cactus_joe, it sound like you are making this a moral question as much as a financial one. I am interpreting between the lines the question "Is it right to spend all this money on -lets admit it- foo foo flowers when there are people struggling to get by and feed themselves. Especially now with high gas and food prices." Am I correct in the assumption that your answer would be noÂ?

If so I see where you are coming from. I never understood why many of my fellows absolutely NEED a big-screen high-def TV. They seem to treat it as one of lifeÂs necessities. Not only can I not reliably tell the difference between high-def and regular, but I find a small TV works fine.

Somewhat the same with gardening and plant choices. But there is a difference. I find gardening one of the few ways I can relax and stop to Âsmell the rosesÂ. My garden is not large by any means and the cost of plants and upkeep may be higher than I like but I do not feel guilty for spending the money. If it was the latest gadget or electronic I would agree that there is a question of necessity and a morality question of do you really need an I-phone with all the bells and whistles that you never use or an LCD TV.

But not gardening. Not plants. I am very frugal by nature and am happy that I get all my plants at a good deal. If it is too expensive I will not buy it. And how much it is worth to me, how much I need to have a hobby that gets me working with the sun, water and earth is worth so much to me that a price cannot be attached. I propagate almost all annuals that I can from seed and divide plants rather than get another. But still I can pay a sum to get plants that I really want that I do not have.

I do not feel guilty doing so.

This is a very interesting topic and timely for me too. I am pretty frugal by nature and try to make value decisions when shopping including for the garden. I find rising prices really cause my automatic frugal view to kick in big time and I usually respond by cutting back to keep the total I spend in line. I did try winter sowing three years ago and really did it more to be gardening in the winter than for any other reason, but I was amazed at how many plants I could produce for very minor cost, which made me feel very satisfied with that. lol I rarely spend money on very many annuals and have often purchased perennials for containers to make my garden dollar go further. Although last year, I bought two lantanas and was amazed at how they outperformed every perennial I had ever tried in my full sun, 'forget to water once in awhile' bed. I will buy these every year, because they really delivered.

I was watching the show P.Allen Smith on TV today and my response to his show seems to have taken a turn in a negative direction.

He used to have a small suburban lot that he had created a really attractive garden in. He had a small covered porch between his house and garage where he did demonstrations on camera. I thought he had a good eye and enjoyed watching some of the creative projects he would come up with and the attractive results.

Well, with success, in the last year or two, he has received major sponsorship to create a new garden on a large property. I assume the sponsors have purchased the property? Well, today was the first time I had seen the show since he changed locations. I was flabbergasted. He has this huge property with a huge kitchen garden and orchard. They are building a building of some sort with outdoor kitchens, plural and an outdoor entertaining area.

I found myself wondering who would benefit from watching what he does with this property and garden. Who is going to look at their acre lot, even their 3 acre lot, where they have no room for arbors of grapes and an orchard with 20 fruit trees and the most expensive high end outdoor kitchen/ entertaining area and feel happy with what they have. It must take a team of 20 people to just manage to keep up the vegetable garden area. All the containers of proven winner annuals everywhere, I can only imagine how much it cost for the plant material in just one container. I just find it over the top, and indulgent. I realized by his description of his methods of installing and caring for his fruit trees, that he is not organic either, although I used to think he leaned in that direction. He has installed these odd bag contraptions around the trunks of the fruit trees that he fills with water and synthetic fertilizer at very close intervals. They did a few close ups on some of his fruiting plants...strawberries and raspberries and the foliage did not look pristine but had a few leaves that looked unhealthy. He also cooks on the show and the recipes are so out of touch. Full of sticks of butter and tons of sugar and cream.

I don't usually have that response to gardening shows, so I found it curious that I did to this one today. I think it is in line with what cactus joe was trying to say. When is enough, enough?

pm2

All of you made very valid points and I agree with most all of what you said....I have had all of those thoughts I guess at one time or the other....But overriding all inner voices for me is another voice......My wife's.....:)

When she says enough, it's enough......

Paul from Alabama

This begs the question - if you cut back on your garden expenditures only to the barest essentials, would you then actually donate the monies not spent to charity? If the answer is no, I don't see the dilemma - moral or otherwise. If the answer is yes, you're an admirable person.

By and large, we're a generous, caring lot: the church, girl scout cookies, local food shelves, can't pass by a Salvation Army kettle without tossing in a handful of change, favorite charities we support on an annual basis, catastrophic events - you name it and we donate to support it.

How much is too much is quite subjective. Within whatever you feel is reasonable for your situation, passing up that extra flat of petunias or better grade pruning saw might do no more than make you feel momentarily deprived rather than like someone who fought the great battle against the world's woes - and won.

Nothing between the lines here. I'm a great advocate of being charitable. I'm also a great advocate of those who find peace, contentment, a sense of anticipation and wonder, and not to mention just pure joy in planting something in the ground. Maybe there's even a kind of charity in that, too.

I know I have already responded once to this, but this conversation is truly fascinating to me. Prairiemoon, I am so in synch with you! I picked up a copy of Martha Stewart magazine this month, and there was an article about her new gardens at her new home. JUST her peonies number in the hundreds: not hundreds of varieties, but hundreds of plants of thirty varieties. It seems to me there is a line somewhere between pure enjoyment and pride or self indulgence or sheer wanton greed. I know I'm not qualified to say exactly where that line is, but surely surely there is a point at which we ARE responsible for those less fortunate as we buy and buy and buy.

