Make a garden border on a budget - how to save money on creating a beautiful herbaceous border

[@lulajohns1883]

I am starting many perennials from seed this year. Borders will be in a state of sparsness, but that's ok. Love watching my seedlings grow into bigger plants. It is about the journey for me

[@christineribone9351]

I used to work at a nursery. 9 cm and 2 L potted plants have virtually the same size plant. You're paying for more soil. Don't waste your money on the larger size.

[@LauraStepney]

Agreed. I work at a nursery and we routinely pot up a 4" perennial into a 1 gal pot and up the price from 4.99 to 12.99. Same plant. Bigger pot. Go for the 4" pot.

[@kerryjean2223]

And who wants to dig a bigger hole? Not me x 🌼🙏😇🇦🇺🧡🕊️

[@christineribone9351]

@@kerryjean2223 LOL

[@sandrasaldana9159]

60

[@christineribone9351]

@@sandrasaldana9159 ??

[@juliepardo7767]

Excellent tutorial Alexandra! A list is a must to help save money for sure. Another good idea is look for multiple perennial plants inside that larger sized pot. Often times you will find that there are at least 2 or 3 additional plants that you can divide from that pot. Plant them relatively close together, it's a great way to multiply for full effect.

[@1Kent]

End-of-season, clearance, and bare-root starts are also good money saving options. You may not get exactly what you want but I find that Gardens are always evolving. And there's always next year. 😁

[@emkn1479]

Great tips! I’ve also divided brand new plants into smaller clumps, which gives you more for the money spent. Those little plants establish pretty quickly.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good tip!

[@SMElder-od5cl]

It is such a good tip to shop at different times during the growing season so you won't have a garden which is only in bloom at one time during the summer

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@janewalster5613]

I love that you made a list and forgot to bring the list to the plant sale! It sounds like something we all might do. In any case, it helps to make a list. Thanks for all the money saving tips. This will really help as I plant my new-ish back garden.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! And I was very pleased to find that even without a list, I pretty much knew what I was looking for, so it really was a worthwhile thing to do.

[@favouritemoon4133]

Such great advice. I only *really* got into gardening in my mid/late 30's and looking back even then, when I was working full time I would have thought 'I don't have time for...' but my older self knows that I *did* have the time back then. I made different choices at the time, mainly going to the bar after work and spending almost every weekend...well I hardly dare say. I really feel my whole life would have been made *better* by spending part of some weekends/parts of holiday times taking cuttings/growing from seed and so on, and then looking after them. It's new life all the time. That's what really grabbed me, at the time I really 'got it' [albeit late in my gardening career].

[@dev5963]

Wonderful video and great tips to reduce costs. However, I think you left out one of the best ways to save - which are free plants. I live in the rural southern Virginia. We have the concept of "passalong" plants. These are generally hardy plants that are easy to propagate. Nothing fancy or exotic, some perennial, some annual. However, because your neighbor has them, they are usually suitable for your garden (assuming light and water are similar). Neighbors give these freely. Great way to save money and build relationships within your community. Frequently, these plants are accompanied with a nice visit and a homemade pie. I have been given rudbeckias, echinacea, daylillies, irises, oxalis, phlox, daffodils, sedum, Creeping Jenny, liriope, tradescantia, turk's cap, hostas, ferns, and much, much more. All free. As I walk through my garden, it's like visiting old friends as I think about the people who gave me the plants.

[@irairod5160]

Fantastic presentation! One way I save a lot of money is by swapping with other gardeners. The only reason why I have Facebook is so I can be in touch with other plant enthusiasts in my area! We trade tools, cuttings, divisions, seeds, pots, fertilizer, trellises, ornaments, compost...and of course, advice. We even share labor sometimes---"we weed your garden this week, and mine next." The camaraderie found in kindred spirits is a perk that cannot be overlooked! (Of the things you mentioned, Alexandra, the one that is most important for me is a well-researched LIST! Otherwise I go crazy and then I come home with things I have no good place for, and then I want to dig up and move plants that don't need to be disturbed.)

