I will say it again, when it comes to gardening, I have a ways to go. Several of my friends make it seem very easy, but for me, it really isn’t. I know too, that those friends spend lots of time and effort to get their gardens the way that they are. It’s not like you can just throw seeds out in the backyard and have something beautiful and tasty spring up before your very eyes. I know this, because I have tried it.
It is again that time of the year, summer, and I spend a lot of time thinking about what I have growing, what I want growing, and how much time, and money, I am able to invest into the yard. Last year I was more focused on landscaping and this year I have been headed in that same direction.
Even though I am working on landscaping, I still had a nice sized plot tilled up a few months back. I might decide to try growing some vegetables again this year, but more for a cooler weather garden. Really, I am thinking raised beds are gonna end up being my way to go, but I am only thinking of flowers for now.
And with flowers, I have had some come up, and even some that I planted – not just pretty weeds. I haven’t had much success with all of the bulbs, I know I mentioned this before, so I am trying something a little different. I am growing a thrifty garden. Lately, in addition to browsing thrift stores for discounted clothes, I am shopping the clearance and discounted flower racks at the local nurseries and box stores. I am buying slightly spent flowers, but hoping for their return next year. And in my experience, which is very minimal, that is almost the same as how it is going now only cheaper.
Last year when I bought new, full priced flowers, then put them into the ground they didn’t do so well. The transplant was a little hard on them and they ended up looking like the clearance flowers that I had passed up for the pretty ones. But then this year, all of them came back, beautiful and vibrant, so all I had to do was wait. So now, I am buying neglected and needy plants. And really, a lot of them just need a little bit of extra TLC, and once I get them home and tended to, they ended up in not too bad of shape.
Seems I am becoming thrifty in more ways than one. I am slowly growing a discounted garden in addition to acquiring a discounted wardrobe. And since the weather is a strange 68 degrees this morning, I should get out and do some gardening!
Free by the shovelful
Anybody else do this? I know a few who do and you would never know it. I have also recently figured out that annuals aren’t too bad of a deal; they keep things pretty all summer long.
Rejoice for the Day 