Starting Over on a Budget - My Plan to Renovate My Back Garden

[@GardenMoxie]

🌱 Thanks for watching! 🌱 I'm planning to use the winter season to come up with a plan to renovate my back garden on a budget. I'll be sharing the process with you here on KZbin. 💬 I’d love to hear from you: What are your best tips for garden makeovers on a budget? Drop your ideas and experiences in the comments below! Let’s inspire each other to create beautiful, affordable gardens! 🌿🌸 Happy first day of December and thanks for being here.

[@lynnpurse]

Yes, you definitely can do it on a budget! I love "shopping" for plants in my own garden - it is a great way to use all of those necessary divisions. Sue, I still remember the total visual knockout I experienced seeing the Sissinghurst White Garden in mid-May years ago - you have the perfect structure to pull that off. One of the things I now pay attention to is flower shape and density - the difference between an opaque white lily and the transparency of ammi majus or baby's breath is astonishing. So limited color schemes can really take advantage of that aspect for additional contrast and texture. My two favorite white flowers are Allium ' Mount Everest' and daffodil 'Thalia' - they both are pure white and are inexpensive to buy in bulk (I get mine from Van Engelen) so they might be a nice addition for next fall. The little blue allium azureum/caeruleum is another inexpensive bulb that blooms in May/June. I was putting in some flower seed orders yesterday when I came across an annual salvia seed that is blue with white accents, a little different than the standard blue salvia that might fit your color scheme. I can't wait to see what you come up with over the winter!

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi Lynn and thanks so much for sharing your insights. There is so much great information in your comment. I also love the Mount Everest allium. I will be looking into daffodil 'Thalia' now too. Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@MrsB_734]

Absolutely Yes! You can do a garden on a budget. I do it every year. I love shopping at the box stores starting in Sept and as late as Nov one year. I have gotten such good deals at the end of planting season. One year I got $30 shrubs for $6 ea. And yes, I love to divide and propagate. And our last garden was so overcrowded that we brought a truckload with us to our new house. I can't wait to see what you do this year. Thank you for sharing your garden with us. 😊

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thanks for watching. I love that you took a truck load of plants when you moved houses. That is brilliant. There is nothing more fun than getting a great sale on plants.

[@gardensenglishanddance]

I have spent the last twelve months gardening on a budget. I was lucky because before I decided to reduce the cost of my passion I had already planted the most expensive plants, namely the dozens of roses and perennials. I had also invested in a number of sturdy plant supports. My plan for spring is to propagate, once again, annuals from seed and divide the perennials that I already have. In fact, I have propagated some of the roses which I own myself, from soft-wood cuttings. I have been totally unsuccessful with Desert Bluebells, unfortunately. I have also experimented with Baby Blue Eyes and I think it is better to sow it in pots first, at least in my climate which is similar to yours. The plant is sort of unhappy in my garden, due to the lack of sunshine, I suppose. Nigella is extremely easy to grow, I simply scatter the seeds in autumn and forget about them :-) Thank you for the video and good luck with budget gardening! PS. I love white tulips too!

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience growing some of the plants mentioned in the video. I appreciate the tips. I agree that stem cuttings are a great way to save money on plants.

[@dustyflats3832]

Yes, the nigella is a great seed producer so sort of like a perennial.

[@gardenextra7415]

Love the journey 🧚‍♂️

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@budgetgardeningvita]

Great video and I'm looking forward to seeing you renovate your back garden. I love gardening on a budget. I always tell people that gardening can be fun and it doesn't have to be expensive. 💞🌺

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you. I couldn't agree more. Our gardens definitely don't need to be expensive. Thanks for watching.

[@dustyflats3832]

Some garden video content these days really try to upsell stuff. Love what you do in your garden also.

[@FlowerPatchFarmhouse]

The garden I seeded behind my Primrose cottage is in the blue and white scheme and can't wait to see it bloom. The Baby Blue Eyes is considered a pesky weed by many for its rampant spread in the garden here in California but I love it. I wish my pure white foxgloves would reseed and grow true but they end up cross pollinating and then come up in all sorts of colors, but still beautiful. It will be fun to watch your garden progress.

[@dustyflats3832]

Hi Pam! Ah, good point about cross pollinating. I went with some reblooming irises you mentioned and so looking forward to them and knowing they will stay true to color.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi Pam, Thank you and thanks for watching! I've been enjoying your channel tons!