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Very good tip!

[@DeborahChapin]

Excellent video than the seasonal thing is a good one. One other thing that I have noticed works well is that you can take cuttings during the year of your favorite perennials. Grow them up over the summer outside, and then overwinter them in a shed or a greenhouse or wherever, and then plant them out in the following spring. I took cuttings from my dogwood that way and I’m gonna do that with my salvia this year and also lavender. That actually gives you a really big plant by the following spring. It’s really healthy it’s been acclimated to a certain degree and it gives them a good advantage on the following year.

[@janegardener1662]

I found that propagating plants gave me *more* plants than I needed! I am no good at seeds but cuttings do wonderfully well where I live.

[@quailhollow7955]

This was an incredibly helpful video! Thank you for taking the time to break this all down and share it with us as you work on your new border. I look forward to seeing it this first year. ❤❤

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! It was difficult to get accurate figures because costs of plants vary so widely, but I felt that at least if you start with a figure, you can then see how to reduce it.

[@mirabellegoldapfel6256]

My favourite money saving tip is exchanging plants with your friends and neighbors. Perennials like iris, daylilies and other rhizom plants are so hardy and easy to share. There are also often people in the local newspaper who give away plants for free and local or online plant exchanges. I also look out for the towns greenhouse plant sales (the community gardeners who plant the big beds in castle parks and so), they grow locally and are always 1 or 2 € cheaper than the normal sellers. And since I live in a country where the graveyards are all planted with flower beds, I have a look at the compost bin there and rescue bulbs and perennials from the trash.

[@alice_rabbit8345]

Exactly! I’m always looking for people to give divisions of iris, daylillies, Hostas and coneflowers!

[@theresa94010]

While pruning my two fig trees in January, I thought I would stick a few of the small branches into the dirt throughout my yard just to see what would happen to them. To my total surprise, all of these, except for one, have now small leaves, some even have baby figs, growing on them. Never realized that I was actually "propagating" my fig trees. Maybe I do have a green thumb, a tiny one, after all. Propagating is FUN!!! highly recommend it.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I remember my mother poking Portuguese laurel twigs into the ground all the way round the edge of our plot. That was in the 1960s and the Portuguese laurel hedge is still there! It's a monster now.

[@theresa94010]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden - I am intrigued what Portuguese laurel looks like, will look it up now. thanks for all your wonderful tips and advice.

[@mendyviola]

I’ve done with with my Crepe Myrtle trees to plant more of them along my fence line.

[@SpanishEclectic]

Terrific tips, Alexandra! You are always so logical in your presentations. I think a key requirement for successful gardening is patience. I take cuttings as well, and have self-seeders, though I often collect the seeds in small paper bags, then plant them (or with our mild climate, just toss them in a pot before the rains start in January). While walking through my neighborhood, I'll collect a few seed pods from the huge bed of lupines up the hill, or an interesting drought-tolerant shrub with red flowers and thorns (don't know what it is, but it grows well here). Each gardener needs to decide how what it's worth to have instant gratification, lol. I prefer to spend my money on large decorative containers, unusual plants (like Old Garden Roses), and hardscape materials. I bought two young (about 14 inches tall) standard Mission Olive trees for $20 each a few years ago, and planted them in very large resin containers on the patio. They are now 7 feet tall and flowering for the first time. :)

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

All very good advice - I thought about including gathering seeds. The olive trees sound beautiful.

