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We all want to tighten the purse strings after Christmas – but there are ways you can save money on gardening throughout the year.
So says budget-conscious gardener and social media star Anya Lautenbach (@anya_thegarden_fairy), whose second book The Money-Saving Garden Year offers a wealth of ideas in a month-by-month guide on how to create a garden that costs less.
So, start the New Year as you mean to go on, with her guidance.
January
“Nobody thinks about gardening in January, and after Christmas many people have lots of stuff they want to clear out. Now is the time for money-saving gardeners to ask for pre-owned pots, quality tools and garden furniture on social media.
“Be proactive and ask on social media if anyone has any good-quality garden furniture that you can buy. I’ve bought some amazing things in January, when you don’t have to compete with an army of money-saving gardeners, which usually happens around April. Most towns have social groups on Facebook – try there.”
February
“This month is all about pruning. I keep all my prunings and turn them into the most beautiful plant supports. Whole branches can be used as plant supports. Beech branches, for instance, are very ornamental and can be used for supporting spring flowers like hyacinths in pots. They only need to be about seven inches long.”
March
“March is great time for creating herbs for free. If you buy a packet of herbs from a supermarket, those tiny little branches can be put in a bit of water to create more herbs for free. Rosemary, oregano and basil can all be rooted this way.
“It’s also a month for sowing seed and taking cuttings. I take basal cuttings of lupins, which will flower the same year.”
April
Identify seedlings from plants which have self-seeded in your garden, she suggests. “It’s difficult to identify them when they are little, but every iPhone has an icon for information. If you see a plant in your garden, take a picture and get your phone to identify it, then see if you can do something with it.
“I didn’t know that hellebores, which are very expensive, self seed. Years ago I was working in the garden and realised what they were. I found free hellebores and from that time I’ve never spent any money on them.”
She digs up the seedlings in autumn, pots them up in peat-free compost and transplants them the following year.
May
“This month is all about propagation because days can be cool and there’s humidity in the air. Take softwood cuttings – the stem of the plant that is soft – hydrangeas are particularly good for this.”
You can still sow seeds in May, which is a much cheaper option than buying mature plants.
“Divide plants which have flowered earlier in the year like primulas and pulmonarias, or buy them from garden centres in the sale, when they are looking hopeless, because they will come back.”
June
“For me, June is more about using what my garden has produced so far, like using dried allium heads for decoration or making a lavender wreath instead of spending money on stuff.”
You can also cut roses and other flowers in bloom in your garden rather than spending money in the florist’s, she adds.
July
Collect seeds from plants such as foxgloves from July and through the summer, thereby saving money on buying seeds and larger plants, she suggests.
It’s also a good time to pick nettles and comfrey to steep in a bucket of water to make your own fertiliser and save pounds on shop-bought ones.
August
“This is great time to go to garden centres and pick up bargains in the sales. Sometimes you can pick up a nice tree or mature shrub for a reduced cost. You can also go for perennials which have flowered. Don’t be discouraged by the look of the plant because if you look after it, it will be fine next year.”
September
“Take cuttings of tender plants such as pelargoniums, nemesias and pinks, Salvia ‘Amistad’, and overwinter them on your windowsill. Then when everyone’s buying new plants next year, you will have yours for free.”
September is also a good month for dividing plants such as hostas, coneflowers, rudbeckia and peonies, she says.
October
Use a layer of grass cuttings as a mulch on your beds and borders to save money on shop-bought products, to suppress weeds and hold in moisture, she advises.
“Be careful, though, if you use (shop-bought) fertilisers on your grass because they often contain weedkillers which could damage your plants,” she warns.
November
“This is a great time for buying reduced-price bulbs,” she says. “Garden centres will have all their Christmas stock and you can pick up some amazing bulbs like daffodils and tulips for next to nothing. And it’s not too late to plant your spring bulbs in November.”
December
Buy bare-rooted trees, shrubs and hedges, which are significantly cheaper than potted ones, she suggests.
If you received an amaryllis for Christmas, once it has finished flowering it can be overwintered and if you store it, you can reuse the bulb for next year, she suggests.
Forced hyacinths which flowered during the festive season can be planted out in the garden after flowering and although they won’t come back as strong, they should still come back in subsequent years, she says.
The Money-Saving Garden Year by Anya Lautenbach is published by DK, priced £16.99. Available now.
