It's gardening season again in Indiana and I'm ready for it.
We have shade gardens in our backyard.
Full sun gardens in our front yards
and we'd love to add a veggie garden on our side yard.
We also need to order a truck load of mulch and remulch the entire yard. That'll be a big undertaking, but there's nothing better than a freshly mulched yard.
I have 6 tips to kick off your garden season. Hopefully 1-2 will be new ideas for you!
1 // Watch for Deals
A local nursery is offering coupon books this time of year. They're limited time only and each coupon has a certain window the deals are valid. Meijer has their hostas on sale 2 for $12 this week. They're HUGE and regularly priced $7.99 each. I picked up several for our shade gardens. Can you spot the three different varieties?
2 // Price Shop
If you're wanting the best deal on gardening items, shop around.
Our local Dollar General has HUGE planters for $10. Those same size planters are $25 at Meijer.
Sams Club has great deals on planters. I picked up a pair of planters for around $80 and they were listed for $120 on Amazon.
3 // Recruit Helpers
Kevin digs the holes and I plant the plants. It works great. The kids are great at watering (especially right now before there are any mosquitos out). Honestly Kevin says I've never met a plant I didn't like. That's mostly true, but our yard literally had 2 plants in it - a rose bush and a giant boxwood when we moved in. We had to tear out the boxwood and start from ground zero. We've spent the last 5 years adding new plants to our yard every year and we are finally feeling so thrilled with our gardens.
Kevin zooms home from work to help me plant.
Thinks we're planting 3 things. Surprise we're planing 11 things!
Love you! Mean it!
4 // Plant Perennials
I'll always and forever be a huge fan of perennials. Who wouldn't love a plant that comes back year after year and builds up your landscaping and gardens?? We stocked up on hostas this year. Lavender, Peonies, Phlox, Lantana (if you live in the South) and Astilbe are some of my favorites. They show up each year ready to look pretty and are ready for some new additions around them. I'd love to add in some more Astilbe (loves the shade) and planted some
5 // Buy from Your Neighbors
Does your neighborhood have a Facebook group? Or try your local marketplace options.
Look for neighbors giving away plants to thin out their yards or neighbors selling plants for deals. We got some free Lilly of the Valley last year and it's coming up perfectly this year. We just bought some zebra grass from a neighbor for $5 a plant. They're going to be such a pretty addition to help us get a little more privacy in our backyard. If I would have purchased those plants in stores, they would have been close to $20 per plant.
6 // Save Your Car
I keep a really tidy van. That's probably no surprise. I'm always hauling kids, groceries, bikes and this time of year - PLANTS! I keep a cheap plastic table cloth in the back of my van always. I can lay it out and put all my plants on top. It contains the dirt and then I shake it out after I'm done unloading.
What yard projects are you working on this year?
Great tips! It’s so rewarding to have a pretty garden, isn’t jt?? We had so much die in the freeze back in February. I’m waiting on a lot to see if anything comes from the root balls. Otherwise it looks like I lost all my perennials. So, while I wait I’ve been filling my pots with bright, cheery annuals (new to me this year is sun loving vinca!).
ReplyDeleteThat's so nice how you've been able to add so many plants to your yard. We have also added lots of flowers and plants in the past 7 years. Perennials do so well here, because of our usually mild winters. This winter's week of freezing temperatures really wiped out a lot of plants. As a result, our garden centers were very low on stock and there weren't many sale price...supply and demand!
ReplyDeleteWe repurposed an elevated planter the previous owners left when they moved it. It's great for our veggies, and it was free.
ReplyDelete