[@wjs5773]

I have been revamping more than one border including making a couple of new ones . My strong tips are to buy plug plants mail order ( i have been very happy with South Eastern Horticultural but have bought from Crocus and Hayloft too ), a lot of bare root perennials such as peony, dicentra, thalictrum , veronicastrum , hardy geranium (from Farmer Gracy) which are much cheaper than buying the plants , and bulbs and tubers which are a very good bang for your buck per plant . I have also made the most of multi buy offers. I have divided some plants ( mainly heuchera) and also I have bought some bulbous plants at the end of their season recently where I accept that they will be brilliant value for next year but I have enjoyed them for some part of this season .I have got excellent snowdrops hyacinth and daffodils extremely cheaply and these have been divided so very good value. I accept that some of the plants won’t be at their best this first year so I am also planting cosmos zinnia and umbellifers for the gaps.

[@laurabaden-powell1484]

Nice!

[@kayla6086]

So excited to see how your border progresses! Thank you for the information, Alexandra!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@Edu_Kate]

I have another money-saving tip. Purchase only the number of plants you know you will have time to plant. I learned this the hard way. Overcome by FOMO when faced with the intoxicating choices at one nursery, I'd fill my cart with ALL the plants I want for the season. I end up returning to purchase more later because the reserved plants dried up. I'm revamping a garden bed this year. I know getting all the plants in my design this year will be budget prohibitive. So, I will divide the garden into quadrants and plant one quadrant this year. I'll also focus on the infrastructure as I want to add a Y-shaped meandering path to this bed and that involves deep digging. Temporarily, I plan to fill pathways with mulch until I can install pea gravel properly in the future. Who knows, I might prefer the mulch.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Very good tip. I know the sad plant languishing in its pot because there hasn't been time to plant it.

[@CeciliaPMiniatures]

So true! Especially cuttings. Two years ago one of my dogs broke a branch of a small and newly bought hydrangea Limelight (I buy young plants too😊), I was very upset because the plant was already small and so I thought when will I see a nice bush? It will take years...not only did the plant bloom that year and it's now a well-established, full bush, but the six cuttings I had taken from that single branch are now at the same level as the mother plant two years ago. I might see a bloom this year! Thank you Alexandra for your videos, greeting from the NW of Italy

[@lulu6618]

Super video! Prices at nurseries have gone up so much in my area. I recently visited a jr college’s hort dept and their plant prices were 1/2 at least less than retail so if you have any in your area try them. Thank you Alexandra!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Great tip!

[@gerdaho1]

Very helpful and (unintendedly) funny too: "and of course I forgot the list". Happens to me all the time. Thanks for sharing!

[@Savethelepodopteraa]

Beautiful sweater Alexandra. You choose such lovely colors that really suit you well. Thanks for the good advice!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! It's a sweater I bought in the 1980s and every so often I get it out again.

[@EatingAnElephant]

Hello Alexandra! I love that sweater, you look like you could be part of your boarder. SO pretty! Thanks for such a wonderfully informative video. It's a patience thing, waiting to have your boarder look the way you hope. If you want it to look good overnight you're gonna spend the extra $$$ but when you can be patient, propagate some seeds and cuttings, save plants from other parts of the yard and buy smaller plants the wait will be well worth it. Another tip I would add is to buy plants that are native, they are not as easy to come buy and sometimes you can get them cheaper, or find them along the roadside. They are easier to propagate or find clippings to transplant into your boarder. The research is more extensive but you will have a boarder that fits with your surrounding landscape and you the knowledge you gain will be invaluable. I can't wait to see how your garden comes together.🌻🪴

[@vorong2ru]

Also buy fertiliser in the autumn/winter. I've got my 2kg of slow release fertilise last autumn for 75p in Wilko (instead of 12 pounds) as they were clearing up the shelves for their Christmas stuff.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Great tip!

[@slomo1716]

Wonderful video, in these difficult times. I am now on a fixed income with a dying car, so I now have to hold my money tightly to my chest. No more buying hundreds of bulbs for spring beauty. Last spring, I had hundreds of flowers from the bulbs I planted the previous autumn, people stopped by and commented, even cars stopping and taking pictures. This year proved to be a disappointment, my daffodils and tulips, crocus, other spring flowers bloomed by nothing like their first year.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's such a shame, I hope next year emerges better.

