Things You'll Need:
- budget
- flowers
- containers
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Step 1
Containers: Look around the house for some items that can be salvaged, transformed and used as containers for your garden. For example an old metal toolbox or sturdy baskets. (Make sure to drill a hole at the bottom of your containers to help drain the water. When using items that are not solid such as a basket purchase moss to place on the bottom to avoid dirt from seeping through)
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Step 2
Add Interest: Rummage through your house for metal or stone items such as a rooster you may have in your kitchen, a small stone frog that is living on a shelf in your bathroom or a decorative watering can and place them in your garden, your guests will enjoy finding surprises as they troll up your walkway.
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Step 3
Color: Choose a color plate and stick to it for all of your bedding flowers and containers, this will make more of a statement buy using less items.
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Step 4
Do your research: Go to numerous garden centers and compare prices and items before you purchase on impulse. Collect coupons and ask your garden center if they have any upcoming sales. Make a wish list of flowers and compare with your budget.
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Step 5
Look up: Purchase hanging plants/flowers at your local garden center and replant them into a decorative tall floor pot or urn instead of purchasing and potting numerous smaller flowers, this will save time, money and give a more dramatic visual.
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Step 6
Greens: Choose flowers with interesting leaves and look for trailing, green leafy fillers such as ivy or grasses to help add interest to the edges. Ivy and Grasses will come back year after year which will save you money.
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Step 7
Focal Point: If you want to mix and match flowers in a pot/urn, splurge for one focal flower for the center that is tall and full and surround it with less expensive filler flowers that can be purchased in flats such as impatiens. Choose flowers that bloom all through the summer season and have multiple buds. (Make sure to leave room as your pots will grow as the season continues)
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Step 8
Sun and Water: Tape the flower tags that are planted together in the container/pot onto a piece of paper and make note which pots need sun, shade or lots of watering. This will help your flowers last longer.
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Step 9
Keep the animals away: Instead of expensive insecticides, go to your local hair salon and ask them for a bag of cut hair (preferably brown or black) and carefully sprinkle some on top of each pot. The deer and squirrels are not fond of feeding on human hair.
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Step 10
Falling Down: As fall approaches remove flowers and roots as best as you can along with old leaves and save as much of the potting soil as you can for next year.
