So what are you growing new in 2008?

Funny! I got to the point of writing up an order for lilies but didn't send it in, thankfully.

It's so easy to want everything.

I went to the chiropractor's on Friday (when my dd was little, she called it the 'pacapactor'), and ACE Hardware is across the street. This one always has nice quality perennials. I stopped to check out their display, thinking it was probably just pansies at this point.

They had a nice variety, and a 15% off sale if you bought ten (quarts) or more. So, of course, I bought ten for $27.96 - 2 Saxifrage 'Highlander Red', 3 Lamium 'Chequers', 2 Polemonium 'Blue Pearl', 2 Viola 'Gem Antique Pink', and 1 Columbine 'Clementine Red'.

This is the first year at the new house so nothing by the way of emerging perennials is expected, some evidence of clumps of siberian iris and bearded iris plus a daisy like plant that has volunteered all over Sarahs garden, plus Rudebekia overgrown and taking over.
My garden space ,side of the house and back of the house,had a huge pink bleedingheart and some struggling astilbe planted too close to a Hydreanea. I have moved the astilbe and gave it compost a few weeks ago, we'll see, it's on the north west corner so it progresses slowley as does everything on that side of the house. I have ordered some of the plants that were my favs. Glad to have pirl on hand for help.
Thanks to all DG'ers.

i really wish we could avoid talking about how much everyone spends.
Or put it on a thread where those of us who have nothing like $425 or $300 or whatever could just avoid it.

Gotta clear up an illusion. I spent the money- I don't necessarily HAVE the money. Gotta get the new garden started and hope I last long enough to see it mature.

Amy, I'm with you. Money I don't have! That's why I do so much seed-starting. The plants I just bought came out of my grocery money - but I couldn't resist them!

Either you have the money, or you don't. If we must be specific, i think i have spent about $80 total so far including seeds, mini peat "greenhouses" , and the appalling $27.99 for "pro mix". And i feel like that is too much of my limited income to have spent.
It's like complaining that you are 5 pounds overweight and can't get into a size 6 anymore to people who can't get into a 16. That's all i'm saying.
Maybe i am too sensitive. Sorry.

Here is how I built the garden at the old house. I had a friend whos sister owned a greenhouse and gift shop.
I made pottery and didn't have two nickles to rub together ever much less spend money on flowers.I also raised four daughters alone and they garden too. I know where you are , the guilt over buying too much po mix etc.
Some things are more important than others.
I realize the deal with my friends sister was unusual but it was an opertunity I couldn't let go by.
I would trade her for plants, took all the mugs and vases that weren't quite perfect and traded them for plants. Many fond memories of walking through her warm greenhouses in mid May choosing anything I wanted and not think of the cost. It felt luxureous. When I had too many plants for my small garden, I started a garden at my neighbors across the street because she always remarked on mine and every year I would add to it until my neighbor began to put plants in the ground and loved it so much until she was on her own.
I don't mean to toot my own horn like this but I just want to say no matter how big or small your budget is the joy of garening is whats important. Think of how beautiful your will be in two months.

Thank you.

AMEN You have a good point. I began to feel odd about that post when it came up.
This new garden is bigger than the one at my old house.
I live with one of my daughters since july, we sold houses and pooled our money and bought a bigone in Pittsford, believe me I am not the steriotypical Pittsford person ,if there is such a thing.
Anyway-- I believe this bug bucks year is to get the gardens going, from then on it will be "not so much" money. I didn't realize how big some DG's gardens were. Much bigger than mine and that's ok. I am not in great shape and am happy with my plot.
Here's whats comming columbine, helleborus( couldn't grow at the old house,no shade)
anemone, poppy, astilbe, iris, yarrow, day lily ( hopefully plants that are low maintenance)
I applaud your seed starting . It's a joy to see the mature plant. You started delphs I believe? one of my favs. not sunny enough in my garden, maybe Sarah will get one I can enjoy.She is the daughter I live with and her garden is in full sun.

It sounds lovely.
i have started:
pennyblacks
blue pimpernel
cupid's dart
cosmos
mixed heirloom tomatoes
victoriana dahlias
strawflowers
marigolds

And have more still to start. When i find containers. i have NO room...
^_^

pennyblacks and blue pimpernell are new to me. I'll look them up. Love Google.

Googled "pennyblacks" an the images were of people who ewere named that and rock bands and resturant logos.
Blue pimpernell revealed the flowerWow it's blue. and a horse named Blue Pimpernell. What a world.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31753/
(Apparently they like it as 2 words...)
i directed sowed last year and got 0. Trying again. i love black flowers and foliage.