[@meganmcguire2122]

I love a garden revamp! I believe we live in a similar location, and I just tore out half of my front yard to do a porteger garden. It was the only location I have that full sun. I filled my garden with fruit trees and shrubs along with perennials, bulbs, and annual vegetables. Almost everything I grew from seed myself or got at a discount at the end of season at telley's nursery. My garden brings me so much joy! My three girls are also learning and loving growing plants and being good stuwards of the land. I can't wait to see how your garden reno goes. There are few true blue plants, but when you find them, they are so beautiful. Delphinium is another beautiful choice.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thanks for your note. If you are visiting Telley's nursery, we are DEFINITELY in the same area. My friend and I snagged some sale plants there this autumn. I love the idea of a potager garden in the front. It sounds wonderful. I just joined the Hardy Plant Society this year after doing a talk in September. Are you familiar with it? It is such a wonderful club filled with passionate, kind gardeners. They visit all sorts of local, amazing gardens too. Thanks for watching.

[@meganmcguire2122]

I haven't heard of the gardening group, but I am definitely interested in joining a gardening group in the next year. I will have more time because of my youngest, who is starting kindergarten next year 😊🙌

[@thequarrygardener5578]

So looking forward to how you develop your new borders, once you mentioned a white colour scheme and on a budget I was hooked. Hopefully you can resist the temptation to buy new plants better than me, my willpower disappears as soon as I enter the door of a garden centre. Your back garden layout with the four big borders surrounded by box hedging very much reminds me of the white garden at Sissinghurst, so you are already on to a winner in my eyes, can’t wait.

[@dustyflats3832]

Lol, yes, willpower. I read the pages she showed and sticking to a color in large quantity adds more interest than patchwork and should help us focus-should😉.

[@GardenMoxie]

Ha! I have the same problem when I step into a garden center. Especially when those plants are blooming. Thanks for your kind note. You have given me lots of great inspiration watching you develop your BEAUTIFUL white garden.

[@PeggyMills]

I always look forward to your videos, Sue. Yes, you can redo your garden on a budget! Seeds, divisions, pass along plants, clearance, and doing projects yourself. My garden is not very grand, but it brings me the greatest pleasure. I add to it each year. And I love that quote too!

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi Peggy. Thanks so much for the kind note. We are so lucky to have our gardens. I am already counting down to Spring.

[@melaniem5971]

I say YES to budget gardening ! Just have to have the patience to wait for the full effect (maybe years) . Another blue flowering plant I’m considering is Lithodora - please look up it is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing your vision!

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thanks for your note. I looked up your suggested plant and it is very beautiful. Thanks for sharing your recommendation and thanks for watching the video.

[@gardensenglishanddance]

I wish you a really merry Christmas and lots of success with the garden transformation and with all the other things in your life. You look amazing and I hope you feel and look great next year too! You are my inspiration, really :-)

[@GardenMoxie]

Ahh...Merry Christmas friend and thanks so much for your kind message.

[@BrandywineGarden]

Hi Sue - if you’re looking at blue flowers, I’d also recommend Cerinthe. A lovely, low maintenance annual. Blooms in April and May for me, alongside tulips. Blue-green rubbery foliage, with pendulous blue-purple flowers that the bumblebees adore. Self seeds generously, and over winters in my 7a garden. It appreciates sharp drainage. Happy gardening!

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and happy gardening! I will look into your recommendation. Thank you. I am always on the look out for flowers the bees love too. Thanks for sharing.

[@aalejardin]

Thank you for the video -- makes me want to do more thinking about my own garden design. The White Garden at Sissinghurst is truly a revelation -- well worth the day trip from London to see that and Great Dixter. I'm just getting to the point in my garden where I have a critical mass of plants I can divide and propagate -- I love shopping in my own garden. One of the advantages is that you can use plants that have already done well for you. I am a big fan of the hardy geraniums -- even a small bit of root will usually take hold. I look forward to seeing what you decide to do with your beds.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thanks for watching the video. Hardy geraniums are great plants. I agree. Great Dixter is still on my "wish list".

[@KACn5582]

For an unusual plant try Lacy Phacelia. Also an annual/full sun with very pretty and unusual blue flowers. I grew some from seed last year and am definitely doing it again.

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you for the suggestion. I am glad to hear you had success growing them from seed. I love growing plants from seed too. Thanks for watching!

