Plants on a Budget

I love plants. There are certain places where it's dangerous for me to go unescorted, at least when I have my wallet with me: bookstores, craft stores, hardware stores, "organic" type food stores, and nurseries. I seem to be incapable of walking out of a nursery without at least one or two new plants. Problem is, they're expensive, and anyone who buys plants know this. Well, if you don't have a lot of cash, as a lot of us don't right now, there are some ways to keep your plant costs down.

* Where possible, start your veggies and flowers from seed. An entire packet of seeds generally costs the same as or less than a single full-size plant of the same species. If you use newspaper pots or egg cartons or even cut-off toilet paper tubes to start them, you'll save the cost of buying pots and reuse some waste materials at the same time! Of course, it means you have to start thinking about your garden earlier than if you bought large plants, but it's worth it to save some $$. And if you don't want to use an entire packet of seeds, go in with some friends and split them!

* Don't be afraid to buy the end of season rejects! The local Walgreens had out-of-season daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips in 4" pots for sale for $.50 each at the end of the season. All the blooms were spent, and they'd cut off the greenery about 4" up. Take them home, plant them, and they'll be just fine next year.

* Tsugawa has a Clearance section in their parking lot for sad orphan plants that are out of bloom, or otherwise bedraggled. Fred Meyer and other "mercantile" type stores with a nursery section often have a reject/sad plant area as well. You do want to be sure that the plants you pick up aren't actually diseased or laden with vermin, but usually the plants in those areas are just out of bloom, out of season, a little wilted from a heat wave, or somehow imperfect and in need of some extra TLC. Don't forget to look for indoor plants in these places too! At Home Depot, I once picked up a Christmas cactus in January for $1.00 because it had no blooms left. So what? I took it home, it bloomed the next year, and it's still hanging out with me years later.

* Trade with friends and neighbors! If you know folks who garden, schedule Plant Swaps in late spring and fall, when people have divided their plants and planted their seedlings. You can include seeds, pots, and other garden goodies in the exchange too!

* Check out Craigslist under the "Free" or "Garden" sections for free plants. Many gardeners like myself wind up with gaggles of orphan plants that self-seed in the yard, or an overabundance of seedlings from starting veggies, or even large plants from dividing in the spring and fall. I've given away masses of iris and hostas, starts from gooseberries and raspberries, and many herbs this way. Another good place to check is your local Freecycle. (Freecycle.org for the chapter near you!)

* Dumpster dive! Okay, this isn't one with which I'm personally comfortable, but I know people who do it quite successfully, and for much more than just plants! (Google "freegan" if you want to know more.) Nurseries and places like Home Depot often throw out their bedraggled plants en masse to get ready for the next "seasonal" shipment. I would suggest checking the local laws in your area for the legality of climbing into a dumpster before you do so. And if the store objects, politely leave. But you can certainly come away with some great plants for no money if you're willing to walk a little on the wild side.

* Scout out home sites that are going to be leveled or turned into subdivisions. Again, I'm not overly comfortable with this personally, but my parents and I used to do it when I was a kid. You know those abandoned, boarded-up homes slated to be turned into McHouses? Sometimes they have some fantastic plants out front, and if you don't rescue them, they will be run over by a bulldozer, quite literally. It's technically illegal to remove anything from private property without permission, so if you're interested in doing this, you might attempt to contact the property owners. I would imagine most wouldn't care, as the plants will just be destroyed anyway. Or if you're more daring than I, you might just take your chances. Be absolutely sure the property is going to be scraped bare or leveled before you start taking plants out, though.

DO NOT take plants from national forests or wildlife refuges. I know it's tempting to take home that beautiful tiger lily or snowdrop or trillium, but don't. Not only is it illegal, but it's also damaging to the ecosystem. Some plants are endangered in certain areas, and the plants should be allowed to reproduce so all the insects, animals, and humans can enjoy them in their natural habitat.