[@CelebrateEverything]

Thank you for those great tips! I am also redoing a border so I am eagerly watching your videos. I live in the Pacific Northwest in America and I believe our climates are similar.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, I think so - at least we grow a lot of plants in common.

[@pancrazioaquilina7029]

What you said makes a lot of sense there's the satisfaction of growing your own flowers thanks for your videos

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you like them!

[@kathleenwilliamson174]

Love this video! I shop sales and discounts when I can. When I do pay full price I look for pots that have more than one plant in them. I do divide them when planting. They are small for the first year or two, but I fill in with annuals I start from seed. When they are small it's a good idea to keep remembering how big they will get. It is hard not planting too close together, that's why I fill in with annuals. Dividing existing plants is also a great way to double your plants, or trade them with a friend who may have plants that you don't.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Very good tips

[@eleanoraddy4683]

I'm starting everything from seed to save money and it's certainly teaching me patience!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's a real achievement

[@eleanoraddy4683]

I also heard it's a good way to avoid any plants treated with systemic pesticides, although how common that is I have no idea. I have cheated a bit and got a few bare roots in bags as well, no other way to get some things, like rhubarb!

[@ericam9129]

When I out of idea what to get, I don’t ignore the clearance plants from big box stores. Some failed some enjoyed year after year. Some plants just need a nice watering and prune will be look just as the normal ones. Felt great after I helped the plant revive.

[@anneconoulty4722]

So so helpful as usual, I’m revamping my back border and having great fun. I followed your advice of making a list before visiting a nursery and it kept me focused although I bought extra as couldn’t resist. I actually saved a physocarpus which is 15 years old from another border and replanted last year in my back border,it survived the drought last year, I am so so pleased. U have taught me so much in the past few years. I’ m going to try growing from seed next. Thank u

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much, that's so nice to hear.

[@topaz3468]

Totally redesigning my garden also. 😊 We are now receiving around 15 hard freeze nights during winter, even though I'm in a subtropical area of Florida in zone 9b in the US. As a result, I've lost so many plants and shrubs that can't handle 25 degrees. Because deciduous shrubs are not usually available in our local nurseries, I've ordered them online and had them installed so they can handle winter cold. weather. Our severe drought season has also expanded to 8 1/2 months. Consequently have introduced drought tolerant plants from Texas. Hopefully I will save money as fewer plants will need to be replaced. Many of my neighbors are asking for the names of the species as they try to duplicate a more tolerant landscape 😮

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You're really having tough weather, as are we!

[@conniemurray9046]

Looking forward to seeing the "before" and "after" of your newly replanted borders.

[@Off-Alba]

Another excellent video, Alexandra. Perfectly planned, very structured and clear. So many useful tips. Thank you for your weekly efforts to share your own garden knowledge and skills and those from the many experts you visit.

[@DownButNotOutYet]

Good morning Alexandra, good advice for our gardens in general. I do enjoy self-seeders, they can be a little over the top but share, just share. Garden friends can share their plants in many ways, and it is a great feeling doing something for somebody else. We can arrange to visit the gardens at intervals, example, when you know you are going to prune, invite them to come and collect off-cuts, they may bring something along for you. As you build your garden so build a little garden club! I had a good laugh when I saw the sears coming out the small handbag, I would have had a real big one to hide my cutting in. That little trick just made the video perfect, I think we all would like to do that especially when you have a "stingy" friend 😅 Oh the joys of gardening. You were looking so nice in this video, perhaps the new season has got you glowing for growing. I felt so down yesterday re circumstances that I am not responsible for, alas, today is a new day and I am making the best of it. Wished I stayed closer to you but I do not like the British weather. Happy days, take care, many blessings. Kind regards, Elize.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you - garden friends is a great tip. I hope you're feeling less down!

