occur.


Hope you have lots of fun and pleasure - the outcome will be wonderful and full of colour.
Reply:This is what I did, and people used to wander in off the street and look at it. You probably know lots of people with glasshouses they use to store the lawn mower. Moreover you can buy packets with hundreds of seeds for about a quid. Invest in some trays and pots, or again ask people who have more or less given up raising plants, and plant out a load of different anuuals. They are very easy to raise, produce beautiful flowers, and all the old men in the neighbourhood will be falling over themselves to help. Once you get them all printed out, go mad with chemical fertilisers and above all slug bait (forget the soil association) and you will have three months of fantastic colour and scent.





The flowers attract insects, the insects attract birds, and suddenly you have a glorious garden.





Longer term, wherever you go, take a plastic bag and a pair of scissors and pinch cuttings and root them and put them out.





You really need a good book on gardening, but it's easy and a source of cheap pleasure.
Reply:For a small garden best way to inject colour is by painting the fence/wall a bright colour of your choice, don't be shy just give it a go. If you don't like the first colour try another. For the ground use a coloured gravel, their are some really funky colours. For plants, a good place to buy plants is from these mail ordered catalogues normally included in the Sunday newspapers, or you can look them up online. The plants are rather cheap, I have used www.jerseyplantsdirect.com before without any complaints.
Reply:It depends on what you are aiming for!


For a cottage garden effect you can buy a mix of seeds for around £2 to £3 and basically just sprinkle them on, water them regularly, and wait for the stunning result!


If you are looking for something a bit more substantial them buy small plants for £2 or so each and wait for them to grow!


It is all good fun and depending on which plants you choose they can grow pretty quickly so go for gold and enjoy making your garden!
Reply:I have a few suggestions:





Let me divide your task in to two: 1) Ground gardening (GG), 2) Pot gardening(PG).





Steps for GG,





i) dig the soil for few inches wherever you are planning to seed. Allow it to dry for few days while sprinkling water.


ii) mix the soil with fertilizers (cost-effective), compost, cow or goat dung, burnt ashes of dried dung cakes would be an eco-friendly and most effective (no cost) insecticide and manure.


iii) Still allow the soil to absorb these for few days while leaving it in sun while sprinkling water.


iv) Now your soil is ready for sowing. Either purchase flower seeds from nearby stores or nurseries and sow them. Use seasonal flowering plants. Especially winter flowers should be sowed 2 or 3months before winter or as per the nurseries' guidance.


v)OR purchase grownup plants and plant them on your garden soil.





Steps for PG,





i) Steps iv and v of GG would be an ideal starting place.


ii) or even purchase pots and use your manured soil from step i to v of GG.


iii) Start looking in the GOOGLE for more help on home gardening.
Reply:there are some very good dyes available which give wonderful hues when applied to a load of ready mixed concrete.lifes too short for gardening.
Reply:Alot of the plants go on sale mid summer! For next year you can buy a bunch of flower seeds real cheap, I use the 4pack or 6 pack flats that you normally purchase annuals in! There are about 50 holes to a flat, Fill with good soil and start your seeds as early as possible! when they are ready put them in the ground and fertilize! best of luck!
Reply:Yes, growing your own plants from cuttings is very cheap and satisfying, as you will learn a lot about them from this. Some plants spring up readily from cuttings, others are temperamental and insist on dying!





What will grow well in your particular situation depends on the climate, amount of sun, and soil quality. Tough plants will grow well in most situations and thrive on NEGLECT.





In my experience, the more you fuss over them, the more likely they are to die.....





However, learning is half the pleasure of gardening, and there is no limit to what you can learn.





One very tough and beautiful type of plant is the Salvias - which includes some edible herbs (sage), but it is a large group with bright flowers in purples, blues, and scarlets, with attractive foliage.





Marigolds are also extremely tough and colourful, easily grown from seed - just harvest them from a flower.





Pyrethrins daisies from which the natural insecticide is made are extremely tough and easy to propagate from cuttings. They are covered with small white and yellow flowers most of the year.








I forgot to say - don't forget to MULCH around your plants in dry weather. This will save water and stop plants from dying from drought. Mulches vary from pebbles to bark chips to rotted vegetable matter. If you use the wetter type, make sure it doesn't touch the stem or trunk of the plant as it can encourage moulds, which will kill the roots.





Enjoy!!
Reply:I am assuming you live in a temperate climate, go to your local shopping centre and find where you can buy the cheapest seeds. Where I live a store called Lidles sell seeds at 40p a packet compared with normally £1.99 . Buy a few packets of annual flower seeds that will give you a riot of colour. Open all the packets and mix the seeds together, add to a small bucket of dry sharp sand, give it a good stir to distribute the seeds in the sand. Then go out into your garden and just sow the sand and seed mix broadcast, that is just throw it in hand fulls all over your flower beds and then just let nature take its course.


You will probably find that next year many of the flowers will self set and cross fertilise with other plants.


It will be a source of amazement to you as the flowers bloom. Don't ever forget that old saying 'The earth laughs in flowers'.


I hope you will have fun with your garden, I have been gardening for over 40 years and I still get as much pleasure out of a daisy as any other grand flower. I love my garden and all that enters has my blessing whether it be fur,feather or insect, and slugs and snails they all have their place in God's creation.





ENJOY WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU FOR FREE
Reply:To get started, use flowers that self seed heavily on their own. Here are a few to start with:





daisy


black-eyed susan


blanket flower (gaillardia)





You can see pictures of all of these on this page:


http://springhillnursery.com/search.asp?...





Start out with 2 or 3 plants of each of these. Leave the seeds on them as the plant dies off in the fall. The seeds will drop in your garden and next year you'll have at least 2-3 times (and probably a lot more than that) as many plants growing then.





