Planting flowers and enjoying their colorful blossoms during the spring and summer is something a lot of people love.
But it can be expensive.
Bargain gardening is the way to go.
Here are 12 ways to save money on flower gardens and cut the cost of gardening supplies.
- Buy packets of seeds at the dollar store or purchase mega packets of a seeds and soil mixture there. It costs more than $100 to buy marigold and zinnia seedlings for the flower beds in front of my front porch, but less than $10 to plant an abundant number of seeds and grow my own flowers in the same space.
- Buy discount seed packs at stores like Big Lots and Tuesday Morning, too. They may not be as inexpensive as the dollar store, but the prices will definitely beat those at nurseries.
- Get plants from friends (for example, when they’re reducing the size of overgrown clumps of plants like lillies or clearing a patch of garden) — or trade their extras for yours. My friend gave me a few of these purple-flowered ruella (also known as Mexican petunia) plants years ago and I have hundreds of them now; I gave some to my parents, who also have a lot of them! A few fast-spreading plants go a long way.
- Buy variety-pack hanging baskets – especially on clearance. The value of the individual plants in the pot is often less expensive than the total price would be if you bought each plant separately. For example, last year I bought several gorgeous hanging flower baskets at the local grocery store when they were marked down to $5. Each pot contained a spiky, grassy plant that cost $7.99 each at a local nursery, as well as a number of other flowers. A hanging pot of begonias that’s on sale, for example, may contain more plants than begonia plants sold separately; count the number of plants in each, get the total price and compute the “per plant” cost each way.
- Try to make your favorite outdoor perennial hanging plants last two years by bringing them in the house or garage during freezing weather. All seven of the pink geranium plants on my porch were bought last spring; I just put them in the garage on the few below-freezing days we had this winter and they’re blooming beautifully. That saved about $100!
- Re-use hanging planter containers and make your own hanging planter with a couple of inexpensive starter plants from Walmart or Lowes.
- Plant perennials because they last season after season, while annuals bloom only the first year.
- Buy containers at yard sales, thrift stores and dollar stores.
- Buy rooting powder and plant cuttings from other plants directly into the soil — or soak cuttings in water til they develop roots, then plant.
- Buy garden gloves, trowels, pruning scissors, watering cans, pots and other gardening supplies at the dollar store. Get gardening stakes and signs there, too.
- Buy flowers from Lowes using a Lowes credit card to save 5 percent on every purchase, every day.
- Shop yard sales for gardening supplies and plants themselves. I once bought a Scott’s spreader for $3, and have bought a number of plants and gardening supplies from people over the years, too. The colorful pots below and the Easter flag above were thrift store treasures.
You’ve gotta love bargain gardening! When your neighbors admire your flower garden, they won’t have any idea how little it cost you.
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Thrift Store Treasure blog posts:
I love gardening and you have some really good pointers here. Thanks for sharing these!
Carolann recently posted…My Top 10 Most Repurchased Makeup Products
Thanks! I’ll check your blog for gardening posts!
Your porch is really pretty!
Thanks! The hanging plants look better now than they did in the fall. Maybe there’s something to keeping them alive during the winter.
Some really great tips here! I always check yard sales too for gardening and home goods. Usually there is treasures a plenty!!
Heather Northington recently posted…Whimsical DIY Luminaries For Your Outdoor Space
That’s another great source for bargain gardening supplies! I once got a new Scott’s spreader for $3 at a yard sale.
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Great ideas for saving that I can apply as a gardener. I love repurposing containers.
Patricia recently posted…Raised Flower Beds Ideas
This is some really good information about planting flowers. I liked that you pointed out that you should soak the seeds. That is good or me to know as a new homeowner who wants some flowers around my house.