They are great. I'll keep my eye out for them in MidMay

Most of us who have gardened for years have known the days of pinching pennies, too, Amy. It's absolutely gleeful and glorious to buy the trees and shrubs, bulbs, annuals and perennials we want but it didn't all happen overnight.

i've never seen a real one - only pictures!

i want to do a little area in all black, silver, and mybe some hot pink. i want to get some black sweet potato vine to fo with my silver lace, and i have some rose campion - what else is good, inexpensive, and will take sun?

Artemesia 'Silver Mound' is wonderful and the lychnis family is famous for it's silver color and soft touch.

Black bearded iris and silver artemisia is lovely. I have an area with black and pink iris, I love.

I don't have much of a plant budget now that I am retired, so I am enjoying doing lots of cuttings and seeds from the plants I have already. I find I get far more excited when my "sticks" (limbs from other shrubs or trees) suddenly put out green leaves than I ever did buying a plant. On the other hand, I am very happy for those who are enjoying going a bit crazy once in awhile and buying out the place. I get a kick out of that and enjoy hearing "confessions" of those who lost their heads. There have been times when I've done the same thing - even if on a small scale - and just had to confess my indulgence, and who else but my DG buddies would understand?

DG members are so generous with their sharing of plants and seeds, that there are many ways for everyone to have affordable nice gardens. Thanks to Pixie, for example, I can't wait to see the daylilies she sent me coming up in my NH garden soon.

WOW that would be a great combination. I have planted late purple tulips with purple and white iris left by former owners.
Hoping for a great show Late May.

Your combos sound great--love silver & black---I, too, am retired & gardening on a budget, but I look for sales & some seeds, especially direct sow. The seedlings rescued from mice munching are doing better--new plants have popped up. I can open the windows on them later this week as we go into the 70's. Amy, I have loads of iris & daylilies to share--could meet you halfway if you wish.

That's the Oakland Raiders theme!

It may be hard to tell what this is, but this is one of my "sticks" that I'm so excited about. It was just a small branching limb of a gumbo limbo tree. I stripped off all the leaves and put it in the ground. If you look closely you will see the green leaves on the tip of each point. I just put in the soaker hose behind it, so all of my sticks can be watered while we're away if the rains don't come. Gumbo limbos grow very quickly, so I wanted to document its size now for comparison in the fall.

If you're into cuttings from shrubs Louise, you might want to try the Rooter-Pot system. I've done a few successfully and will do more this year.

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=46938&cat=2,47236

You can probably find it cheaper elsewhere.

and here's another stick...this is a dahoon holly that was nothing but a bare stick when it went into the ground. Isn't that cool??!

Thanks, Victor! It's hard to beat a totally free system though!! Down here things just grow from bare sticks with no cost and no trouble. In fact, they used to make fence posts from the gumbo limbos, until they ended up with a bunch of trees. LOL

Can't beat that!

You're not kidding! But in NH it doesn't work that way. I'm bringing one baby gumbo limbo stick and 2 red brilliant hibiscus sticks with me to NH to nurse them through the summer. They are too tiny to leave to the elements, but they all have new green leaves on their little bodies!

DonnieBrook, I love the fact that you are transporting your babies north for the summer. Good Mom. I have been known to travel with seedlings to Vt rather than leaving them "Home Alone".

I did dig up a mess of sweet fern and Rosa rugosa today to move to a new bed. I have pretty good luck with getting them to root with a rather cavalier planting. It is very satisfying to root things. I figure today's work saved me several hundreds of dollars.

Funny, now that we are mostly retired, DH and I have the time to do more of the garden work and house maintenance ourselves, thus more cash for plants. We use to pay the mowing guys to do a lot of raking and edging. No more, as we have time to do that now. They now charge 40.00 an hour. That is a lot of plant money. We still have them mow.

We also gave up having cleaning help years ago, for which I put the savings towards plants and travel. My 93 year old mom gives me a Christmas check and a birthday one, which all goes toward landscaping. It makes her happy to see me so excited about a new tree or an order of shrubs.

But I am most lucky to have had a successful business to sell and now have the time and money to enjoy gardening with a generous budget. Though I doubt my personal satisfaction is any greater than someone growing for the first time a row of radishes. I remember that joy. Here is one little section of my edging and pruning work this week, not bad for an old gal. Patti

I'd say not, Patti! Very nice!

Yes - very nice, Patti!

Big project bbrookrd, I suppose everything is relative, I consider what I have big and wouldn't want to handle anything bigger. Time or "expense-wise". But I don't find myself envying anyone else because I know how much work it must be, (not to mention the expense). The secret is to be happy with what you have! As you say, personal satisfaction cannot be measured in dollars or size. I wish I didn't have to spend as much as I do but I find that even fertilizing the front and back yards is a "hit in the wallet". When you own property it comes with the territory. ☺

This thread is rather long, please join me for part 2:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/834229/