[@DownButNotOutYet]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden After watching your video I was less down and I am honest

[@KatesGarden]

I’m starting a new garden area this year and I’m doing a lot of these! It can save you so much money 👍 But still… it’s hard to resist shopping for plants 😂

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You're so right!

[@marianneminato4981]

Very good advice. I created a huge cottage garden in the front yard after removing all the lawn, by splitting many of the perennials I had growing profusely in our backyard. Lots of euphoribias' species, hostas, rubeckias, irises, shasta daisies, phlox, liatris, hellebores, epimedium, and astilbe, to mention a few.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Sounds great!

[@vanessaeden8174]

Forget the border. I want your jumper😂 great video. Thank you

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! I bought it in 1988!

[@sannaericditsler4034]

Thank you. I can't wait to see your revamped border.

[@debs-more-plants]

Can't wait to see your list! I have to rebuild 1/2 of a border garden near Seattle WA because a big tree had to come down as somebody plated it over our water pipes and it wreaked havoc on them! Love your channel the upper portion of the border is well established shrubs that are sort of a tropical vibe. I'm at a loss!!!!

[@adrabruzzese7610]

Save the seed from annuals too. It's easy and saves so much money. Herbs like thyme and oregano make nice ground cover and are cheaper than ground cover plants.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Very good tip!

[@jcking6785]

As always, such great advice from you, Alexandra! 💚 My favorite one just might be to buy plants in smaller pots but they aren’t always available. I think garden centers pot up all their plants in early spring to set them out for sale at the higher prices. I do make lists but when I get to the GC, my desires overwhelm me and I want one of everything! 😂

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I agree, I think there's something in that, although they may also plant them up in bigger pots so that they can grow if they're not sold.

[@JoannaLouise200]

As ever, some wonderfully practical tips and ideas for amazing borders on a budget! Loved the sneak peak of your beautiful kitchen with the traditional range cooker ~ if only my kitchen table was so wonderfully clutter free. Presently it's half covered with 3ft high cacti, as my small greenhouse is currently out of commission!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! My husband says he designed the kitchen, although personally I thought we did it together, and he also points out that he keeps the surfaces clutter free, which I am prepared to concede.

[@JoannaLouise200]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden ❤

[@jaycorwin1625]

Excellent advice. Every climate zone has its quirks and no advice can be really universal except, of course, for how to save money on planting. My strategy for color is to buy perennials that provide the most color and to save seeds from plants in my garden and sow them later. Poppies are free now. Propagation methods vary from plant to plant and also from climate to climate, but water propagation has generally worked very well for me. I'm at my third house with probably what will be my last garden, and it has been the cheapest because of nice neighbors and the climate that lends itself to explosive propagation of succulent plants. The most prolific and enormous vines are all cuttings. When you see them growing into an area of public domain (a street, etc) they are likely to be removed anyway, so cutting will offend no one. One wall of my house is covered almost entirely by three different vines that all began as cuttings two to three years ago. Saving seeds from annuals is hit and miss if you sow them straight into the garden, but much better if sown in small containers indoors. When I have to buy or want to buy something I usually try to buy something that can be easily propagated by cuttings just in case the plant decides to commit suicide because it doesn't like its new hangout. That is worth considering if you want color but don't have an unlimited budget.

[@alex_root_]

Most brilliant - so many ideas and the cost estimates are presented so clearly. Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@colleenherrington3460]

Great video - informative and practical ways to economize in the garden! Thanks for all your work in pulling this together 🪴🌷🌻

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@belwynne1386]

Always delightful and informative. Thank you!

[@karlitobergkamp8082]

Always make a list of what flowers and when. Add structure in the way of shrubs trees or topiary. Then plan the perennials and bulbs and ones you can lift and divide easily to then bulk up the border in time. One thing I learnt was to never rush and fill a border straight away as I’m about to lift a lot and replant.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's a good tip!

