jannie, you are joking, or at least exaggerating, right? You're not seriously doing all that sneaking and deceiving and destroying receipts just to avoid running afoul of your "DH," are you? That couldn't possibly be healthy for a relationship. Yikes!

Normally, I prob dont spend over $20-$30 in a season. I usually just buy a few annuals, an occasional inexpensive or marked down perennial.Frequently I rely on propagating what I have. But this past yr I went way over board. My husband has no idea what I have spent. He hasnt asked, and I havent volunteered. But most of what I have spent has been thru paypal from earnings selling plants and seeds on ebay to support my current obsession. It started last summer with trading and buying some seeds here and there to get ready to winter sow. Then I got involved in Patty's swap last yr which was a blast.I havent bought many plants, but way too many seeds, and still having trouble curtainling my wants,lol
Tammy

No, I really haven't spent over $200, at least not yet. I looked at the White flower farms catalog and made up a "wish list" and it comes to that much. I'm just fishing to see if anyone goes crazy in the spring. Last year I bought 6 heirloom tomato plants for $40 and that was it for me. I have lots of seeds I traded for on the seed exchange here.

I understand jannine. Dh doesn't value plants, doesn't understand at all and I do the same thing. But I know he "knows" and (he) would prefer not to know!
Sometimes, you have to do what works best for the relationship. If he knew the dollar amount then his frugal overdrive would kick in (he is also a control freak somewhat) so it actually is healthier for him not to know than to know what I spend on plants- about what you spend more or less, btw.
Don't ask, don't tell is ok in the garden. He has free rein to buy as many rental homes as he wants - and can maintain - without me getting all uptight as they do make money.
I make the house and yard look nice which helps my mental health.

I dont buy much plants in the spring with the exception of some annuals and tools. Occasionally, I buy hard to find perennials. I rather grow/propagate from cuttings or use existing ones by dividing them in the spring (go perennials or shrubs!). Repetition is a key word in garden design/principles.
I am not much a big fan of lawn grass (i.e.feeding and mowing it again and again). A good ground cover can eliminate your lawn/service depending upon it's size.
You get best deals by the end of fall. I have seen expensive plants like Japanese maples upto 75% off the marked price including those flower baskets with many perennials in them.
May I suggest that you get your DH involved in the gardening. It does'nt takes long to get addicted or assisted to it.

Because my garden was started in 2005--the first few years, I spent more to get shrubs, trees and the first perennials.

Now, I fill in a lot by division, propagating and sowing seeds. I spent under $100 on seeds and bulbs for this year.

I used to go to a nursery and do too much impulse buying. Now, I always go with a list and stick to it. If I see something I want, I "sleep on the idea" for a week and then decide if it will really improve the garden or not.

I just created a new tropical bed and spent only $25 on the project. Two of the major plants were provided for free for a writing assignment, but all of the others were purchased bulbs or divisions of my own plants.

I'm trying to economize more on container plantings this year. Last year, it just felt too expensive by buying all annuals. Yesterday, I planted a succulent container garden that can overwinter. I just bought evergreen cast iron plant to use in my front porch urns. Those will be permanent and I can stick in some color each season. I have a shrub and perennials in my largest planter. I may use lavender, agave or agastache in my full sun planters.

Whenever my DH is involved, we spend more! We built a French drain in the last month and added edging in some sections in November. This was necessary, but we wanted it to look nice, too. It was a DIY project and was under $200 for 150 feet. We economized by filling with drainage gravel, then added the more expensive decorative gravel on top.

I want a formal garden/parterre, but have postponed doing it all at once due to the expense to do it the way I'd like. I've planted one side of the hedge for now. It will be slower this way, but when it's finished, it will be better than what I can afford if I try to do it cheaply all at once.

Bottom line, no set budget-- but, I think carefully about almost every dollar before I spend it.

Cameron

Budget? What budget??
:-D

Hmmmn. Well, it would be entirely accurate to say I spend way too much. However, not as much as I used to. I have gotten hooked on seed starting the last three years and that saves a very pretty penny. I have probably spent about $200 this year (2010) on new plants and bulbs. For me, that's pretty good, IF I stay away from the garden centers come spring....:)

Just for the record, I don't spend alot on clothes, shoes, or jewelry. DH never complains. I don't ask him how much he spends on books, he doesn't ask what I spend on the garden. We've been blissfully happy for yearly 35 years....