I know that just living here in America is an enormous blessing, and I feel a deep desire to give something back from my bountiful plenty. I teach young families how to grow vegetables at our church every spring. I host women's prayer groups in my beautiful gardens. I head up the landscaping committee at my church so that we can give the money that would be spent on maintenance to other causes. As long as I am living responsibly and using what I have to help others (even if it's just to give them a moment of restful pleasure), I don't feel guilty for having it. Rather, I feel incredibly, enormously grateful.

Donna... I also have responded once to this posting and, like you, find the tone of the other responses fascinating. I wondered as I read everyone's thoughts if we, as a nation settling into very difficult times for probably many years to come, are perhaps becoming more aware of what we do in relationship to others. Maybe that's why excesses (the hundreds of peonies, the over-the-top landscaping shows) seem to so jarring to some of us.

As getting by become harder for many citizens, hopefully others will take on your approach: we can give money and/or give of ourselves to others in need. We can share what we have... extra plants or food crops.. and spread them around to our neighbors. I think that even when we are creating our own gardens, we are giving something .. the beauty of nature... to others around us. The gardens I create bring beauty to my part of the world. A week ago a boy rode by on his bike while I was weeding my front garden. The kid must have been about 11 or 12. As he was peddaling by he said, "I love your flowers. Aren't flowers beautiful to look at?"

Molie

Well, I spent more at the local garden club sale today than I did at nurseries; and that money goes to beautifying our town and supporting public plantings. So I got plants and contributed to public spaces all people can enjoy and get exercise in while they do so. Next weekend is our Master Gardeners' sale, and they also provide a valuable service for lots of people.

I also think gardening contributes to physical and mental health. If it's okay to spend money on a gym membership for the sake of health, then it should be a no-brainer that it's okay to spend money on a garden which produces health and beauty.

Well, i'm on plant probation this year. But oddly, i feel ok about that. I'm actually looking forward to really getting to know how to best care for my garden as it stands today, and i took the liberty of purchasing a bottle of rooting hormone to try my luck at propagation.

I admit, though, that i'm sitting here with a sense of anxiety about how long my grass is. Last year, i'd mow pretty much once a week. This year, i'm determined to get at LEAST two weeks between mows.

Hard for an anal retentive virgo to adjust to bushy grass.

Donna, I think we are on the same wave length in this regard. Yes, Martha would be another example. I used to very much enjoy Martha's ability to aim at perfection when she first came on the scene, but very quickly she has also crossed the line for me.

I guess I feel like it doesn't take tons of money to have a garden you can enjoy. Even someone on a budget can have the most magical garden.

It makes me wonder why. Is it because once you can buy anything you want, it gets pretty boring? Nothing satisfies you any more? I mean once you can afford a really nice home and a nice property and don't have to skimp on what you choose for your garden. You create a lovely environment. Then you need 4 more homes with bigger and better gardens than the last one?

Compare that to say Bette Midler, who champions community gardens in New York City. So you do up your property with the best of everything and you get a little bored and still have all these creative ideas to use. So, go create a garden for someone who doesnt have one. There are plenty of examples of people earning a very good living who use what they have to make the world a better place.

This has been a very interesting thread, and I hesitated to join in because I feel slightly judgmental saying what *I* think is enough.

However, I feel that I am in agreement with many here. I can only speak for myself personally, as far as how much is okay to spend. I am a *very* frugal person - my husband outright calls me cheap, lol - so I would never spend money on my garden if for example the mortgage was late or the kids were hungry, to use extreme examples.

I have some clothes that are over 15 years old (I know because I remember buying them after the birth of my now 17-year-old daughter). The only reason I have a 3-year-old car is because my 15-year-old Civic died on me (sniff, sniff). I live in a modest house furnished almost completely with hand-me-down and used furniture, and watch a tv that is so blurry we can't read the program guide, lol. My kids, to be honest, are sometimes embarassed because we live in an affluent area and lots of their friends live in McMansions with fancy furnishings, a tv in every room, a personal bathroom for each family member, new cars, etc.

That being said, I spend most of my personal, individual spending money (when I have it, lol) on my garden. It's my main hobby, and I find peace, contentment, and a connectedness with nature in my garden. But even then, I do not buy a lot of plants. I winter-sow, which has given me tons of plants and saved me tons of money, (and lets me play in the dirt in winter!) I spend the majority of the money in the garden in major improvement-type things - getting dead trees taken down, a truckful of compost to start some new beds, cinderblocks for the raised beds, a leaf shredder to make mulch, etc.

And also, I think that everyone who plants a garden is adding beauty to the world in their little corner of it. We could all be buying lots of new clothes or fancy cars or electronics, etc., which add to our environmental worries (oops, I'm getting judgmental here, aren't I, lol?) but gardening helps the world.

One last note. I've started expanding my vegetable gardening. Flower gardening is closest to my heart, and more fun, but I do find some satisfaction in being able to feed my family to some extent. Vegetable gardening gives back some actual, tangible return on one's investment

Okay, one more last note, lol. I tend to agree with the opinions expressed about Martha Stewart's show/magazine, as well as some of these gardening magazines that show absolutely amazing, near-impossible-for-the-average-person gardens, and don't even get me started on the shows like Landscaper's Challenge - "Sue and Joe have a budget of $30,000 to spend on the back yard" - sheesh.