[@HannaARTzink]

Good tips. Sometimes buying expensive plants at the beginning is a risky strategy, as our soil type or gardening skills are not sufficient. Starting smaller may be more profitable.

[@heartofdixieprepping4797]

I love this grid! I try to keep notes on my phone and the plants I'm looking for but I'm somewhat limited in my little town. I'm working on cottage type gardens. I'm in the woods so sun is my issue or lack there of... I do have a couple areas for sun. I really would love grasses. I love to watch them when the wind is blowing. As always another great video with wonderful tools to help make gardening easier. Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much. I'm experimenting with Anamanthele lessonia at the moment for dry shade, so I think there's a grass for almost any situation.

[@franconianable]

Look forward to seeing your border!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Not in great shape at the moment...being alternately frozen, drenched then baked hasn't done it any good but I will show it soon

[@heartofdixieprepping4797]

One little tip ... I pick up any piece of a plant that roots easily such as succulents, vine type plants like purple heart. I always ask if i can have them first. I've always been told sure.

[@TheSeedsower107]

I love your presentation and channels content. So happy to have found you . I like getting my perennials at discound mid to late summer as well. The plants then have time to establish over winter and come back larger and full and in turn look much better .

[@tanyaprice6774]

Thanks Alexandra, am really appreciating this series!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@WilliamFree-m2e]

Alexandra, this is another great video with amazing tips! I really enjoyed it especially the idea of the spreadsheet!! I am ready to start a wildflower meadow boarder in beautiful north east Scotland and your tips will come really handy!! Best wishes

[@rphjacobs9197]

Excellent and informative video Mrs Alexandra!! I am new to gardening and on a tight budget and this really helped me plan a strategy for building my flower bed. Thank you. I have been a subscriber for a while and ALWAYS enjoy your gardening content ❤️🥰

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@FireflyOnTheMoon]

In the UK nurseries are massively cheaper than garden centres if the nursery grow their own plants. A 2 litre delphininum grown and bought from a nursery this week is £3. At the GC close to me the same pot is going for £12.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Great to hear.

[@beatabello3847]

Thank you Alexandra. All great ideas in one place.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You are so welcome!

[@ettietti8533]

Thank you for all the tips regarding the planting a new boarder, great idea keeping a record of all the plants, I already sharing some of the flowers with my neighbors, but I would like to start to grow my won seeds flowers, that will save me money and traveling time.😊👍💯

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Go for it!

[@mauracurran3270]

Brilliant advice as usual.

[@birds-and-blooms]

Another excellent video. It really helped me. You are a treasure! Thank you for all you do.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@missygilly9917]

My preference for visiting nurseries are do they attract birds, butterflies, bees? I try to go to nurseries who offer native plants, and I don’t pick the ones that are flowering so they’ll get accustomed to my soil/conditions & bloom in time. I can split my perennials or usually leave them to go to seed, (in place) then I transplant babies to other area in my gardens. Love watching your videos, watching from a town near Niagara Falls Canada

[@irairod5160]

I plant native, too! After many years of removing invasives, my garden is about 80% native to northern Virginia, (USA). I do allow myself some non-native favorites, like Cosmos 'Sonata' and Verbena canadensis "Homestead Purple" that I have a special fondness for. They were some of the plants I purchased for my first garden and they still make me smile. They attract pollinators and don't compete with the local ecotypes so I don't feel "guilty" including them in my mostly native borders.

[@LinusCello75]

A variation on trading with garden friends, many garden clubs have sales is the spring (and fall). The clubs may sell at a festival or their own event. Cheap way to get divisions and excess seedlings.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Very good point!

[@mikeq6384]

Another very informative video, lots of great tips, Thank you !!!

