I am an amateur gardener. Essentially, this means that I don’t know what I’m doing but I do it with enthusiasm. Each year, I pick my tried and true favourite annual – petunias – and then I buy new plants that I want to try. My winters are spent watching various gardening channels on YouTube and making lists of what I think will grow well for me.
Last year, I tried coleus for the first time… and I completely fell in love with this gorgeous, vigorous plant. It’s the only thing I’ve ever paired with petunias that could match the petunias’ growth habit. Take a look at this container. There are only 3 coleus plants, and three petunia plants. Those little splotches of pink and orange near the edges are flower from two of the four begonias that I planted with the coleus and the petunias. A little tip from me to you – begonias cannot keep up with petunias and coleus.
This year, the “new” annual is verbena. So far, I’m very happy with my 2 verbena plants. If they can handle the hot, hot summer sun that’s due to arrive in July and August, then I will be adding verbena to my yearly list of favorites. Take a peek at these little beauties.
In addition to coleus, petunias, and verbena, I also selected geraniums, marigolds, sweet potato vine and begonias to fill up my planters. It’s been a week and, so far, everything is still a live. My goal is to keep it that way!
And while I’m not an expert, I’ve learned a few things over the years. Firstly, it’s much cheaper to plant perennials in the ground and save the annuals for my containers. While they might cost more at the front end, a healthy perennial will come back year after year. They’ll flower beautifully, though for a shorter period of time. I enjoy feeling accomplished when they come back each year. It means that I managed to properly care for them – not too much fertilizer the year before, the right amount of water, a perfectly selected spot with light they found most pleasing.
Perennials make for good investments. I’ve learned this with my hostas. I transplanted three last year, but only two came back. I’m not sure what I did wrong with third one but something clearly went awry. No matter – I’ve already replaced the dead one. Next year, I expect all three of them to come back and fill in a very awkward little spot I have near my garage door.
This year, my shed came down. There’s now a 6′ x 6′ patch of dirt in my yard that’s in desperate need of something green. As I already have a very large yard, I refuse to plant anymore grass. I have too much as it is. Again, this nearly cleared patch of land is in a strange spot. The shed was nestled under two healthy, large lilac trees. As a result, this spot sits in shade except for roughly 3-4 hours in the afternoon. So I think it will be a shade garden… once I figure out what can live in the shade and survive the hottest sun of the day.
Ahem… Blue Lobster, this isn’t a gardening blog. Yes, Gentle Reader, you’re right – it’s not. This is a place where I share my thoughts about money and encourage you to spend yours in a way that will make your dreams come true.
I’m talking about plants today because they take my mind off of my money. Yes – I said it. Sometimes, it’s good to not think about money. Obviously, I need money to buy my plants. I needed money to buy the worm castings and potting soil. Money definitely facilitated the purchase of my new containers this spring. There’s a good chance I’ll need money to pay for the water that’s used between rainfalls to keep my plants alive and happy.
Yet, when I look at my wee little plants, I don’t see money. Instead, I see pretty flowers. One of my annuals was planted as a Hail Mary. I don’t know what happened but this little petunia was lying on its side, unlike the other plants in the six-pack, and refused to remain upright. It wasn’t dead though, and the roots were still attached to the crown. I had a small spot in my self-watering container so I dug a hole, carefully inserted Little Floppy, and watered gently. That was a week ago. Today, I discovered that Little Floppy has doubled in size and is already pushing buds. I expect to see a flower by this time next week.
My plants calm me. There’s nothing I can do about inflation. Volatility in the stock market will rock the value of my portfolio. More often than not, world events make me sad. So I turn to my plants. They offer me respite from an irrational amount of worry about things that are out of my control. Every day, I can step outside for some fresh air and watch the magic of nature up close.
And since this is a blog about money, here are some numbers. So far, I’ve spent about $250 on my plants this year. Most of it went to annuals, but some of it went to perennials too. Specifically, this year I’ve purchased a new hydrangea bush, my replacement hosta, and a second hosta for a different location. The shed-spot needs more plants, so I expect to be spending another $100-$200 to get sufficient plants to create the shade garden I want.
The few hundred dollars that I’ve spent, and will spend shortly, on my plants will make me happy for a very long time. All things considered, I view it as money well-spent.
Like I’ve said before, not every expenditure is going to put a smile on your face. I don’t know anyone who’s excited to pay for parking tickets or property taxes. Nonetheless, you should be spending atleast some of your money in ways that make your heart sing. For me, it’s plants. What is it for you?