Flower transplants have gone up in price in the last few years and with the economy struggling you may want to cut back on flower garden prices.

photo credit: Jiaren Lau

There are several ways to cut costs but still have a beautiful flower garden. I have always had the thought that if you save money in one area in the garden, you can spend it in another . So saving money may actually get me more flowers in the long run!

Cost cutting tips for the flower garden

• Easy to grow annuals such as marigolds, zinnias and poppies are easy to start from seed and have many colors and varieties available. Often these seeds can be found in the low cost section of seeds for less than 40 cents. Start the entire package and trade flower with your neighbors. (One package usually will supply more plants than you need.)
• When the danger of frost is gone, direct sow your seeds into your garden bed. Just make sure you have all the weed roots out of the garden so that weeds will not get a head start over the flower seeds. (I often will start some of my seeds in pots early so that I can set out plants and have flowers faster.)
• Trade seeds with a neighbor to cut back on seed packet costs. Your neighbor may also have extra plants or perennial plants that they need to find a home for.
• Mix in vegetable with you flowers. Swiss Chard, cabbage, gourmet lettuce varieties are all pretty and will add interest to a garden area. So will pepper plants and tomatoes.
• Herbs are also easy to grow and have pretty foliage and flowers. You can add those to your flowerbeds too. Basil plants come in all sizes and colors and would add to any garden and to the kitchen later as spices.
• Sunflowers come in all sizes and colors. They are easy to grow and add color and brighten up any garden area. They also make great cut flowers.
• Buy plants towards the end of the season for discount prices. Just make sure they are still healthy.

Tip: Make sure to deadhead any flowers for a constant supply of new flowers.

You may also check out the seeds available at cheapseeds.com.

And toward the end of the planting season flower seeds will be on sale. If stored properly (in a cool dry place) they will be fine to plant the following year. I also store seeds in glass jars to protect them from moisture and mice)

You may want to collect seeds from you flowers from this year’s garden to plant next year.

And even though flower transplants have gone up in the last year one pack of flowers will bloom the entire summer so actually that’s not a bad price for a summer of color, flowers and enjoyment in your backyard.

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At this time of year I am thinking about what flowers I will grow in a cutting garden, what flowers I already have in the gardens and what flowers I will need to order or find.

One of my favorite gardens is the cutting garden. Cutting flowers are easy to grow, require less work than most flowers and seem to have less insect and pest problems.

They also have the added benefit of being hardy flowers that last long and do well in floral arrangements.

photo credit: tiarescott

A new garden always brings new variety of flowers. It is what keeps gardening new and exciting. Whether it be a new annual, perennial or even a sunflower, new varieties add interest and creative fresh ideas for floral arrangements.

Growing flowers will give you an unlimited amount of fresh bouquets you can arrange for your home or give to friends.

This you tube is about floral arranging. There are some really great ideas here.

When arranging flowers I like to mix herbs, wild flowers and even twigs or grasses to the arrangements. It adds to the fun and the interest of the floral display.

I also like to find unique vases or pots for my arrangements. Small cups, an old punch bowl, tin cups, basically anything that will hold water. These pots and vases can set a theme or feel to a room or party.

And if you have small children or pets that may break nice vases, these different pots for flowers will save a collector vase.

Flowers are meant to add color and atmosphere to a room or event so why not try new ways of containing them?

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Bulbs are a wonderful addition to any yard or garden. Once planted, bulbs take little care and are a surprise when they pop up and take on life and color. For those who live in the colder northern areas the first Crocus that pops through the snow is a welcome sign of spring.
photo credit: sabianmaggy

Fall is a perfect time to buy or order bulbs and many are on sale. By surfing the web or picking up a few gardening magazines you can get an idea of what bulbs will do well in you area and purchase them now before the selection has been picked over.

If necessary, you may want to chill the bulbs such as tulips and hyacinths (which need a certain amount of cold weather to bloom properly) by storing them in the refrigerator for six to eight weeks before planting. In my area this is not necessary but in the southern USA you may need to take this step.

Choose the area for your bulbs and work the ground. I like to improve the soil by adding organic matter. Leaves, compost and mulch are my choices. Soil preparation is not always necessary as long as drainage is good and the soil has not been overused for gardening.

How to plant bulbs outdoors

With a shovel or trowel, dig holes the appropriate depth for your bulb type. The package the bulbs were packed in or catalogs on bulbs will help you determine the proper planting depth.

A rule of thumb is to plant the bulb a depth of two to three times the width of the bulb.

Add bulb fertilizer to the bottom of the hole when planting and roughly mix it into the soil. If you don’t buy premixed bulb fertilizer you can use compost.

Place the bulb in the hole and make sure you have the right side up (usually point up, roots down). The bottom of the bulb should rest firmly on the bottom of the hole.
photo credit: sabianmaggy

There are a few bulbs that it is hard to determine the top from the bottom. When this happens, I plant them on their sides. They will still grow.

Refill the planting hole and tamp the soil lightly. Water the bulbs thoroughly.

I watch to make sure I don’t have small animals dig up the bulbs. Tip: If you have squirrels, plant your bulbs in a bucket that has no bottom or in a wire cage. The plants can grow out of the wire but the squirrels will have a difficult time eating the bulbs.

Many bulbs do well under deciduous trees in the spring. They will bloom before the tree leaves out and creates too much shade and the tree will help you find the bulbs before they grow.

Bulbs can  grow easily in pots and containers. By growing bubs in container you can move them indoors or outdoors, add color early in  the spring and protect bulbs if you have squirrel or deer damage problems.

There are also many exotic bulbs and tropical bulbs that will add color and fragrance to your home in the winter months.

For more information on bulbs check out the spring bulb article on Best Flower Gardening.

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