I',m with donnabaskets. I don't have a set budget. I do take my time making my buying decisions and think about where the plant will go and how it will work in my gardens. I also spend very little on clothes, shoes, or jewelry. I don't smoke, don't spend money on fancy coffee drinks or a lot of other things. My husband occasionally teases about my plant obsession, (he likes to tell people I have CHAD, Compulsive Horticultural Acquisition Disorder) but in reality he likes the way our place looks. He doesn't get upset about what I spend on plants and I don't get upset about his hunting. It works well for us. On the other hand, our kids are grown and I'm not taking food out of their mouths or money from their college funds. It's simply how I choose to spend my discretionary income.

Budget? What's that? lol
Seriously, my DH knows that I'm going to buy more garden stuff, and he just keeps telling me when I say "want to see what I got?", "No, I don't want to know". Works for me! lol He's just joking mostly anyways. He just doesn't get upset about it, or at least as long as I'm not out there spending hoards of money!

Do I budget? Yea, right LOLOLOLOLOLMAO!!!

it might sound excessive and it probably is, but i spend anywhere from 800 to 1200 every season. this year i bought several 2010 daylily intros which average 100.00 each, so it adds up fast. i haven't even put in any orders for mail order catalogues.

Far be it from me to judge anyone else's marriage, but as I remarked initially, I'm a bit surprised by all this deceit. Fortunately, it's not an issue for me when it comes to gardening, since my wife and I have about equal enthusiasm and passion for the landscape, so we rarely have any serious disagreements about spending money on the yard. But I do have other hobbies that she's not interested in, but I can't imagine trying to prevent her from knowing how much money I spend on them, nor have I ever felt the need to do so. And I don't think my wife would ever do that, either (at least as far as I know). Frankly, I enjoy my hobbies, but none of them is remotely as important to me as my relationship with my wife. No hobby is worth me trying to trick her or snow her or something. If it ever came to the point where I had to deceive or hide things from my wife in order to forestall friction over spending a reasonable amount of our money on a healthy, harmless hobby of mine, something would be bad wrong, in my opinion.

Best of luck to y'all!

tla, you make a good point, and I do agree that deceit is not a good way to go. Just to be clear, I don't HIDE anything. If he asked, I would tell the truth. But he doesn't ask me, and I don't ask him. We trust one another to be sensible and within reasonable boundaries of our budget which includes discretionary funds for both. That trust has always proven true. We always pay our bills, our children both went to college and we take good care of his mother who lives with us. When I want to make a big purchase, or one that I know is somewhat frivolous, I always ask him for his opinion. Likewise for him.

I feel for anyone who feels they MUST hide their spending from their spouse. In my opinion, there is something fundamentally wrong in one person or the other or in the marriage that goes deeper than a hobby. And yes, the marriage is absolutely the most important thing.

No, I do not budget my gardening expenses. Not enough!

I don't really know how much I spend for plants. It's hard because even if I save receipts I often buy all kinds of gardening supplies at the same time like mulch and cow manure and garden gloves etc. I guess i should just keep all my receiipts for a season and try to figure out how much I spend for everything. It's such a chore!
Joann

When we bought our house, the back yard was an absolute jungle. We loaded 30 lawn leaf bagw with debris. Then we sat back and observed for a few years, watched the seasons change, noticed "volunterrs' coming up. Crocus and hyaconths in the back, strawbberries on the side. We augmented with more bulbs and strawberries, then we brought in some new vegetables, asparagus and rhubarb and then heirloom tomatoes. I decided to recreate my randmother's Rose Garden. She was a Rose Rustler, used to take rose cuttings from cemetery bouquets, brought them home and rooted them. I did the same, but I got most of my roots by trading or even buying on GardenWeb. I bought some Bleeding Hearts, a childhhod favorite. Friends gave me Lily of the Valley pips, suddenly I did the flowers and DH did the veggie gardening. He noticed my flowers, and I weeded his vegetables. One day he said "You can spend whsat you want on flowers. And I never turned back. He noticed my pot ghetto. I was having a little trouble wedging everything in. But I managed.Right now I have four flats of seedlings going. It will all work out. I lust for about $200 worth Of new plAnts from White Flower farm. Dare I? YESSS!!!!

I don't share what I spend with DH on flowers and plants, and he doesn't share with me what he spends on his hobbies. He has absolutely no clue what I have put in landscaping. Neither do I, for that matter, because if I kept up with it I would probably be mortified. :D We have always split expenses 50/50, and whatever is left from our individual checks is ours to spend however we like.