But, that being said, if I had a spare $30,000 to spend, - a truly spare, spend-on-anything $30,000 - would I spend it on my garden? Awfully tempting, lol, awfully tempting!

:)
Dee

After much thinking and considering, I decided that I'll spend however much I please on my garden. What's more, I don't care whether it's the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do. I spent a large chunk of my life doing the "right thing" because there is no "somebody" to do it--there's only you. I'm done with my efforts to save the world.

I like gardening. If anyone else on this planet appreciates or gains from my efforts in the garden, great. But if they don't, it doesn't matter. Gardening helps me to deal with and recover from my efforts to do the "right thing". Gardening fascinates me, and keeps me busy mentally and physically. Gardening amuses my cats.

So I'll do and spend as I please for and in my garden.

This thread should read (What Gardening means to you),because as we read it means so much to alot of us.Me myself, it means I now have a full filling life again.Being dealt with an empty nest and a husband that thrives on working,I was left so bored and addicted to playing useless internet games.He purchased me a greenhouse for christmas and my life was changed forever.I cant walk out of the house without buying seeds of some kind,and I want to grow everything myself from seed.I have a huge garden that he does help with,but my flowers are mine.I thank God everyday for his beauty we can enjoy.

"...If anyone else on this planet appreciates or gains from my efforts in the garden, great. But if they don't, it doesn't matter. Gardening helps me to deal with and recover from my efforts to do the "right thing"...."

I think this is the key phrase for me. During the day I give and give and give of my time, energy, and efforts so when I get home at night or on the weekends, I like that personal "me" time I get in the gardens.

I'm not making my family starve or wear paper bags instead of shoes. My financial priorities are in order. But when I have a little spending money, instead of going to the movies or to the bar room, I go to the garden centers. My husband would spend his on video games.

Different perspectives for different people.

I suspect that the future of this planet is at great risk and its habitability for many species may become compromised. It's about time that people wake up and get a clue, that the Earth's precious resources are NOT infinite and that our actions do affect the planet.

In the US, as well as most parts of the world, we are heading for very tough times. We are incredibly dependent on petroleum, which is one of the most widely studied resources on the planet and surprise, it's FINITE. Anyone ever heard the phrase "peak oil" mentioned on the news? In the aftermath of peak oil the price of all petroleum products are going nowhere but UP, which means the price of everything else is going up too.

Sure we will transition to alternative energy sources, but it will be an uncomfortable and expensive transition that will be mired in political wrangling. Do you think the petroleum profiteers who have a stranglehold on our economy are suddenly going to become benefactors and give up some of their profits? IMO it is nothing less than despicable that ExxonMobil is posting record profits when people are suffering NOW as a direct result of their profiteering. And I don't mean people who wince when they fill their gas-guzzling SUV - I mean elderly and poor people who couldn't heat their homes this past winter.

In recent years, the very rich (top 1%) are the only ones getting richer. They will not feel the pinch of rising costs like all other classes of people. They can spend extravagantly and it won't threaten their financial security. How out of sync with current and future times.

In the meantime, I will spend some of my discretionary income on gardening (the rest is spent on a teenager!). It makes the world a more beautiful place - the wildlife appreciates it - it is one of the most enjoyable activities I can imagine - and if the neighbors or passersby enjoy the garden too, that's a bonus. Off the Soapbox. :)

Naturally, this topic, just by the title of it, should alert all of us to the potential for differing views that would be expressed. I didn't think anyone had said anything to make anyone feel judged. I think the point of the post, to me, was that there is an increasing awareness of personal choices we make and how they effect the planet. I am sure we are all thinking more about it. I heard the OP express what he has been thinking lately about how even his gardening decisions have an effect. I think that once you start thinking about the impact that what we do has on one aspect of life, you find yourself taking that same principle and trying to apply it to the rest. Until it becomes an overall approach to how you try to do everything consistently.

Life is difficult as some of you have pointed out and we all have to try to keep our balance as we try to respond to a changing reality in the world. Hopefully here on the forums, some of these ideas can be discussed in such a way that we all get something from it.

pm2

Life is short, you need to do what makes you happy (as long as it does not hurt others). I don't smoke, I don't go to bars and I probaly go out to dinner 10 times a year. I do garden because it makes me happy. So when I have extra money - that is how I spend it and it brings me hours of joy in return.

I spend whatever I want because my garden makes me happy. I don't want a lot though because I'm tired of all the digging.

If someone wants to spend $ so be it. If they're keeping professional growers, garden shops and other cottage industries in business, all the better. Spread the wealth, and keep the economy moving.

At the crack of dawn, I wade though my beds weeding, trimming, watering, looking ... etc. I like to escape the problems of the world when I'm in the garden. Maybe that sounds simplistic, but it does me a world of good. I can deal with the world's problems after my shower.

"....During the day I give and give and give of my time, energy, and efforts so when I get home at night or on the weekends, I like that personal "me" time I get in the gardens."

