This post is part of our Great Savings Tip series, designed to help you find ways to spend less and save more. For more ideas see our Great Savings Tips page with a complete list of all our tips. Here is today’s tip you can put to work immediately:

There's nothing like the fragrance of a rose.

Tip #82) Spend less on a beautiful garden. There’s nothing quite like going outside and spending time in a garden.  Gardening is a great way to get exercise, fresh air and enjoy the sites, smells and sounds of nature.  When it comes to better living, growing a garden is a sure bet for bringing some balance back into your life.  The good news?  It doesn’t have to be expensive.

Here are 7 ideas for saving money when it comes to growing a beautiful garden:

1) Take a cutting.  Does a friend or neighbor have a plant on your wish list? Ask them if you can take a cutting.  Simply place the cut plant in a glass or jar of water.  When it grows roots you can transfer it into soil.  If it’s still cold out or watering outside will be difficult at first, keep the plant indoors until it has had a chance to develop a better root ball.  Then transfer outside.  Water will work for many plant cuttings, but for other ideas see this post at wikihow.com.

You can collect lupine and other seed pods after the flowers bloom.

2) Watch for plant “yard” sales: More and more people who like gardening will hold plant sales to sell off some of their house and yard plants, and/or clippings. The prices at these sales are often really low, but don’t be afraid to bargain. You can typically find all sorts of plants at these sales and the people who hold them are usually a wealth of information.

3) One of our readers (Thanks M!) suggested getting plants at Home Depot, Lowe’s or grocery stores for terrific savings. According to M, you want to look for the plants they’ve put “in the back or down lower on a shelf”. These are the plants that may need some serious TLC. Though many of these plants may look iffy, sometimes you can get them for practically nothing and nurse them back to health. Here, too, it can pay to offer less than they’re asking.  You may also want to find out the store’s policy for throwing plants away—check with an employee who works in the department and see what day or days of the week they tend to do this.  For nursing a sick plant back to health read this post at Wikihow.com.

4) Grow your own plants from seeds. You can find seeds for veggies and flowers at almost any home and garden store. Nurseries also carry them. You can also buy them online at companies like Territorial Seed Company.  If you plan ahead, you can also gather your own seeds when your favorite plants “go to seed” later in the growing season. Keep the seeds you gather sorted by placing those from the same type of plant in a paper envelope. It’s also a good idea to write down exactly what they are unless you can recognize them by sight alone. For another tip on growing seeds, see the video below:

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5) If you have a close friend who gardens check with them about trading either plants or seeds.  Many gardeners are also likely to have a number of gardening books so ask to see their selection.

Plant some flowers to attract birds. They eat insects.

6) Is someone about to do a house or yard project in your neighborhood?  If so, stop by and inquire about any plants they intend to discard.  Chances are, they’ll be happy to let you dig them out and replant them on your property, rather than be forced to recycle them as yard waste.

7) Want some cheap organic fertilizer?  Here are a number of ideas from GardenWeb.com.

Have you started planning your garden yet?  What are you waiting for?

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By Bob Anderson
© 2011 Javabird LLC. All rights reserved.

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For the complete list of all our Great Savings Tips click here.

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