Lawn / Garden

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Thing No 6  

Read the label.

Yes, it’s pretty but if you don’t read the label that tells you what it needs it will soon be dead and not so pretty.

Thing No 7  

Save the receipt.

Most plants have a one-year guarantee so tuck the receipt away in the cute little garden journal that you’ve started. LOL.

Thing No 8  

Phase it out.

Divide the project into phases, and pay as you go.   This will not only save you from feeling like a big Venus Flytrap gobbled your bank account but, it will also allow you to evaluate and adjust along the way.   Trees, shrubs, perennials, soil, and mulch as well as lawnmowers, weed wackers et al, are all cheaper at the end of the season.

Thing No 9  

Buy commodity items at home improvement warehouses.

These guys usually have the best prices but not the best selection or quality.  They’re usually fine for basic groundcover or your run-of-the-mill annuals or perennials, mulch, pavers, containers, timers and tools but not for the more temperamental or specialty items that will come with a guarantee from a specialty store.  When you do buy plants there, look at them closely – they don’t always take the best care of them.

Thing No 10  

Think outside the big box store. 

If you really get into this and now you even know of some special plant that you want, look for lower prices online and in catalogs like rareexotics.com or worldplants.com. Even local botanical centers have sales sometimes. But remember, you’re going to have a much better shot of keeping it alive if it grows naturally in your area.

Thing No 11  

Buy In bulk.

Fifty pounds of fertilizer costs only a little more than a 5-pound bag.  Crazy, but true.

Thing No 12  

Make your own insecticide.

Water mixed with a little liquid dishwashing soap kills many insects and will cost you almost nothing.

Thing No 13  

Don’t sweat the drip. 

An automatic drip irrigation system means you will never forget to water, never have to ask anyone to water in your absence and never be asked to water in anyone else’s absence in return. You can cover about 250 square feet with drip irrigation for $20 to $50 plus a timer which can run you anywhere from $20-$80.  Even at the low end of timers, you’ll be able to change the watering schedule to suit the season, do a manual water or turn the whole damn thing off when it’s raining cats and dogs.  Everybody’s got ‘em but you can also check prices at www.dripworksusa.com and www.harmonyfarm.com.  Along these same lines of responsibility shirking, you may want a local gardener to provide a bi-monthly “Blow, Mow and Go.”  Ask the one who does your neighbor’s yard, look for business cards on community bulletin boards or try good old craigslist.com.

Extra tip: Groovy Green Jeans (hemp, sugarcane and green cotton) can be found at treehugger.com/green_jeans

 

 

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