Gardening on a Budget
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Article by: JoMarie Thomson When we moved into our south Anchorage log home , Dandelion: Miracle Gift from Mother Earth I had glorious plans , Protecting your Garden Pond from Pesky Predators for the 1/3 acre lot. Some previous owner had chopped down every tree , Japanese Gardens – Basic Design Questions That Should Be Addressed counting on the neighboring woodlands for green , Boundaries and Rooms in Your Garden and shade. The house , This Fall, Give Your Trees Some TLC was near the street with a lumpy hilly and narrow backyard , Perfume Your Garden and Home with Gardenias that ended in the neighbor's goat pen. I was young, enthusiastic and confident that my green , Fertilizing to Create More Blossoms on Your Flowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Trees thumb could transform our piece of Alaska into a glorious landscaped garden. , A Smoke Bush Unlike Any Other Now, 20 years later the neighborhood has evolved from birch/spruce woods , Garlic: The Stinking Rose to suburban sprawl and I'm still working on the transformation and enjoying every season. , A Teak Bench: The Perfect Complement To Any Outdoor Space It was very important in those early days, to work on the cheap. With 5 small children the vegetable garden , Fertilizing to Create More Blossoms on Your Flowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Trees was more important than ornamentals. Composting was the only way I could afford to enrich a flower , Beware of Toxic Mulch bed. What was once a necessity became a passion - creating self-sustaining perenial flowerbeds for less than $20/year. Twenty years later, my garden , Outdoor Furniture and Glider-Choosing the Right Outdoor Furniture For Your Home is still a work in progress. I can and do spend money on plants , This Fall, Give Your Trees Some TLC now. And yet, gazing at my sitting garden , Stock Lawn Mower Parts For Greater Availability Of Mowers I'm surrounded by the memories of those early days and the decendents of the first little slips of green , 7 Tips for Creating Fresh Hydrangea Bouquets I nurtured so carefully. Zone 3 gardening , This Fall, Give Your Trees Some TLC on a budget isn't as hard as it sounds. I started with a small clump of siberian iris that grew in the loose gravel , 7 Tips for Creating Fresh Hydrangea Bouquets driveway that first spring. , This Autumn, Postpone the Winter Blues for Your Lawn One clump became 5, 5 became 10 and every year my irises are the center point of the growing season. , About Crocuses With a little luck I won't have to divide my irises for a few more years, but think I know where I can add the next batch... Near the front porch , Canopy Swings - Escape the Weather with One a shock of Maltese Cross is in full bloom. I rescued 3 plants , ing Around Tree Roots from the woodpile behind the shed , Gardening - Keeping Containers Looking Good that first year, not knowing what they would be or how tall they would grow , Fertilizing to Create More Blossoms on Your Flowers, Flowering Shrubs, and Trees when cared for. I get more comments and compliments on these reclaimed wildflowers , A Teak Bench: The Perfect Complement To Any Outdoor Space than any of the exotics I've tried. In the enriched bed, , How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams my Maltese Cross grow , Outdoor Storage Sheds 3 feet tall with fist sized red flower , 7 Natural Stone Pebble Projects For Every Home clusters. Over the years, I've easily divided these plants , Injury to Trees and Shrubs and use them effectively in my borders. More treasures that first year included a rosebush that had been nearly choked to death by siberian peas. We've called it a sitka rose , Add Value to Your Home - Landscaping but can't be sure. She's now a mother many times over as we've helped deliver healthy , Sheltering Butterflies in Your Garden suckers that have grown into shrubs , Outdoor Furniture and Glider-Choosing the Right Outdoor Furniture For Your Home nearly 5 feet tall and more around. Daisy's of course were and continue to be a beautiful pest. , Planting Around Tree Roots My oldest son took over a small "daisy garden" that I was threatening to burn to the ground. Not that he had to do anything more than help me keep the daisy's from taking over the rest of the yard, , About Crocuses flower , Books About Landscaping and garden , Revolutionary New Pond Combines Both Preformed Pond with Watercourse beds! The second summer , Foraging In The Forest: Finding Materials That Link Your Home To The Great Outdoors I used my budget at a close out table from a nursery in early July. By July, nurseries have little selection and many of the plant , Perfume Your Garden and Home with Gardenias markers have disappeared. However, this is my favorite time to shop for plants , Managing the Hobby Greenhouse because the mark downs are practically giving plants , Basic Chainsaw Maintenance away. Every year since, I've added some treasure from one of these sales. The first was a spreading Veronica (who knows what variety), that grows , US State Flags so prolifically, I can use them for garden , Pond Liners - Which One to Use? trades every year. The third summer , Daylily 'When My Sweetheart Returns' I discovered wildflower seed , Natural Gardens mix. That was the end of bare spots for my yard , US State Flags and provided the original plants , A Garden Bench: A Beautiful Addition To Any Garden that have now been moved to more organized and cared for beds. , A Teak Bench: The Perfect Complement To Any Outdoor Space Columbine, forget-me-nots, lupin, and several varieties of poppies continue to thrive and surprise me. My favorite plants , Garlic: The Stinking Rose are are the one's that were free or practically free. The frugal gardener can find dozens of ways to create a sea of color , Add Value to Your Home - Landscaping without spending any green. , This Autumn, Postpone the Winter Blues for Your Lawn Some of my most successful tips , Gardening with Garden Decor include:
A word of caution though. Many areas have laws prohibiting you from digging up native plants , A Few Things About Flowers from wilderness areas. These natural , Gardening - Keeping Containers Looking Good habitats are not free-for-alls and should be left alone. When in doubt, call , Outdoor Furniture and Glider-Choosing the Right Outdoor Furniture For Your Home the appropriate government agency and ask. While I don't "steal" from state parks, I've been given the go ahead to "rescue" lilacs, rubarb, and other abandoned plants , Natural Gardens from city land taken by eminent domain before a road or bike path , Planting Around Tree Roots was constructed. Your patch of yard , Backpack Blowers can become a garden , Sheltering Butterflies in Your no matter how tight your budget. Just get a bit creative and never be afraid to ask for cuttings. Compost , Backpack Blowers for black gold and remember to think long term. You'll never be poor when you live surrounded by flowers. , Garden in Urban Environment JoMarie Thomson was transplanted to Alaska over 25 years ago. Editor and Publisher of http://www.zone3gardens.com she is known to run her websites and web design , Boundaries and Rooms in Your Garden company, http://www.crucibledesigns.com with a laptop from her South Anchorage garden. , Managing the Hobby Greenhouse Beauty, JoMarie insists, inspires beauty. |
  
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