[@jellyroll2102]

All great suggestions, but the one I cannot fathom is The List! How do you even begin to narrow down the plant choices without seeing what's available at the garden center/nursery? It seems like whenever I decide I want a particular plant and go somewhere to buy it, it isn't available - at least not in the desired color. Also, in determining plant size and blooming period, the information usually given on the pot is so broad and vague (height: 12"-24"..."blooms spring to fall") that there is no way to predict what it will do in my border. So, I resort to buying what I like, putting it somewhere and seeing what happens!

[@honestmom1958]

Another great video! Thanks for all the tips. 🌱

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You are so welcome!

[@kathrynmettelka7216]

Zinnia seeds aren’t terribly costly and produce lots of blooms. I hope to take cuttings of favorite dahlias this year. Free flowers for years to cut for family and friends.

[@kimberleyscammell8370]

Please! please! Noman, I'd love for you to do a full video on ways to use a gauge square.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I've just had to Google 'What's a gauge square?' so I think I'm probably not the best person to do a video on how to use one!

[@MiAnge1ito]

😂lol her robbing the plant had me in stitches

[@vlink4071]

Another excellent video!

[@mrs.mcnamara1669]

Great sweater Alexandra.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@privateperson5769]

Some great tips :)

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@graylagran7443]

I have some azaleas I plan on propagating this season to plant next season. 1. Free plants, 2. Exact clones of the ones I want.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good point!

[@gryl7471]

Alexandra. Your sweater is lovely.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you, I bought it in the 1980s.

[@helenachase5627]

That's quite a sweater Alexandra !

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I bought it in the 1980s!

[@Tamarind525]

This is so very helpful!!!! Thank you!!

[@mariedeyo7399]

I like self seeding plants too , lupins can be grown from seed very well.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I've been thinking about lupins, they're so spectacular.

[@mariedeyo7399]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I tried lupins from seed last year and it worked and they made it throu the hot sommer and winter. The one that is in full sun is on the slope, already knie hight now and bushy. So why not . Have a wonderful week 🌻🙂

[@DalKangh]

Thanks for video i really enjoy them. Some real bargains can be found online. I have purchased 80 plug plants for just a few pounds.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I wondered about whether to talk about online, but not only does it have some real bargains, it also has some really expensive ones! So I decided it was difficult to generalise but it's good to hear about the bargain end.

[@whitelight9516]

I've been living in my house for two years now and I am using an app to identify the weed looking plants that grow in the spring before pulling them out.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's a good idea. I've heard some up and down reviews of how accurate some apps are, but even if they're wrong occasionally, it's better than nothing.

[@susanlindsay1071]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@joywhitley3141]

Brilliant!❤

[@nicolasbertin8552]

We grow perennials from seeds in our 1800 m² garden. About half of it is a veggie garden, the rest is perennials and bushes, a few trees. We never grow them for more than 6 months in pots, because we can't. There is no running water or electricity or glass greenhouse at the garden. They would simply die in summer because of their watering needs (we're not at the garden every day). So we sow in january/february/march, and plant in april/may. Some grow slowly, but many will put on a show in their first year in the ground already. This is particularly true for eryngiums, echinops, geums, aquilegias, monardas, agastaches, gauras etc.... Some will take 2 years like the salvias, asters and campanulaceaes. In my opinion it's not worth it growing perennials for 2 to 3 years in pots before planting into the ground. It's way too much work if you have a border to fill, where to put all these pots before you plant? Once they outgrow my 7-9 cm pots, they go in the ground.

[@mariefriedmann3203]

FAB sweater! Idk if you want to branch out with merchandise… :)

[@wendychandler8304]

Good advice but - without a real nursery locally, we have to use nurseries with very different growing conditions, even within 30 miles. Other options are imported Netherlands plants from our supermarkets and garden centres who don't grow plants locally

[@laurabaden-powell1484]

I wantnto see what you've done so far!!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I haven't done much (it's mainly clearing) and it's in this video if you haven't seen it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKa6pGutpsqnj9U

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

Great ideas❤❤❤

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! 😊

[@georgiacinq-mars1899]

I had to stop the video I am laughing so hard at, “…of course I forgot the list.” .