Wholeheartedly agree. One time someone asked me why I'm so diligent about fitting in time to exercise, and I tried to explain to them this concept - my days are filled with responsibilities, and that hour or so each day that I get to exercise is MY time - I don't have to think about anyone or anything else but ME and it melts away my tension and clears my mind. I *NEED* my time alone or I'm just not productive in other areas of my life.

So I absolutely understand when others say the same thing about gardening - same concept, different activity, and a pricetag just can't be put on the mental benefits.

mehearty, I totally agree with your feelings. Been gardening for 56 years and find more enjoyment on my knees in the garden than any where else. Every Spring I find such delight watching for those first little sprouts to reassure me they made it through another Iowa winter. Gardeners are optimistic folks. I dig my extra perennials every Spring for a plant sale and spend that money on some new things to add to the gardens without feeling guilty. It does worry me some about the watering situation though. Don't have a sprinkling system and just hope the Lord will send enough rain to keep things growing. Mary

For Christmas I got 3 gift certificates for nurseries (2 local, one online). I also put some of my birthday money away for gardening stuff (I'm putting in drip irrigation, designed myself)

I'm waiting this week for my biggest and best Christmas certificate purchases to be delivered. I will admit I also supplemented the GC with a little money I made doing extra at work (tutoring and coaching supplementals)

I have (and will continue to) trade for some things (that are not easily available anywhere). I also will stop by and support the best local nursery (though they really don't have anything I really have on my lists to add this year). I'll go a few times this season and get things to help brighten up my shut-in mother-in-law's yard. We share a love of gardening:)

~Chills

I'm aware that I'm posting this as an "outside" looking in, and feel free to jump down my throat, but...

1) Nowadays I grow most of my annuals and perennials - even some shrubs - from seed. Okay - so many cultivars/named varieties don't come true, but a good number of them will do, or may even give you something more interesting. If I buy from nurseries/garden centres, I'll buy one potful, grow it on and divide it. If there is a cultivar that I really, really want, I may go ahead and buy it, but I'll research the cheapest way of doing so first. I also swap cuttings/plants with neighbours.

2) My boyfriend has just come back from two weeks in the States (Coachella festival, and then a drive along the coast). He has visited the US before but was still amazed by the huge amounts of food served in every restaurant (at a fraction of the price a meal would cost over here). Also by the low price of goods in general - especially clothes, electronic goods and CDs, but also plants and seeds. Petrol (gas) is also still MUCH cheaper than in the UK. (There is a very favourable rate of exchange at the moment, but even so, prices are still generally much lower.)

So... from where I'm standing, you all still have it pretty good!

ornata, I was very interested in your perspective as my oldest daughter has lived and worked in Dublin for the past several years but recently has been transfered to London. What strikes her whenever she returns home to CT is the "overabundance and waste" ... those are her words, not mine... and "the sorry lack of improvement in the US public transportation system." Americans use their cars much more than Europeans. I, myself, have over a 50 mile commute to work each day. So, yes, I am one of those complaining about our increasing petrol costs, though I know you have always had to pay much, much more.

My daughter's house in Dublin has a teeny-tiny front yard and a back garden; yards there are not as large compared to those in most American homes & the gardening is done on a much smaller scale. Plus, I don't recall many garden centers like we have here in the US. And I guess it's true that until the latest economic downturn, most Americans who liked to garden have had lots of places in which to spend their money on plants. Hopefully those stores and garden centers will survive. Like most people who post here, I absolutely can't imagine not having my gardens, even if I may have to scale down the purchasing at times.

I'm curious...Do you have a variety of mail-order garden centers in Europe?

Molie

It's comforting to see so many kindred spirits. I've read your words and I feel as if you've already expressed how I feel. My budget too is very tight. The garden is my one indulgence. I give myself a monthly garden allowance of about $30. I've slowly been able to build up my garden --God bless Bluestone and its pre-planned gardens, one of the best deals around. I also benefit from having a loving family: My perennial (he-he) Christmas request is a gift certificate from Bluestone and nearly every year my Secret Santa (one of my brothers or sisters) gets one for me.
As the cost of gasoline and heating oil has risen, I have had to cut back on purchases -- and have done a lot more dividing of perennials this year to fill in spots where something has perished. I'm holding off on expanding my beds.

I'll have try winter sowing, sounds like a great way to save money.

Q: Speaking of frugal, have you heard of the magazine/newsletter "Penny Pinchers' Press"? I've always wonder if the publishers consider a rise in individual subscriber rates as a failure or a success. That is, to keep with its goal of helping people find ways to save money, shouldn't it tell folks to read copies of the magazine at the library?

I think that the sentiment behind the original question is admirable, as well as the poster's actions of donating to his charitable causes. That said, I don't begrudge the money I spend on my gardens. Istart a great deal from seed or from cuttings, so I do tend to garden quite frugally, but I probably still spend five hundred dollars or more over teh course of the season in seeds, plants, mulch, etc. I patronize my local businesses, as well as a couple of excellent mailorder businesses, and always hit the end of season sales for things that can be had for $2.

I consider my gardening a gift to my neighborhood though. My neighbors all thoroughly enjoy my gardens, especially my elderly neighbors who aren't as able to put in the effort. My yard adjoins theirs though, so they get to enjoy the fruits of my labor. We also have a number of pedestrians taht pass by on a daily basis, and almost everyone stops to comment on the flowers. If it brightens my neighbors' day, then that's valuable. Also, my yard has become a haven for birds, bees, butterflies, rabbits, squirrels, toads, bats and beneficial insects. It's wonderful to help songbirds make it through a MN winter with plantings that have fruit or seedheads that they like and to see flowers just humming with bees.