I don't really have a budget per se, but this year I am trying to spend less by growing from seed I swapped for on the Seed Exchange, plant swaps, and propagating my own plants. Last year I didn't count what I spent, but I think it's safe to say it was a ridiculous amount. But, as others have said, I really don't spend much on myself otherwise. I hate shopping for anything but plants. :)

I spend the same amount on plants that my husband does on dvds. Well, approximately. I think it adds up to about $500 a year for plants, roses, mulch, ornaments, etc... but my gardens are still fairly new and need work. I get my husbands approval for everything but we don't really budget for it - more that if something seems really excessive or unnecessary then he'll question if I really need it. He's taken more of an interest in the garden and wants to buy an arch and garden fence for my rose garden which is great because those are fairly big expenses and I didn't think he'd let me spend that much. I think our relationship works better on mutual trust and understanding. I mean, I completely understand why he needed to order two dvds from amazon.uk over the weekend and he understood why I needed a bunch of pansies.

And I don't tell him how much I spend on shoes either! Some things must be kept to oneself.

"And I don't tell him how much I spend on shoes either! Some things must be kept to oneself."

Oh, I hear you on that one, girlfriend - you're right, some things are better kept to oneself....

I didn't budget at all until this spring when I got my yearly account summary from my credit card company! Yes, I do keep my card paid up in full, BUT it did show me all that I had spent in a year on everything garden. And let me tell you, I WAS mortified! I think it was probably close to $3k which included everything, mulch, compost bin, plants, roses, replacements, tools, pruners, gloves, etc., etc., etc. NOW, I am totally watching what I spend this year.
My DH will be happy! :)

kentstar - sounds reasonable to me...:-)

Kenstar, I was waiting for someone to post a "budget" in the thousands of dollars. I thought maybe I was the only one. I don't really budget, but I never spend above my means. Over an entire gardening season I spend well over 2k and probably closer to 3k depending on how many trees and shrubs are being purchased. I don't think about $200 per month on average over the year is excessive for a passion (ok, an addiction). LOL!

Thanks, thymne2dig and Kenstar. Glad to have company!

There are probably "tiers" garden budgets. Some people have time and little money; some are frugal and love a challenge.

But a couple thousand a season is not a lot if you are a collector of unusual plants- especially shrubs and trees. And if you don't have another 25 years to wait for 3 year old whips to mature- because you're already 60- well older stock is more expensive

And- still thinking about the 60 year olds- hiring some help is necessary because the garden is too big and getting up off the ground is getting difficult.

I know people who spend thousands each season on plants and help, travel across the country to see gardens, and spend every waking hour in the garden.

I'm betting they don't have a budget.

Over the entire year, I'm sure I spend a few thousand. I am grateful my husband and I both work, and that he loves to see me happy in the garden. And he's a handyman and keeps gardening costs down. He made a sturdy rose arbor that would have cost a fortune from Walpole Woodworkers, he's built stonewalls around the gardens, and can haul a lot more dirt and mulch than I can.

Between hardscape additions and new plantings, I would say I tip the scales around 4.5k every year.

I have a lot of gardens and a great crew, but I still enjoy doing it all, it is hard to keep up though.

Next project is a greenhouse I fell in love with in England. Now that will kill the budget this summer. I just got a quote for over 60k.

That may have to wait another year : ).

Keriann~

No budget here. I try to keep my spending reasonable, but I have difficulty "curtailing my wants" as Tammy said.

But gardening is what I enjoy most, and is the only thing I blow any money on. I am a very frugal person otherwise, but ended up ordering about $250 worth of roses, plus $100 more on other plants. (This happens every year).

The cost of tools doesn't count, they are "necessities". Mulch doesn't count, that's "landscaping".

When it comes to plants, my greed has no limits.

Yes, mulch, tools and hardscapes never count.
I think I spent close to

$200 in pansies and cabbages
last fall. No more cabbages/kale ever. They all rotted out.

