Making a nice garden with a low budget isn't entirely impossible. Here's a few tips for some of my favorite low cost options that I use to fill up my garden!
1. Gladiolus
Gladiolus are a ton of fun to plant for summer gardens. They’re tall, they have enormous blooms, they have bright colors that pop out of your garden. More importantly, in the right conditions, they will multiply. If you’ve ever pulled out your gladiolus bulbs, you will see that there are a million little bulbs all leeching off the original one. You can pull these off and plant them somewhere else for future blooms. These flowers don’t last for long, but it’s okay, because they’re so cheap! Order online for large quantities and great prices, or check out Walmart. Plant them in weekly intervals to get continuous blooms later on. These also make beautiful cuts that you can take when they break off under their own weight.
2. Liatris
Also known as Gayfeather, Liatris gives beautiful tall purple flowers that multiply like no other flower I have ever seen. They might end up looking like a small bush when in full bloom, and some I have seen will reach over three feet tall! These require extremely little care, and will come back year after year with more and more blooms. I have seen these going for around 40 bulbs for under $4, so you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck.
3. Black-Eyed Susan
Black-Eyed Susan is native to New England, and so these are the hardiest of anything you can plant if you were concerned about your lack of a green thumb. Fear not—I have tried to kill these flowers and was unsuccessful. Beware! They are very invasive in your garden, but that also might not be a bad thing if you’re trying to fill it up with bright colors. These small yellow flowers come in bunches of five to six per plant, and will continue to grow and spread each year. You don’t need to buy these from anywhere! Just look for dried up pods from parks or roadsides in the fall, and sprinkle the seeds around your garden.
4. Echinacea
The most common counterpart to Black-Eyed Susan, Echinacea gives long lived pink blooms that will be sure to attract lots of pollinators. Also a native plant, they survive very well with little to no care. These stand about a foot taller than Black-Eyed Susans, and are slightly more invasive, but easier to pick off once they become problematic. These are cheaper to buy in seed, but all you need is one to start. Birds and wind will scatter the seeds around your garden at the end of the season.
5. Shasta
A classic favorite, Shasta Daisies thrive in well-drained soil with good sunlight. These look nice around borders, considering their shorter height. Plant with Echinacea and Black-Eyed Susan!
6. Dianthus
These are some of my favorite flowers. They come in the most vibrant colors, and continue to bunch and spread each season. I bought mine from seed, and they continued to spread all over my garden without me realizing it, until one day I looked outside and realized I had these awesome pink, maroon and magenta blooms.
7. Catmint
I have never seen as many bees on a flower as I have seen on Catmint blooms. These flowers bring a nice pastel purple to your borders or edges. They also require extremely little care, although they will appreciate some water during heat waves like the one we’ve been having now. These flowers bunch quickly and stay in bloom for long periods of time. Also, they’re usually on sale, and if they’re not you can divide them up easily.
8. Foxglove
These are probably my favorite flowers. Foxgloves give these nice tall blooms of purple, white or pink that are speckled with different colors along the inside. While these aren’t the cheapest flowers to buy, think of it as an investment. Each blooming stalk becomes full of seed pods after the flowers have withered away, leaving hundreds of seeds in each pod that will scatter everywhere and take root quite easily. These require slightly more care than other flowers if planted in intense sun locations. Foxgloves will be sure to bring you tons of pollinators, and possibly even hummingbirds!
9. Hollyhock
I fail to understand why Hollyhock is not a common addition to most gardens. They are enormous, sometimes over five feet tall, sporting vibrant and colorful different blooms. More importantly, these are easy to reseed. Each flower that blooms forms a ring of seeds after they wither, which can be separated and replanted easily. I would recommend buying them from seed, as they are a little more expensive in root, as they are usually sold.
10. Daylilies
Daylilies are so common in public landscaping that they’re almost boring at some point, because the landscapers just throw 5000 of them together. Done neatly and nicely, they are a wonderful and inexpensive addition to your garden. In addition, they bunch quickly, and can be dug up and separated over and over, bringing you a lovely bordering option. But please, don’t overdo the Daylilies.
11. Bachelor’s Buttons
Bachelor’s buttons are an easy addition to any garden. All you really have to do is buy one packet of seeds and throw them over your dirt or mulch. These flowers reseed themselves very easily, and require very little care. They like dry, airy soil. Interestingly, they come in blue! It’s not very often that you get to add blue flowers to your garden, so I try to add lots of these to bring unique color to my flowerbeds.