My garden also is a means to destress and become happy and to get exercise and sunshine. The money spent on plants is money I don'tn have to spend on a doctor, a therapist, or a divorce lawyer. I also get the joy of being able to dump carloads of divisions and seedlings on my friends so that they can grow their own gardens.

Who could disagree with how important our gardens are to us? I would expect that no matter how dire the economic conditions become, people still find a way to garden, which is wonderful. I am reminded of the Victory Gardens of WWII.

ornata and Molie, I found it quite interesting to hear comparisons to the differences between here and in Europe. I think a major difference is in sheer geography. We are blessed here with a huge amount of land in comparison to Europe. Everything is so spread out that cars are certainly more of a necessity. European countries have a much more compact and manageable area to have to provide public transportation than we do here. Comparing the size of gardens is also interesting. I did watch that Gardening Show they had from the UK and found it fascinating to see how small backyards were. Postage stamp size really, in comparison to our yards, which again, is an issue of geography, I am sure. If many of our gardens are three times larger than European counterparts, the larger the gardening budget has to be too.

Another aspect of gardening budget has not come up yet, and that is in terms of investment and time. Property value is another factor in keeping your yard in shape. Of course, gardeners probably go above and beyond what is necessary which sometimes has the opposite effect on property value from what I have read. The other aspect of budgeting for a garden, is time. In the beginning of planting a garden, the expenses are quite high. We had to renovate an overgrown property and even doing 90% of the labor ourselves, just the cost of plant materials has been an unusual expense that we don''t have every year. But to offset that, we bought many small shrubs and are living with waiting to have it all fill in.

I don't think the original poster was suggesting that anyone consider not gardening as a way of saving money in an economic downturn. [g] I think he was simply expressing his own desire to make responsible choices and an effort to be more budget minded and restrained even in the area of his garden budget, which I appreciate very much.

pm2

I wonder if people are spending at the garden center because the budget is tight. No car trips across country this summer, no splurge vacations...instead there is more settling in to enjoy our own home and gardens. My gardens are lovely, relaxing, peaceful, and beautiful...better than most bed and breakfasts. Why not stay home, grill something on the barbeque, and enjoy the sound of splashing from the water feature? It's paid for already.

I spend what I can, when I can on my garden. I don't really do anything else, so when I have a little extra, that's what I do.
It's an outlet for me, from the stress of what life throws, and I enjoy doing it.
I like seeing the changes and I like making things nice for my family to enjoy.
I never feel guilty about it, because whatever I do, it's benefitting one little section of this earth, we don't go on trips to much, so why not?

Here's another perspective: I doubt I've spent on the garden in my lifetime as much as sedentary friends my age or younger have spent this past year on medications, doctors, and hospitals. I know I'm lucky to have good health, but I truly believe that my gardening passion is a big contributor to this fortunate state.

"I don't think the original poster was suggesting that anyone consider not gardening as a way of saving money in an economic downturn. [g] I think he was simply expressing his own desire to make responsible choices and an effort to be more budget minded and restrained even in the area of his garden budget, which I appreciate very much."
Prairiemoon2

Thanks, PM2, for clarifying the intent of the original question.

Everyone should garden, for the many reasons that posters have given - it's a healthy and soothing past-time, a stress buster, it beautifies the neighbourhood, it can be bountiful (fruits and vegetables), etc. Many of you have given reasons on how you justify how much you spend on your gardening pursuits.

We all live differently, our circumstances are different and we have different philosophy towards gardening. So, the different (and interesting!) responses that have been posted so far are reflective of those differences. But whatever our situation, whatever our philosophy, there must be a point at which we take a step back and ask if it's too much. Maybe some of us do ask that question, maybe some don't. For those of us who ask, how do you decide what's comfortable for you? It certainly seems that the current economic climate does have an influence on some of us.

(Now, I did purposely exclude any spending on structural improvements. Whereas repaving that new patio may be expensive, it does enhance the value of the property. But putting more plants into the garden is a bit of a gamble, as property buyers can be fickle - it is a guarantee that a good proportion of viewers who come and see the property will not agree with your taste in plants and planting scheme.)

Cactus joe, you are welcome and thank you for jumping back in to clarify further what the intent of the post was. Nothing unusual here, posts take on a life of their own. :-)

You asked, how do you decide what is comfortable for you? For me, it is not about making a decision whether to garden or not, or whether to make garden purchases. That is a given every year. I don't actually set a budget per se. I have gardening goals that I developed keeping in mind that I want to keep the costs down to as little as I can get away with. [g] Here are examples of how I make garden purchase decisions...

I have priorities of what is the most important goal to accomplish each year. I try to make purchases that will be an investment in getting the garden to where I am trying to go. For instance, one constant expense are containers. I like all the specialty annuals a lot but I would rather spend money on small perennials, like Heuchera and use those for containers and add them to the garden beds at the end of the season, then spend $50. on annuals that will either be dead next spring or I will have to winter over. I still buy annuals, but make strategic, limited purchases of what I really can't do without, and what I won't grow from seed. I spent a tidy sum on a truckload of composted cow manure last fall and I consider that one of the best investments I have made. The soil already looks wonderful. If my budget was smaller, I would consider covercropping where I needed soil improvement. It does an equally great job for a whole lot less money.

