5 ways to afford gardening in 2011

It’s the end of another year – and another budget-busting holiday season

So as we wait for January’s slew of mail-order gardening catalogs, it’s time once again to dream – and strategize: How can we afford gardening in 2011?

Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with, after looking at my own walloped wallet and a few consumer trends.

1. Invest in the workhorses

^{Hanging basket of shade-loving Bonfire® begonias}

Gone are the days of primadonna perennials and one-trick ponies that provide interest for maybe a week while they bloom and then don’t pull their weight the rest of the season. Taking their place are plants that offer long-term benefits, save time or money or prevent problems down the road. In other words, buying smart isn't always about money. Instead, it's about finding the best value for your dollar.

For instance, does a drought-tolerant plant that costs 20 percent more than its similar counterpart worth the purchase because you can go on vacation and not have to find a plant-sitter? Can the price for a season-long-blooming shrub be amortized over several years because it boosts the resale value of your home? Does the $40 hanging basket also work in the shade or save space in a downsized or urban dwelling?

2. Take advantage of freebies

^{Flower Carpet® roses with free fertilizer sachet}

TV talk shows have been abuzz the past few months about ways to find free stuff.  Online, you can find free (or at least cheap) gardening products at www.all-free-samples.com, www.freecycling.org, eBay and Craigslist. The iVillage Garden Web forum also lists a variety of links to garden exchanges and trades at http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/exchind/ (or you can Google “plant swap” and your town and state to find plant swaps or similar exchanges in your area). Try to see if any garden plants or products throw in a little something extra to make your purchase worth it. Flower Carpet^® roses, for instance, come with a free sachet of fertilizer perfectly formulated for success.

3. Think “multi-use”

^{Festival™ Burgundy cordyline - overwintering indoors as a houseplant}

Can a garden perennial double as a houseplant, helping to beautify the indoors, boost moods and improve indoor air quality? Can it provide healthy, chemically free food for the family and save on the grocery bills? Can it even become a gift for someone else?

Container plants that can easily be carried in from the patio to serve as a wintertime houseplant are a smart buy, especially in colder climates. For instance, Festival™ Burgundy cordyline offers extreme drought-tolerance and season-long architectural interest, texture and colorful foliage. But it also overwinters nicely indoors as a houseplant.

Why choose between growing ornamentals and edible?  Choose plants that are both! I particularly like lovely leaved, colorful edibles like kale and ‘Bright Lights’ swiss chard.  I can’t say enough good things about ornamental kale – which not only handles drought well, but is growing through the snow on my Rochester, NY front porch right now. Plus, adding fresh, raw produce to your diet improves digestive health and gives you a more youthful, beautiful appearance.

Wondering what the heck to do with raw kale? Here's a recipe from Bob Greene's 'Best Life Diet':

Raw Garlicky Kale

2 Tbs. tahini

4 cloves roasted garlic

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 Tbs. water

1/8 tsp. salt

Fresh, red hot pepper to taste

4 cups raw, well-washed kale, cut into extremely thin strips lengthwise

Toss all ingredients except kale in food processor. Toss kale and tahini dressing together, and serve immediately or refrigerate several hours before serving.

You can even use plants as no-cost, personal gifts in a pinch. For instance, this Christmas, I’m giving gardening members of my family who love my Tropicanna^® cannas some of the rhizomes I dug up for winter.

4. “Green” on the tag = green in your pocket

^{The new Soleil™ petunia – "the petunia that lives on a glass of water"}

Drought-tolerant and pest- and disease-resistant plants not only cut your spending on water and chemicals – they reduce or eliminate the risk of having to replace a dead plant! 

Look for eco-tags that equate the purchase of the plant to a real-life environmental benefit or displays featuring water-wise or no-spray plants.

5. Put your smartphone to use

^{GardenPilot® app on smartphone}

Got a smartphone? Get it out of your pocket and use it to find out which garden center in your area is carrying the item you want at the best price. GardenPilot®, for instance is a great app that allows you to comparatively shop for the best prices in town. 

Well, here's wishing you another year of smart and easy gardening – so you can spend more of your time and money on whatever's most important to you (even if it's well … more gardening)!