[@yvonnecox4078]

Hello Sue! I was so excited about your book club, that I ordered all the books you listed on Ebay. I received the first two today. I was absolutely thrilled to discover Rosemary Verey’s Making of a garden is not only in mint condition, but Signed by Rosemary in 1996!!!! I paid a total of $8.02 for it! I feel like I hit the lottery! ha ha !

[@GardenMoxie]

Oh my gosh!! You did win the lottery. Way to go! I am so happy to hear you signed up for the book club. I think it will be a fun thing to do while we are waiting for garden season to start again. Thanks for signing up.

[@marsery]

I need exactly that as the front garden is plain awful and in need of pulling off all the stuff & weeds that keeps growing despite my efforts . I really love your past garden with those "bands" of various plants and little trees with white flowers ..wish you could explain and detail the various plants and mix and what sort of soil and sun exposure it would require just like the one with the "blue" plants : love it so much as well ..it is so beautiful .You are so talented .Gardening on a budget if possible whenever i go to garden shops the pots and baskets, even the plants are so expensive ..and in addition not quite sure where and how to start but garden design is so interesting and can change the look and feel of a home

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello and thank you for your kind note. I think I need to create some garden maps for my space. Maybe that would be helpful if people are looking for plant suggestions. That also sounds like something that will be a good project for winter. The garden you are asking about is my Mary garden. It is a long shade, part-shade border with a single little space that is part-sun (we lost a pine tree). It is filled primarily with white-blooming perennials and bulbs. It is a fairly low maintenance garden. Lots of hosta, cranesbill, japanese anemones, red twig dogwood, standard form tri-colored willow, foxgloves, and hellebore. I will keep your suggestion in mind as I pull together future videos.

[@marsery]

@@GardenMoxie Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to reply with detailed information which is already so useful as i can look for those plants ( low maintenance is key :-) and yes a garden map would be so useful (ie: how you created those amazing border ..) delighted to have foudn your channel thank you so much

[@Melanie-s9d]

Thank you so much for this video. I am visiting a garden historian friend soon and I've managed to order a copy of the book you mention for her as a gift, I'm sure she will love it. I know you have visited many English gardens but wonder if that includes Charleston in Sussex? It was the home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. I loved my visit this year and greatly recommend it. Thanks again and happy planning. :)

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you for the recommendation for places to visit the next time I am lucky enough to be in the UK. I have not seen the Charleston garden and will add it to my "wish list". Thanks so much for watching.

[@gardeningonthewestforkwith8994]

You’ve inspired me with blue forget me nots and now to learn wtih and through you on this Reno of your gardens … exciting. I too have contemplated after 32 years with this garden to do some rearranging and additions and subtraction. So winter will be very exciting watching and learning.

[@GardenMoxie]

I think Winter is the perfect time to dream about how we can change our gardens. Thanks for being here!

[@maitran3952]

I love your thoughtfulness in planning your garden and I admire your approach in making gardening a self immersed experience. Thank you for your great videos!

[@GardenMoxie]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching!

[@nicolemartins7577]

Love the idea of a garden book club! Just signed up:-)

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! Thanks for signing up. I thought it would be something fun to help us get through winter.

[@capecodcottagegarden]

New Subscriber!! I found your channel a while ago and happy I found you again.

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! Thanks for watching and thanks for subscribing.

[@beckysteffka2434]

Hi Sue, I'm excited about the blue and white garden, I have the start of one, but I want to expand it, so this will be fun to learn. I just bought "In Your Garden", and I'm also excited to learn the other books that you have planned for the bookclub!❤

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you. I'd love to hear your recommendations for blue-flowering plants you love. I hope you enjoy the book "In Your Garden" as much as I do. I am amazed at how much gardening wisdom she shares in each short article. Thanks for watching.

[@beckysteffka2434]

​​@@GardenMoxieHi Sue, this is what I have in my blue and white garden so far: Little Bluestem orn. grass Elijah Blue orn. grass Veronica, both blue and white 'Crazy Blue' Russian sage Olympia clematis, R. Evison Clethria summersweet hedge Ageratum annual for fill-in White 'Becky' dasies Lambs ears There are some purple coneflower plants also which I intend to move. This winter I will be thinking about what i can add to this garden. Most of what I have came from LOWES and English Gardens.

[@GardenMoxie]

@@beckysteffka2434 Fantastic and thanks for sharing your list of plants. It looks like a great list.