I ask myself a lot of questions and take notes. I try to determine what is going to make me the happiest. Well...I would love a whole garden full of roses, but I don't have enough sun to do that. I have to have veggies, it is a must. So these are two priorities. Spending on roses is not that expensive, since I have room for so few. It is a great investment, because they can live a long time in your garden. If you find one that works well for you, it can be something you look forward to every year. If you love it that much, you don't mind at all, giving it prime real estate. I'd rather do that then start collecting some expensive varieties of annuals or on a perennial that might be borderline hardy in my area.

I practice saying no to myself. I love epimediums and they love me. I found a great supplier right in MA where I live. I have a lot of conditions that are difficult for many plants...dry shade/part shade. Epimediums are perfect for that. But the catalog has some plants that are $100. They are newly discovered from Japan. I just could never buy a plant that cost $100. I don't care how much I love it or how large my budget is. I could find 20 plants in the catalog that I like but I am in no hurry. If I decide to buy 3 a year, I have something to look forward to every year. I decide what I feel comfortable to spend and $25. for one plant is my limit. I won't read a description of any plant that costs more. I find $25. feels too expensive, but I consider this plant a mainstay in my garden but to make it easier to spend $25., I will make my other purchases between $8-$15. and save one purchase only at $25. I bought only three from their catalog last year and I plan on buying three every year from them. I also got lucky and found three more common varieties on sale half off at the end of the year sales and bought those too. So, the money I spend on roses, epimediums, a peony...is a solid investment for plants that will last and last and grow well for me. I will offset these costs further, by growing as many annuals and perennials as I can from seed.

So, I hope you can see, that by attempting to keep the costs reasonable, I am not denying myself a great garden, nor do I feel deprived in any way. As a matter of fact, using budget as a determining factor has helped me make better purchase decisions as opposed to impulsive choices at the nursery. I feel very satisfied and very happy with the plants I have. When I look at them I feel good about the decision to include them and not guilty about what they cost me, because the choice made sense for me and was offset by cutting back in other areas. As a matter of fact, making the best use of my gardening budget, is just another layer of gardening that I actually enjoy and gives me satisfaction. It's almost like a game to see how much pleasure you can get at the least cost. lol

pm2

HappyinTX, I hear ya! There is practically no place I would rather be in the whole world than the gardens. Maybe another beautiful natural place. They are like a little "Garden of Eden" to escape the stress of the daily grind. I am creating a haven of beauty that is brimming with life, where there is no end of fascinating goings-on - to me anyway! It makes a small patch of this earth a little healthier, and the birds and critters like it too. :)

Seems like a small price to pay to spend a few dollars on something like this, compared to all the other useless junk that people spend money on.

Foolish as it may sound, I'm simply thrilled that I did NOT purchase 6 Pennisetum setaceum rubrum or 6 Dracaena spike plants for my window boxes. I had plenty of stuff to fill them, so by planting what I had first, I saved gas and money because I didn't end up driving all over town to get what (else) I wanted. Alas, I need to go to Lowe's today anyways to get a yellowjacket trap and I'm sure I'll find other things I just can't live without in the garden section...

Lisa

Prairiemoon - "making the best use of my gardening budget, is just another layer of gardening that I actually enjoy and gives me satisfaction. It's almost like a game to see how much pleasure you can get at the least cost"

That's how I look at it too! My wife confessed that she was going to get me a $500 gift cert to my favorite nursery for father's day..... I actually told her *no*! Not that I wouldn't have eventually spent it, but I'd much rather piece my garden together with quart sized perennials and small starter shrubs...plus trading is always fun. And I do treat myself to a big, full-bloom, well-grown, $18 perennial now and then but it's usually just in the late summer when things are looking a little worn.

but..... something new and fancy, even in a quart size, can still run $9+ a piece.... and I do have a weakness for specialty annuals. I try to keep the annuals to under $4 a pop, and for annuals I try to limit myself to 4 nurseries or $80... whichever comes first. (perennials that I pick up along the way don't count as far as that number is concerned.... and sometimes coleus don't count either... and annuals that my wife picks and that i don't really like never count towards that limit)

Is it ok that I'm naming numbers? People have been a little shy so far.

kato...I knew I couldn't be the only one...lol! Annuals are a necessity for sure. I wish I had the consistency to winter over, but looking at the shape my houseplants are in right now...reminds me why I have sworn off doing that the past two winters. [g] Fortunately, my desire to lower maintenance has me cutting back on the number of containers I am filling, so fewer annuals are a nice result of that. But I am still buying my favorites and putting them in the best place to see them more often. I still look for six packs but getting harder to find. I did see some Heliotrope plugs for .55 this weekend! Last year at a local nursery they actually were $18. for a 4 pack! I was so shocked. I didn't have Heliotrope last year but I do this year!

I have heard lots of people say they take cuttings off one expensive annual to make more, as soon as they get them. I always want to do that, but just can't bring myself to cut off anything off a new plant. I am going to try to be brave and try it this year.

