GARDEN BLOOMING".
"The popularity, of allotments is growing fast".
"J.G.P. 19.04,2009."Green shoots of recovery? It might be a little too early to say whether these are evident in the economy, but gardening enthusiasts are seeing them pop up all over the place".
"As the weather warms, gardeners are out in force – despite the credit crisis having put the kibosh on many of their best-laid plans, with many of them forced to rein in spending on plants, tools, pots and other paraphernalia".
"The perilous economic climate has produced something of a renaissance of self-sufficiency and – 70 years after war-time Britain was urged to dig for victory – thousands of plots around the country are being turned into allotments, and credit-crunched families are turning back to the soil. But how do you start if you are cash-strapped? And how do you change your gardening ways if times demand a more frugal approach?".
"The benefits of planning".
"Planning a garden before lifting a spade can save money both in the short and the longer term. "Start by buying a number of good strong shrubs, which are often available on three-for-the-price-of-two offers," says Sally Reed of the garden centre chain Notcutts. "Pick carefully to suit the soil type and the aspect so that you don't waste money."
"Steven Dearnaley, a professional gardener and tree surgeon in Preston, suggests good shrubs to go for are potentilla, which flowers all summer, is low maintenance and survives the winter, and St John's wort "Hypericum perforatum".
"This is a good time to grab seasonal offers on products such as compost and lawnmowers, but gardeners should always try to buy the right products at the right time of year, says Dearnaley. For example, he says, "In the autumn, leaf-blowers will be cheaper because that's when people need them. Buying seasonally is key to saving money."
"The type of garden you go for is also important. Unstructured ones planted with wildflowers and featuring home-made, improvised containers will tend to be cheaper than formal gardens, and vegetables can often work out cheaper than flowers when planning a bed".
"Work out what you can do yourself and what you need to pay someone for," says Dearnaley. "If you are having some-thing constructed, such as a wall, can you clear the space yourself? It could save you £50 in labour and tipping costs."
"If you do need help, don't assume that the cheapest quote is the best option. "It could work out better to get someone quick, even if they are more expensive."
"Cutting the cost of plants".
"Not enough gardeners bother trying to save money on plants, but dash to the nearest garden centre to buy everything. Instead, check out the options at your local supermarket. Budget chain Lidl, for example, is offering two phlox, hosta or dicentra plants for £5, or one for £2.91".
"Homebase has the same size plants on its website for over £6 each. Asda has grass seed at £3 for 500g, compared with £7.99 at Wyevale garden centres".
"Planting from seed will work out cheaper than buying individual plants, but it depends on how much of a hurry you are in to get your garden in bloom. "Also try taking cuttings from friends' plants and if you buy seeds, don't plant the whole packet".
"Some could last a good few years," says Ceri Thomas, editor of Which? Gardening. You could also split plants when they get big enough. And if you have excess seeds or plants, you can swap them with other people online through sites that include plantsreunited.com, gardenswapshop.co.uk and seedypeople.co.uk".
"If you are buying plants, buy small, says Dearnaley. "You can buy a small lavender plant for £2. You might as well grow it in your own garden than wait for it to grow in the shop's garden."
"While it might be nice to have a bit of colour, buying annuals is a waste of time, he says. "If you get a perennial flowering geranium instead of an annual variety, for example, then you have that to look forward to every year."
"Some of the most cost-effective and easy plants are garden herbs, most of which can be grown outside or on a window sill".
"Mint should be contained in a pot, says Dearnaley, or it will go a bit mad, but sage, basil and oregano are all good to plant in a bed. Reed says gardeners should be "retail savvy" and identify when stores are likely to hav e sales".
"She believes many of the usual seasonal sales will be brought forward this year. "Also, if you see a plant that you like but is not looking as well as it could, ask for a discount."
"Equipment on the cheap".
"Knowing what equipment to splash out on and what to buy cheaply can be tricky. "People want to know what they really need and where they should spend the most money," says Reed. However, most gardening can be done with very few tools, Dearnaley says".
"He will typically go to a job armed only with a petrol lawnmower, a hoe, spade, trowel, lawn-edger and secateurs. For lightweight gardening, Reed suggests that cheap products will be fine, but that it is worth spending more on heavier items such as a spade that will have an effect on your back".
"Dearnaley says that another tactic could be to search out the clearance bins in garden centres before rushing to the gardening section".
"I bought a Spear & Jackson hoe from Wilkinson's for £30, then in the Homebase clearance section found the exact same hoe, only in last year's packaging, for £10," he says".
"It was a perfectly good hoe, but had been reduced because the company had changed the colour of the cardboard for the new season."
"For things that you might not need to use frequently, such as a hedge trimmer, beg or borrow them from neighbours and friends. For one-off use, you could also consider hiring instead of buying".
"An electric shredder from B&Q, for example, will set you back between £103 and £185 depending on the model, while you can hire one online from erento.co.uk from around £20 a day".
"And, of course, you could always find second-hand equipment on eBay, or in car boot sales and even charity shops. Containers on a budget Even the smallest patio garden can rocket in cost once you start buying large quantities of ceramic garden pots".
"You can get pots at a variety of prices everywhere from Ikea to B&Q, but it is far cheaper to be creative and come up with alternative containers from household items".
"Any old thing can make a container, so long as it has drainage," says Reed. "Try bits of tyre, empty lemonade bottles, kettles and old kitchen sinks. Get creative with some of the stuff you would otherwise throw away."
"You can even try replicating expensive containers you have seen in a store. Lots of gardening shops sell ceramic wellingtons, for example, to grow plants in. Why not use a real pair of old wellies? And while you can buy troughs from a garden centre for plants, you could also fashion one from an old bit of drain pipe".
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