Plant a Garden for Pennies
By Woman's Day Staff
1 Start from seeds. A $3 seed packet yields about 40 plants. The same principleapplies to trees and bushes: Buy them young for big savings (they'll grow eventually!). Photo by: Platform/Age Fotostock
2 Share the wealth. Ask a neighbor with masses of perennials in her yard if she'll share some that are easily divided (like hostas and day-lilies)-and return the favor if you can. No neighbor with a green thumb? Join a garden club (contact your local Cooperative Extension Office, NIFA.USDA.gov/Extension).
See our favorite ways to get happy.
3 Use free resources. Slash your water bill by harvesting rainwater (see Wildflower.org/RainBarrel). Turn kitchen and yard scraps into compost. Get free (or cheap) mulch from tree-care companies. For free plants, visit Freecycle.org.
4 Look for bargains. Your garden center's clearance section may have good plants; look (or ask) for the healthiest ones. Buy perennials, shrubs and trees in mid-fall, when they're marked down.
Check out 7 ways to cash in on your clutter.
SOURCES: Andrea DeLong-Amaya, horticulture director, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Susan Littlefield, editor, National Gardening Association. Melinda Myers, author, Can't Miss Small Space Gardening.
Original article appeared on WomansDay.com.
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