I see that some of your decision making rules are as inexplicable as mine..lol

pm2

I'll name numbers--I easily spend $1000 a year on my garden--on plants, potting soil, bulbs, seeds, containers and other sundries directly related to the plants (stakes, twine, soaker hoses, wire fencing, fertilizer, etc.). I don't spend money on hardscape, because even if I wanted to start over, there really isn't enough room to justify major hardscaping.

Maybe I should feel guilty, but I don't. I won't even bother to justify it, other than I truly enjoy gardening and shopping for plants.

Lisa

prairiemoon2.... yikes! $18.00 for a 6-pack of annuals! I actually haven't visited my favorite garden centers yet this year.... been dividing and moving around my perennials instead.

I wonder (fear) the higher prices this year at the nurseries I like to frequent, and I also hope that the big box stores don't drive some of the smaller local places out of business. Those huge stores (we all know their names) are everywhere and closer to me than most of the garden centers I love.

I used to grow annuals from seed but there isn't a place in our new house and my work/school issues have multiplied. Besides, it's too late this year to even think of that... unless I sow directly into the ground.

Molie

Actually molie, I learned from the winter sowing forum how to get a lot of plants started from seed with a lot less effort and no inside work. I use milk jugs and potting soil and everything goes out. I am still sowing annual seeds in the bottoms of milk jugs outside. Lots that come up fast..zinnias, marigolds, calendula.

I have the same concens about box stores. I have been to the Lowe's nursery a couple of times this spring and only bought two small shrubs that I needed. Went home with nothing else because I was really thinking a lot of it didn't look very good and the prices were much more expensive than I expected them to be for a box store.

pm2

prairiemoon2, I was intrigued by your posts about excessive gardening (Martha Stewart, P. Allen Smith) and unrealistic expectations. I confess that there was a time when I would have pined for, say, a 30-acre spread with an orchard, a full-sized kitchen garden and potager, separate garden rooms, monochromatic mixed borders, an enormous green velvet lawn AND a wildflower meadow, a woods with a stream, probably a folly, and of course a wonderful greenhouse, alpine house and conservatory.

But then I gardened on a house with (only!) 1/4 acre of land, probably two or three times the size of my current garden. I suppose if I'd had competent help (I had none, not even my husband) I might feel differently about it, but I'm quite content to read magazines packed with glossy photos of beautiful, huge gardens or watch television shows about the same. I'm even happy to visit huge gardens like that. But I don't ever WANT to work that much ground again. I'd love to have the neighbors' yard to dig in as well, but there's an end to it. Any more and I'd need to hire help.

It's not the cost of hiring help I object to--it's that I'm very greedy about my gardening. It's MY garden, MY dirt, MY shovel, and MY job to putter and toil and everything in between. I don't WANT someone else to help me, not even with the raking and the hauling and the weeding and the watering! And since I know just how much ground I can garden on my own, I don't feel in any way inadequate or deprived because I don't have a huge spread.

I'm so greedy about it because I truly love gardening. I love the exhaustion, I love the exertion, I love watching things grow, I love the variety of tasks, I love just being out with the cats, the birds and the bugs, I love the dirt, I love the feel of potting things up...About the only thing I don't care for is mud on my teeth, and I always end up with that somehow.

Let those who can afford to hire help hire away--I confess I also like visiting notable gardens and getting new ideas to bring home to my much smaller garden. If I hadn't tramped and rambled through and past all sorts of gardens (including RHS Harlow Carr) on a vacation in the UK a few years ago, I wouldn't have discovered the joys of fall-blooming Crocus or Dahlias. Big gardens never fail to inspire me.

Lisa, I would have had the same desires to manage a large piece of property and pull out all the stops, when I was quite a bit younger. [g] Now, I am so thankful that in the enthusiasm of youth I never committed myself to any such goal. Besides which I was way too busy with life and family that gardening didn't even enter my life until my late 20s.

Our property is only a quarter acre, which seemed so small in the beginning, but as I have gardened it, it has proven to be quite enough. lol I also understand how you want your garden to be your own. I was the same way until health issues forced me to need help. Which is always an ongoing struggle.

I felt the same way you do. I loved every single thing about gardening and wanted to do it myself. Double digging veggie beds by hand and lifting and carting and on and on. Loved every minute of it and that kind of tired is a wonderful feeling.

My health issues have also kept me from visiting gardens. I have to be content to drag books home from the library. So my garden has evolved and been more experimental, but I have loved every minute of it.

:-)

pm2

Gardening is my hobby, my relaxation, my enjoyment, my golf game. Compared to the cost of a country club membership and green fees, I am sure I spend less on my hobby than my golfing friends spend on theirs. And I love to share my garden with friends and neighbors. This Sunday we have invited upwards of 60 to a garden party where we will serve wine and cheese as they enjoy all my wildflowers, ferns, flowering trees and shrubs in an unique setting. This is part of my cost of gardening and money well spent. As my garden has matured, my plant purchases have gone down involving mostly alpines, dwarf conifers and an occasional tree or shrub. But then I need to include monies for meetings - the monthly trip to Ithaca for meetings, the winter study weekends and annual meetings. But thses are my holidays, so do I budget them under gardening or vacation?

