I love my garden in the summer. It's quite a small garden and I fill it with as much colour as I can - but colour comes at a price. Gardening is very limited by my disability.
Cleome, beloved of butterflies |
The cheapest thing would be to grow everything from seed sown direct into the garden (especially from collected seed) but that needs very regular weeding until the flower plants are big enough to defeat the weeds. I can't bend down for very long (and can't kneel at all) and the gardener isn't here enough to do that. I shall however direct sow candytuft, poppies and maybe a few wild flowers.
Garden-ready bedding plants are very expensive. Last year I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw annual cosmos at over £1 per plant! This year I have used a windowsill propagator and sown seeds for cosmos, cerinthe and cleome. I've got a yen for cleome in my garden but I've a feeling it may not be easy to germinate and grow. Still at £1 a packet it's worth a try!
Cerinthe, or Honeywort |
Small plug plants can be good value and this year I bought a "lucky dip" of 270 plugs for £20 which I think is pretty good. I got begonia, gazania, petunia, impatiens, stocks and lobelia in my selection. I also bought 45 extra impatiens (£9) as I like them around my north-facing front door. I've potted them all on using fibre pots to minimise root disturbance when they are planted out
I am gradually planting a few more perennials. For these I am hoping to take cuttings from friends' gardens. I had a message last night to say that someone has grown me some dianthus, a favourite of mine as I love the clove smell.