The Budget Minded Gardener

There are times when planting in the landscape can be constrained by the gardener’s budget. But this doesn’t mean the landscape has to be plain and boring. A big expense of gardening comes from buying mass plantings of bedding plants every year. But the budget minded gardener doesn’t have to do that. There are plenty of flowering perennials that will reward you with bright color year after year, like this Victoria Blue and Victoria White salvia. But the budget gardener doesn’t need to rely totally on perennials. There are some annuals that will reseed for you. New Look celosia has four inch flower plumes that are bright red which complement the red tinged leaves. Ground covers fill a lot of space with very few plants, and you can’t beat ornamental sweet potato for striking and vibrant color. The chartreuse Margarita is bright and will aggressively fill open landscape areas. Can you believe there are only three plants in this planting? Rose Moss portulaca also serves as an effective and drought resistant ground cover spilling over the rocky border. Larger specimen plants also add a visual spice. The Black Diamond crape myrtle has very attractive black leaves along with masses of vivid bright red flowers. Elephant Ears add massive green texture. And of course, every Mississippi landscape needs some Knockout roses. This hardy and nearly carefree plant provides reliably plentiful flowers all season. By choosing plant material carefully you can keep your flower beds bright and beautiful on a budget. I’m horticulturist Gary Bachman for Southern Gardening.