Weddings are such happy family occasions. They are filled with joy, laughter, dancing and help to create memories that the couple will cherish for years. It is with great anticipation that Chris, my husband, and I look forward to celebrating our eldest daughter, Maryâs wedding. Both Mary and her fiancĂŠ will work hard to create the day of their dreams. As the mother of the bride, the only decision I need to make is âWhat am I wearing to the wedding?â Honestly, the answer is a 15-year-old dress. This is a dress that is of high quality, has been cleaned and stored properly, blends with the bridal party color scheme, and it still fits (a miracle!). The wise purchase of the dress back in 2009, will save me $600-800 and hours of my time in 2024.
Like any major purchase, landscaping is an investment. If done properly, there are ways to save time and money immediately and every year going forward. This column will highlight ways to save money while creating a landscaping that you love.â¨One of the biggest ways to save money on your landscaping is by creating a landscape design with the maintenance costs in mind. A Miss Kim lilac shrub, while initially may only cost $42, however because this âdwarfâ plant can grow to 6-8â tall, if it is planted in front of a window or near a sidewalk, the annual costs of pruning this plant will far exceed the initial investment of $42. Certain perennial flowers such as obedient plant(physostegia)and Joe Pye weed (eupatorium) prefer to grow in moist soil. If you donât have an area in your yard that is consistently wet then keeping the roots watered, will cost you time and money each summer. Planning and choosing wisely prior to planting is a must when considering how to save money on your landscaping.
Unfortunately, plants occasionally die. Sometimes, no matter what type of care is given to them, they do not do well in a certain area. Before purchasing plants, make sure they are guaranteed. Read the guarantee and get a copy in writing. Keep your receipts and should the plants not do well, ask that the guarantee be honored. A guarantee gives you, the consumer, rights within the framework of the guarantee and can save you quite a bit of money. It also helps to ensure that the company selling the plants has a vested interest in their survival.
The gift of someoneâs time is often more valuable than a physical present. Do you have a relative or friend that wants to give you a present for your birthday, Motherâs Day or Fatherâs Day? An afternoon planting flowers, pulling weeds or spreading mulch may be the perfect present. The memories created on that afternoon are truly a gift.
As the saying goes, sometimes less is more. A smaller planting bed with less plants can bring more joy than one that is filled with plant that are too big for the space giving the appearance of an untended garden. Knowing the mature height and width of plants prior to purchasing them is key to a saving time and money on your landscaping. The mature width will give you an indication of the recommended spacing. If you are planting 3 panicle hydrangeas that each have a mature width of 4â, then the closest that you may want to plant them is 5â from the center of one plant to the center of the other plant. This insures that at maturity they do not touch and that you are able to enjoy seeing them flower from all sides. If you are planting 3 arborvitae to create some privacy and those arborvitae grow 4â wide at maturity then you may want to plant them 3 1/2â on center. This allows them to create a bit of a privacy screen.
Annual flowers fill our lives with color each summer. Flats of annuals cost approximately $30. A packet of annual flowers seeds costs approximately $3. For 1/10 of the cost, you may be able to purchase and plant seeds with a very similar, if not better, outcome than purchasing a flat of flowers. Flowers such as marigolds, cosmos, bachelor buttons and zinnias can be grown very easily from seed. Vegetable plants can also be purchased in seed form and either started indoors or directly sown into the ground or planters.
Seed exchanges and plant swaps are fantastic ways to get wonderful plants for free. Garden clubs and libraries often host these great events. Sharing plants among neighbors is a good way to learn more about what works in the area, what other gardeners recommend and expand your own plant knowledge. It was through one of these events that I learned out a black flowering hibiscus. It is very unique and beautiful!
Native plants are beauty and practicality combined. Frequently they have showy flowers with foliage that changes seasonally. In addition to benefiting our local wildlife they also benefit us. By requiring less watering they save us time and money. Native plants naturally require less maintenance once they have become established.
About 25 years ago I hired a group of farm laborers to remove the weeds that were growing amongst 2 acres of pumpkins. They efficiently and professionally tackled the job of hoeing carefully around each plant. The problem was I hired them about two weeks too late. It cost me dearly to hire them to remove weeds that were often above their knees. If I had planned ahead and scheduled the work earlier when the weeds were smaller, I would have saved hundreds of dollars. Tackling time sensitive landscaping chores when they should be done is a lesson that I learned the hard way but it is also a mistake I have never made again.
Underneath all of our yards is a matrix of utility lines. There are gas, water, sewer, electric, phone and cable lines some of which may be buried just a few inches deep. J.U.L.I.E., the Joint Underground Locating Information for Excavators offers a free locating service. Make sure you, if youâre doing the digging or your contractor if they are doing the digging calls 811 prior to any work being done. Not calling carries the risk of damaging an underground utility line and can cost you or the contractor hundreds if not thousands of dollars. It is also against the law.
Plants have different growth patterns. Some spread, some are clump forming and some behave relatively well by staying where they planted. By avoiding plants that spread aggressively you may be saving yourself years of frustration, time and money. Plants that have a reputation for spreading include ribbon grass (phalaris), snow on the mountain (aegopodium), lily of the valley (convallaris), mint (mentha), honeysuckle (lonicera), garlic mustard (alliaria) and chives (allium).
Making well thought out planting decisions and performing maintenance in a timely manner a landscape can and will stand the test of time, much like our favorite old clothes.
Kathleen Carr is the owner of The Growing Scene, Inc.,a landscaping company. She can be reached by calling 815-923-7322 or emailing her at Kathleen@thegrowingscene.com. Have a gardening question? Please contact her. She may address it in an upcoming column.