From there you can add other beautiful flowers one at a time as your budget allows.





As a beginning gardener, remember to plant your flowers in healthy soil, mulch around them, and water them well so their roots can become firmly established.





*~ Have fun 'n ENJOY ~*
Reply:Determining How Much You’ll Spend to Create a New Garden





You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a great garden, but it sure is easy to get carried away. If you’re not a budgeter in any other aspect of your life, you are not going to change your habit in the garden. But to prevent sticker shock from arriving halfway through creating your garden, let’s look at an overview for you to price out and determine what you can reasonably expect to spend.





Preparing the Site


Unless your garden is going to be composed completely of containers, you will first need to concern yourself with preparing the garden bed.





This will generally involves:





1. Removing Turf





You may choose to rent or purchase a garden tiller to make the job easier, however it is possible to prepare a garden bed with just a garden fork and some hard work.


1. This is when you can be very glad you decided to create a small garden. Actually this is when a lot of gardens are scaled down.





2. Testing the Soil





It’s tempting to skip this part, but don’t. Good soil is essential to a healthy growing garden. As they say, feed the soil and the soil will feed your plants. But you can’t properly feed or amend your soil until you know what you are starting with. You can get a basic pH soil test at many garden centers or at your local Cooperative Extension. Fees range from free to a few dollars. For a bit more, you can have your soil analyzed for the percentage of essential nutrients and minerals. Here’s the Dirt on Soil.





3. Amending the Soil





Your soil may be fine to work with as is. Unfortunately that isn’t usually the case and at least a good quantity (3-6 inches) of organic matter should be worked into the soil. Don’t skimp at this stage. Great soil is what makes a great garden. It’s not the fun part, but it will make every other stage of creating the garden easier and more successful. Here’s how to Make Good Soil Out of Bad.








Containers


If you are going to create a garden with containers, you will still need to purchase, find or create containers. Containers can be costly, so look for containers that are well made and will last. Many of the new light weight containers are very attractive and can handle weather extremes better than old, vintage pots.





While you won’t have to dig or till your garden, you will need to bring in soil. Plants in containers do better in a potting mix rather than straight garden soil. You’ll want a mix that is light weight and allows water and air to pass through. Garden soil will pack down, as it does in the garden, and make it difficult for the plant’s roots to get the nutrients they need.





Because water will be draining out of your containers and taking nutrients with it, you are better off using a fertilizer than trying to amend the soil in the pot. There are many excellent time released fertilizers, organic and synthetic, that can be added at planting and forgotten about the rest of the season.





Tools


Small gardens won’t require a tool shed full of equipment, but there are some basics you can’t do without like: a shovel, pruners and a good hose. It can take awhile to stock your garden tool shed, and eventually you will find yourself favoring one or two particular tools, but it helps to have [link=http://gardening.about.com/od/tool... right garden tool for the job.[/link]





Water


If you are going to be relying on a hose for water, when it doesn’t rain, then hopefully you chose a site near a water source. Hoses vary in quality. Buy the best you can afford. At the very least, save yourself some frustration and get one that doesn’t kink. You will also want a good nozzle that has a misting setting, so you can water your young plants without knocking them over.





Drip irrigation has become the ideal in gardening. It’s also become more affordable and much easier to assemble and use. Every good garden center sells the basic parts for drip irrigation systems and the staff is usually knowledgeable enough to help you determine what you’ll need for your garden. You may think a small garden won’t need drip irrigation, but watering is one of the most underdone garden tasks and believe it or not, drip irrigation is supposed to be cheaper than hand watering. You don’t just use less water, you waste less water.





Embellishments


Embellishments can get expensive and will vary widely with your choices for your garden. A vegetable garden really needs a fence. You can get by with rabbit fencing, but you may eventually want something more attractive. Unfortunately, with all the natural disasters lately, building materials just seem to keep going up in price.





If your reason for planting a garden was entertainment, you will need some garden furniture and perhaps a path or paving. These are one time costs, but paths and paving require some prep work and additional materials. Pathways can be stone, brick, pebbles or mulch. Whichever, it would be wise to lay down fabric cloth to prevent weeds from taking over your path. Paving and stone style paths will require a layer of sand to level the work area and prevent the area from sinking over time.





Fencing and hardscaping are the two most expensive and labor intensive embellishments.


Garden art, boulders, bird feeders, trellises, etc. can all be incorporated into your garden design, but they can be added over time or created from found material. Unless these are a top priority, they should not eat a major portion of your budget.





Plants


I put plants last because they could so easily take up your entire budget if there were no restraints. If money is a problem, there are ways to cut corners when buying plants, without sacrificing quality.





1. Start your own plants


2. Get cuttings or divisions from a friend


3. Attend a plant swap and bring something you have a lot of to exchange for something else you want


4. Start with smaller plants


5. Buy a large plant with a friend and divide it between you.


6. Wait until after Memorial Day, when plants go on sale.





Each garden will have different needs. You may already have the tools and the patio or you may be starting from scratch. If your dream garden seems out of reach, take heart. There are many viable ways to keep costs down. You might also consider the 3 year plan, were you create your garden in stages. It can be hard to wait, but each year your garden will look that much more lush and in the mean time, you’ll have gotten to know both your garden and your gardening tastes.
Reply:Why dont you create a colourful wild meadow garden the seeds can be bought inexpensivly and it needs very little maintinance.It is certaintly eye catching and different .


Good luck!
Reply:Call this number 1-800-498-6737 and ask about roll and grow flowers.
Reply:If you have a neighbor with a nice flower garden try asking them for a few cuttings the next time you catch them outside. I have a lot of plants that multiply like crazy, if I didn't give them to people they would just go in the trash anyway. I'm always happy to share! They will probably be able to tell you how to take care of the plants as well.