[@norakins3856]

What a great project! Blue is my favorite color to see in the garden. Can’t wait to see your plans unfold 🪴🌳

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@julesdavis1845]

Thanks for sharing. Consider growing Fama Deep Blue Scabiosa.

[@GardenMoxie]

I love scabiosa too. I have not had a lot of luck growing it here, but I think it is worth another try. Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@JoAnnBlondin]

Lots of stunning plant choices Sue. The blue and white will be wonderful. You'll be starting a lot of seeds soon and I'm pumped to see your results. ❤❤

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi Jo and thanks for being here friend!

[@carolynjordan400]

Thanks for starting the book club. I’m so excited to be part of it!

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! I love old gardening books so I think this will be a fun activity for Winter. Thanks for signing up.

[@PlantRelated]

oohhh designing! that's what im doing. absolutely would love to join

[@GardenMoxie]

Yay! I am so glad to hear that. Thanks for watching.

[@dustyflats3832]

Yeah! A new vid! Love white, gray and blue. Your forget me knots look shorter, maybe there are different varieties? Yes, split up those plants you love and repeat. I found Autumn Joy is a wonderful pincushion shape like a small shrub that really gave the statue garden some structure throughout the year. Repeating plants is appealing. My statue garden is an ongoing project and will take awhile as plants fill in including arborvitae background and redbud trees. Opening garden emails is dangerous😂 I just bought spring bulbs and then they marked them down again😂 I purchased the ones I held off on and they arrived day before T Day and was able to still crack through the frozen crust to get them in👏🏼👏🏼 so happy they arrived in just a few days as our temps (WI) dove down with negative windchills. As I was planting I discovered a pile of bulbs I placed out for previous order and there the poor things were laying out in that cold with no blanket 😮. I need to get out the burlap and mulch now and hopefully didn’t forget anymore. Going for a peach, pink, white theme. Not just pastels, but any that meet the theme. It’s difficult to place bulbs as there is nothing to see after planting and then there are things like will it be hidden when the flowering is over, will it be crowded. Well it’s a country cottage with a bit of formality and anything goes. I was reading the pages you showed and the book seems of interest to me. The part of spreading annuals to get larger bushy plants is true and to concentrate on one color. The latter helping to focus gardeners attention when shopping would be a great help. To have swaths of the same color is appealing if you have the room. The tree she mentions with great scent is hardy to Z7 and warmer-Sigh…us cold climate have some advantages and some that are not when it comes to ornamental plants. I have plenty of veg seed and close to enough fruit so I went for bulbs because it is really something to look forward to after a long winter.🥶

[@GardenMoxie]

I love this comment! So many wonderful things to read. Thanks so much for sharing with us. I think a peach, pink, and white color scheme sounds amazing and I'd love to see pictures. Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@aalejardin]

During the planting season I mark my bulbs with stakes so that I don't plant some one weeks and two weeks later try to put something else in the same spot :)

[@paulotto2475]

The Nemophila and Phacelia are winter annuals which do well in the Western US in mild winters. I think you’ll find that when your heat begins these annuals will quickly peter out. Blue larkspurs should do well for you, and are also an annual. Brunnera in its many cultivars has blue flowers like Forget me nots, but big leaves with white variegation, and is a tough perennial also.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi and thanks for sharing your experience with growing Nemophila and Phacelia. Both plants were new to me when I read the article. I added larkspur to the list as well. I want to winter sow that one. I'm always amazed at the deep blue you find in some varieties. I have a large section of brunnera in another area of my garden and you are right. That would be a great add too. Thanks for the great suggestions.

[@dorothyleeuw8774]

I grow 8-9 hundred mostly annuals seedlings a year for my own enjoyment. I do have some perennials as well but find that the annuals give me a longer show. I could not afford to buy all the plants if I did not start from seed. Looking forward to see what you do…❤

[@GardenMoxie]

I love growing plants from seed too. It's so fun during the Winter to be able to take care of plants too. Thanks for watching.

[@PlantRelated]

You look great! Goals!!

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you!!

[@amyjones2490]

I would suggest watching KZbin channel Apple Pea Fern Sea and her take on Sissinghurst white garden. It’s a real master class on what makes this garden so special.

[@dustyflats3832]

I just did and Wow! Lots of coverage! Thx!

