Cheap gardening is my jam! I’m not sure if you’d call it a hack, but some of my most successful plants have been clearance purchases from big box stores. When it comes to things like trees, vines, and bushes, I try to search the clearance section. My five-gallon, five-dollar pomegranate tree sat in its pot for a few years before I put it into the ground. My five-dollar, five-gallon trumpet vine was a bit crispy but had started vining. I put it in the ground right away, and a few years passed before I had to put up a trellis. The succulents (I’m not sure what kind) in front of the vine I found dumped in the alley.
The most recent addition is some fountain grass added to a dirt patch near the porch about three years. This grass was a one-gallon pot and about three dollars. It’s native grass, so I rarely water it. The fountain grass has quadrupled and is probably one of my favorite non-flowering plants in my garden. It’s pretty hardy, too. The number of times I’ve drug the hose through it would send any other plant to the compost bin. The clearance section is a great, low-risk, cheap way to start your backyard garden.
When shopping for plants, you can choose your local nurseries or the big box stores. I live right down the street from Lowe’s, where I frequent. I try my best to only purchase plants currently in season or if their season is coming up and as native as possible. Living in Arizona, cheap gardening also includes your water usage. Native plants like the fountain grass and trumpet vine rarely need watering.
Creating beautiful landscape on a budget, now that is speaking my language