Well, can't say "never" I usually forget every couple years how poorly cabbages do for me, then buy a bunch again.

bumblebeez, when you say that your cabbages and kales "all rotted out," did you mean edible or ornamental varieties of cabbages and kales? This was a rough winter, of course, for a lot of winter annuals here in the South, and just about everything was pretty tattered until about three weeks ago. Pansies looked like total ass through January and February this year, and some of my usual complementary foliage plants for winter, like mustards and cardoons, died out completely in yards around here. But the cabbages held up okay, and the kales were absolute troopers this winter. In fact, several kinds of ornamental kale ended up being the superstars of the winter garden this year in a number of the yards I visit here in central NC, even right through the brutal stretch when the ground stayed frozen for two weeks back in January. Overall, I was really impressed with them, and have gained new respect for their hardiness and attractiveness as winter color. Did you have a different experience with them this winter?

tla, we had a similar year for pansies here. It was so cold and so incredibly wet that the pansies just kind of drew in on themselves. But, do you know, about three weeks ago the weather turned warm and the pansies are spectacular! Even my poor deer-ravaged ones have put out new growth and are blooming like mad. It's mighty hard to beat them. ( I had Ultima Morpho this year and they are spectacular with blue hyacinths and daffodils. They may become my permanent choice.)

I planted Red Russian Kale this year in my fall vegetable garden. Not only is it the most delicious green I have ever eaten, but the plants are gorgeous. The leaves are large and frilly and are a deep blue green with an overlay of brilliant red violet. I am going to plant them in ornamental beds next year for sure. I planted them in early fall and did not lose a single plant to the cold and wet. My soil is amended clay. No rotting whatsoever. I am impressed

No budget for me, either. I buy what I want when I want, as long as the funds are available :-) It helps that I don't need to account for my expenditures to anyone else but even when I was married, I never did - we each had our own income and after household bills and some savings, what was left was ours to do with as we pleased. Personally, I'd rather spend my disposable income on what gives me the most pleasure and as I am not a mall shopper (nor a fashionplate), it's plants and gardening accoutrements and the odd splurge of dining out.

Being a plant collector as well as working in the nursery industry, I have spent a LOT of money over the years on my garden, sometimes well over the $1K mark annually. Do I spend that much every year? No, and with a new and significantly smaller garden, I find my expenditures are much less as I have to really limit my choices based on space.

It does help to have a very generous employee discount at the nursery, but not everything I want or need is available there and I am not shy about coughing up the bucks elsewhere if it is something I deem "necessary" :-)

All my cabbages/kales were ornamentals and all were in containers. I don't think I did anything wrong (well, maybe I did) but we had a very wet winter and that did them in. I have had some success with them in the past so I think it was the weeks of rain. All my pansies have done great, as always.

I'm glad it's over! The 15 day forecast does not have freezing temps and I hope we are officially in spring.

Oh Idabean! You mentioned people traveling across the country to see gardens. Does that count towards a garden budget?! I don't "count" that towards gardening. Do I have to? LOL! I do a lot of traveling to visit gardens. This is why I can't budget for this hobby. If I have money to spend it's sure to go towards some form of garden fun!

Kerriann, I'd love to see a picture of the greenhouse you have planned if you have one.

Gardengal, I like your style with deeming things as "necessary" in the garden. Unfortunately there is so much great plant material out there these days, an awful lot could be deemed necessary thus increasing the ever-growing budget. :o)

I sometimes say to myself...I'll spend X amount this year...then as someone said, I buy what I want, when I want.

Someone else mentioned they don't buy much else for themselves..funny, I just realized I need to upgrade my clothes!

I have to drop $200 a year just on mulch.

I don't really budget, but I don't spend a lot. But then I don't keep up with what I spend, so might be a lot more than I think! DH often fusses when I bring home more plants, more because of space than $. I tell him when he stops buying cigarettes, we'll talk: my addiction is healthier :)

My husband and I are big 'justifiers' when it comes to gardening. What I mean is....

We've only been in our house for four years and there really was no landscaping to speak of, so we have to put money into it, right? Or....

I bought a bunch of roses this year because its my present for finishing my thesis and graduating grad school. In that case its okay to splurge. Or...

We don't need to worry about a budget soo much because our garden is one of our major hobbies and we don't eat out or spend a lot on clothes, etc. On and on and on. Garden purchases can always be justified some way or another, especially if its a perennial. :)

I've developed an interest in butterfly gardening recently - nectar and larval host plants. The cost of these plants don't count towards the "budget" as they aren't even for me. Isn't the endeavor both noble and responsible? You can't put a price on that, right?

I don't really keep track of what I spend. It would probably frighten me. I keep telling myself that I won't spend so much once I finally get it the way I want it. Of course I know (and DH is beginning to suspect) that that will never happen. There will always be something to change or something new to try.