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you for the recommendation. I will definitely check that out. That is what I love about KZbin. There are so many wonderful gardeners that share inspiration. I appreciate you highlighting that channel.

[@urchinsushi2041]

Your plan sounds lovely!! Can’t wait to see how it turns out 😊. Speaking of budget, I just scored one of your Hakuro Nishiki tri color willow topiaries for $20 on clearance at my local nursery, so excited! I found one that was straight, and it already looks lovely with the yellow leaves blowing in the wind. Quick question, do you prune yours in the late winter/early spring or just let it go?

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you and thanks for watching! Congratulations on scoring that $20 willow. That is a great buy!

[@marshagaravaglia8149]

I believe you can❤

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@emmalavenham]

Plugs are a great way to keep the budget down too. That’s how we underplanted many of our deciduous trees in our growing woodland space with the Japanese painted fern Godzilla en masse, and leveraged a tiarella nativar as a ground cover. Now leaning on that strategy to create meadowy spaces.. More nurseries should stock starts like in the UK IMHO

[@GardenMoxie]

Indeed! If you have a good source for where to purchase plugs I would love to hear it. Most of the sources I have found only sell wholesale. Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@emmalavenham]

@ North Creek Nurseries. Retail partner listed on website - noting retail price considerably more but includes shipping. What sets this grower apart is that they stock natives and non natives But note they are in PA. There are a lot more options if you are looking for natives - including for those in the Midwest Agrecol

[@GardenMoxie]

@@emmalavenham Thank you. I will check them out. I also learned about a native plant nursery that is within an hour of my house (Wildtype Nursery). I bought a bunch of native seedlings the other season. I appreciate you sharing the source.

[@aalejardin]

@@emmalavenham I've bought a lot of native plugs via Izel, including from North Creek, and they have been great. Best way to create a groundcover without breaking the bank .

[@emmalavenham]

@ Absolutely agree. I particularly like Tiarella Elizabeth Oliver and Robins plantain Lynnhavens Carpet

[@SusanDiBiase]

I look forward to following your progress and exploring garden design in your book club. My only problem is that I am having difficulty finding any of the books to purchase. Any suggestions for online book sources?

[@GardenMoxie]

Hi, I apologize the books are challenging to find. I am planning to summarize some of the lessons as part of our discussions. All the books are old and I understand they can be hard to find. I typically buy used books from Amazon, Thrift Books, Abe Books, and EBay. You can also find electronic versions of books to check out on the Internet archive archive.org/details/internetarchivebooks. Because I know some people might not have access to the books, my plan is to conduct the discussions and updates in so anyone can follow along and learn. You will not have to read the books. Of course, I understand that reading is the fun part. Especially old books. Thanks so much for being here.

[@emmalavenham]

Am I remembering correctly that you have fothergilla blue shadow somewhere? That would be great too here IMHO. The shrubs just need to be annually pruned like exochorda or philadelphus- by removing the tallest shoots at the base of the plants to maintain natural shape… working on that

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello, I do not have fothergilla blue shadow in the garden, but I will most definitely be looking into your recommendation. Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@emmalavenham]

@ What is great about this is its multi season interest and powder blue foliage. It’s got great fall color and blooms early in spring with a wonderful scent. The only downside is that there may be a very small percentage of reversion which needs to be pruned out from the base

[@GardenMoxie]

@@emmalavenham That sounds fantastic! Thank you.

[@28tv.]

❤❤😍😍 Nice Video 😍😍

[@GardenMoxie]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@p.l.2850]

Just discovered your utube channel! Where are you located? What planting zone? Thank you ! Saskatoon, Sask. Canada

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello to you in beautiful Canada! I garden in southeast Michigan. Zone 6A. Thanks so much for watching the video.

[@PlantRelated]

Will you incorporate Native Plants? A must for me in the garden, a great way to introduce people to planting plants for insects to actually eat the leaves. Many hate when bugs eat the leaves, but that's the purpose of native plants, to support life, our lives.

[@GardenMoxie]

Hello. I have been adding tons of natives to my garden. I started a native woodland border that may get "raided" for the project once the plants fill out a bit more. Great suggestion. Thanks for watching.

[@terrinewnam203]

I’m not able to get the info on garden club from your link….

[@GardenMoxie]

I apologize for the inconvenience. I have a link on my website too if your browser is blocking the link. This is the book club sign up page gardenmoxie.com/garden-design-winter-book-club/