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It happens with my shopping lists, too, but at least I can usually remember what was on the list!

[@sunshineseaandvitamind8620]

Can lavender be divided?

[@giennefarcais6834]

Gorgeous sweater! And useful information for real world gardeners that aren't royalty or the American garden bloggers who get all their plants for free - I think you know who I mean. By the way, what is the name of the vine next to you? It's beautiful!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you! The vine is Actinidia kolonikta or ornamental kiwi. The sweater is from the 1980s!

[@joansmith3492]

idk - whenever I have made a list and a plan, the garden centers rarely have the plants on my list. Less troublesome and less frustrating to look up what they have and see if it fits in my overall plan. Also there is not much a selection in the fall and winters are so unpredictable anymore that lately I loose maybe half of what I plant in the fall even if they are supposed to be hardy. Warm spells followed by dramatic cold spells wreak havoc in my garden.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's a good point - although I found that making a list focused me on what I wanted and why. In the end, I bought different varieties of the same plants as the ones on the list. But starting with what they've got is a good way, too. And I take your point about the winter - as I think I mentioned, plants do seem to be more vulnerable if they've only just been planted. And we all seem to be having such unpredictable weather.

[@brendakotras3682]

My son lives in London and can’t plant anything as foxes dig them up! Do you have any suggestions as to how to stop them from visiting and destroying their gardens? I wondered if container gardening would be a solution. Thank you.

[@rosscarter7010]

Hi, in USA New Jersey use milk and egg dish soap and hot pepper 🌶 . Deer leave plant alone.

[@brendakotras3682]

@@rosscarter7010 Thank you. What is milk and egg dish soap please?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

There are a few ultrasonic fox deterrents on the market, and also some people suggest using chilli pepper. Adding a layer of trellis to the fences or walls would also be helpful as the foxes can't get over it. But it's challenging as they're very resourceful

[@jcking6785]

@@brendakotras3682 I think she intended to say: milk, eggs, dish soap, and hot pepper. I’ve not made this but have seen such deterrent recipes online. I think you will find a number of concoctions by doing an internet search.

[@dianepuskas6362]

Of course you forgot your list! Doesn't that also happen? Another tip is to purchase bare root plants. They are shipped without soil in their dormant stage. I am looking forward to seeing the progress of your border.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Bare root plants are great - although we have bare root trees and shrubs, it's still relatively rare to find bare root perennials. But Steve Edney (who we've featured here quite often) is just starting to do these with his new No Name Nursery.

[@arnorrian1]

Rosy Hardy at 3:00.

[@zonabrown9241]

I think if you use tube stock cheaper & being smaller will adapt

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Good tip!

[@RoseMary-vs3io]

Ab Fab, so useful👍✨

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@That_dark_ranger]

I do like to mix in bi annuals also

[@conniekeshet]

Yes!! Were i live we have several varieties of native salvias and hollyhocks that are quite amazing and good for bees and other pollinators. One of my hollyhocks where a local butterfly puts eggs!! Since they are local in mediteranean garden dont need to be on irrigation so can be tucked in odd places. And i can collect seeds from them!! Jerusalem sage and judean sage quite impressive, seeds can be bought at local wild flower stores to begin.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Biennials are great, I particularly love foxgloves

[@scottanthony6269]

Was that Rosie Hardy at the fair

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It was! Well spotted. We'll be doing another video together soon.

[@scottanthony6269]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden brilliant I look forward to you and Rosie together I've been following Rosie Hardy since she started her growing business I think it was back in the 80s are early 90s and watch her plant care video thanks for your amazing videos.

[@itsmewende]

I keep snipes in the car, you never what wonderful plants in a commercial parking lot you could get a cutting. A few yrs ago I took some from a beautiful red hydrangea.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Interesting!

[@Cassieskins21]

👍👍