How much is too much? If I compare it to my charitable and church contributions, I could spend a lot more, so that is a non sequitar. How much do we spend on food, clothing, housing, plays, music, eating out, whatever? Is it necessary to cut back on all of these items to the bare necessities?

Cost of Mulch, fertilizer and weed spray, $121.00
Cost of Annual flowers, new perennials and asprin for backache after planting, $150.00

Cost of relaxing in my little oasis when all the plants are in their beds and happy, PRICELESS!!!

nuf said.

Considering that gardening is the only thing I really get to do for myself - there is no limit to the value I put on it - even if the value has nothing to do with monitary funds.

A good majority of my day is involoved in homeschooling, changing diapers, and losing my sanity on two rambunctious kiddos. Though I love them all very much, by the time Saturday rolls around I'm ready to spend some time lost in my garden while thier dad takes over for a while. Some times that means I buy plants to put into the garden, sometimes it means I just lose myself in weeding or expanding flower beds. Either way, the monitary value (or non) is well worth it in my eyes.

Heather

My name is Karchita and I am a plantaholic.

When I was younger, I used to blow money on clothes. Now I blow money on plants. I have convinced DH that it adds value to our home. I don't really care; it makes me happy.

I wondered this very thing as I drove an hour last weekend to Plant Delights nursery's open house. It's a haul out to the nursery, and I hemmed and hawed about going because of the price of gas. Well, I finally talked myself into going, and it looked like no one else was worried about it. The place was packed. When I was checking out, a couple in front of me had driven up from GA and were writing a check for 500.00 worth of plants.

:::giggle::: I've decided there is no such thing as "too much" when it comes to gardening. I visited a nursery on the South side of town the other day and came home with an assortment of coleus plants (one of each variety, naturally) because one can't have too many coleus plants on a shady patio and a 'Paula Fay' peony that was a bit overpriced (I knew just the spot where I wanted to plant it, have wanted a 'Paula Fay' for quite some time, and it was right there, no need to wait for fall or pay shipping, so...). Then I felt guilty for not placing an order with Direct Source Hostas this year, so I ordered four more Hostas. Two of them were Hostas I have specifically wanted for quite some time, and two were on the "fill in to make the shipping worthwhile" list. And I'm NOT DONE YET! I'm hoping that the Master Gardener plant sale Saturday morning will have Ipomoea multifida plants--I "need" at least six of them to perk up my window boxes.

I really, really, really LOVE gardening and watching my plants.

All told, probably somewhere in the $300-600 range per year is what it comes to for me, including mulch, fertilizers, pots and soil, etc. This year was more, because I changed my mind and ripped out some stuff, and also lost some stuff due to a big oak tree falling on my patio. Next year will be less, I expect. It's really not that expensive of a hobby to me, when compared to what my friends and family do: horses, boating, fishing trips, skiing, etc. It just seems like a lot, because I pretty much spend it all at once (between March and May), rather than all year round. I get a real pleasure from it, though--I check on my garden every day, sometimes twice a day!! My neighbors think I'm nuts.

The most I'll pay for a plant is $100 for a tree. Maybe $15-20 for a perennial.

Lisa:

I thought what you said about not wanting help with your garden was so true. We used to hire a lawn service to mow and edge during the summer when I was working more. However invariably I wasn't happy with what they did for some reason. Either they walked through a flower bed, knocked buds off a rose, blew mulch out of my flower beds, cut the grass too short..,it was always something. My husband finally said I should just leave work early on Friday's and do it myself! That really was the only way I was satisfied.

Like you say, my yard and garden is my domain. I just don't like having someone else in it even under the pretense of helping me.

Kate

Just wanted to mention something I'm surprised no one has yet: gardens are good for combatting climate change! In fact Michael Pollan wrote about it in a recent article:

"But the act I want to talk about is growing some even just a little of your own food. Rip out your lawn, if you have one, and if you dont if you live in a high-rise, or have a yard shrouded in shade look into getting a plot in a community garden. Measured against the Problem We Face, planting a garden sounds pretty benign, I know, but in fact its one of the most powerful things an individual can do to reduce your carbon footprint..."

I know we all grow flowers (which by the way help bees and birds, etc.) but I'll bet most of us also grow some food. And many of us plant trees, too. Trees help a lot. So that money we're spending can also benefit the planet.

"After much thinking and considering, I decided that I'll spend however much I please on my garden. What's more, I don't care whether it's the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do. I spent a large chunk of my life doing the "right thing" because there is no "somebody" to do it--there's only you. I'm done with my efforts to save the world.
I like gardening. If anyone else on this planet appreciates or gains from my efforts in the garden, great. But if they don't, it doesn't matter. Gardening helps me to deal with and recover from my efforts to do the "right thing". Gardening fascinates me, and keeps me busy mentally and physically. Gardening amuses my cats.

So I'll do and spend as I please for and in my garden."

I'll add an AMEN! to that. I give a great deal of time, effort and energy to several charitable causes. I don't have one bit of guilt about what I spend on my yard. I'm actually working part time and, while we're finishing the landscape overhaul, pretty much everything I make goes to the yard. This week I'll be buying stone for the stone patio- doing my part to pump up the economy I guess. Obviously I'm fortunate that my husband can support our family and the money I earn is for the extras.

I'm also fortunate to work for a landscape contractor so I get all my plants and materials at wholesale cost which helps a lot.