Totally Confused

The way I see it, spending money on my gardening hobby is better than giving it to some anonymous therapist for mental counselling when my stress level gets too high or depression sets in. Money for gardening should come under the medical expense budget.

ontnative, as a member of the ATAA (Anonymous Therapists Association of America), I'm outraged by your libelous defamation of our industry. You'll be hearing from our legal department.

I do not budget, I do not know how much I spend a year on plants but I'm sure it is over $1000, I don't really want to know, I'd never keep all the receipts. That would be scary. I don't buy a lot of annuals but I do collect plants. DH does not care. He only complains when my pot ghetto/nursery gets too full and interferes with his precious but weedy and half moss lawn.

Budget? Uhhhh, that's a no. I have definately trimmed back over the years in how much I spend b/c I "grew up" and got a little bit (remember I said little bit) smarter about my money. I remember the days when I would walk in a garden center, buy pretty much whatever, you know, drop $100 bucks or more and not even think about it. I don't do that anymore but my tastes have also changed from annuals (the early years) to the rare or tissue cultured onesm which of course, cost more. When your favorite plant (echinacea) cost $20-30 bucks for one, it doesn't take long to burn a hole in the "budget".

I do buy plugs now, which helps but I just spent $90 bucks on something to spray on one particular type of plant in my garden. OK, that's pretty insane, but we do it for the love of our plants, right? Like I said, I don't spend nearly as much as I used to, but this isn't exactly a cheap hobby either, is it? Mulch, trellises, plants, etc. all add up and quickly. I guess my total now is probably still breaking the thousand mark, somewhere in there. It used to be thousands, LOL, so I am doing great! :)

No budget here either, I buy what I want, when I want and as my DH is usually with me he knows what I spend. It's the same with him, as long as our bills are paid and we have a good bit put away for a rainy day, we see something we want and we can afford it we get it. After all you only come this way once so enjoy. We made sure that when DH retired we were debt free and to this day we pay interest to no-one, this alone makes a big difference in your disposable income :o).

Like some of the other posters, I used to spend a lot more the first few years creating the gardens (started in 2005). Somewhere between $500-1000 per year on plants and tools. Purchases included things like $140 on mature ornamental grasses one year and $125 on a 15 gallon Amelanchier x lamarckii specimen another year.

Then the gardens matured, the yard has a nice backbone of mature canopy trees and shrubs, and I discovered less expensive ways to acquire plants, such as purchasing tree/shrub seedlings in bulk, or plant swaps and winter-sowing thru Gardenweb. Now I spend money on tools, but next to zero on plants. I thoroughly enjoy propagating plants from seed and am even collecting seed and experimenting with propagating trees and shrubs (although I could buy what I wanted and answer to no one about how $$$ are spent.)

I'm afraid to say that we usually end up spending about $500 in plants and that doesn't include the mulch. If we put it down ourselves, we go through 15 bags(40lbs.each). We go crazy, like a kid in a penny candy store once planting season rolls around. We go to the garden center with certain plants in mind and lose those thoughts when we see all the beautiful plants and most of them have been annuals. Why do you think wintersowing appealed to me? I had to try it this year and see if I can make a difference in what we spend. I am a happy camper when I see the Proven winners plants..and swear by them and their quality. What makes it all worth while when the one neighbor walks by and says"Your flowers are beautiful; thanks for beautifying our neighborhood!"

I don't have a budget because I'd never stick to it. I'd lie to my husband if he asked how much I spent and I hope that he would do the same for me if I asked him how much he spent on race car parts!

ontnative and tlacuache-laughing out loud at your posts!

Went to the nursery for the first time this year...JUST TO LOOK-really. Managed to come home with only two shrubs-a carlisii viburnum that has a spectacular shape and a ruby spice clethera that my husband thought was already dead-lol.

I will be seeking help from ATAA since I want to go back tomorrow-or check out one of the other nurseries-purely for comparison, dontchaknow.

Budget, your suppose to set a budget? I don't know how much I spend on my garden and honestly, I really don't want to know. To keep myself in check though, I only pay cash. I'm frugal, when I started the garden here, I went back to my old place and dug all the plants I put in. I love June and July, when it gets so hot that the garden centers can't keep up with the watering. I've gotten some real nice deals. Then I discover the seed and plant exchange, what blessing. And lets not forget the end of the seasons deals. I also agree that gardening is so much cheaper then having to go see another therapist.

It would scare me too much to figure out how much I spend on gardening. Fortunately, I'm single, so I don't have to listen to anyone griping about it.

Deanna