Here's how to be frugal and generous at the same time. Frugal gardeners everywhere should be in their war rooms right now, planning their 2004 campaigns. It's possible to start a new garden or fill in a patchy one without rnaxing out your line of credit, but you have to scheme and plan and plot. Here's my plan of attack. In addition to starting some plants from seed, start scanning the newspapers, the Internet and bulletin boards for notices of plant sales or swaps. Horticultural societies and maslergardener groups often start the new season with sales, and plants can be dirt cheap. Later in the season, check for bargain plants at farm stands. Right next to the beans and peas and tomatoes, you might just find some great buys. I picked up two excellent groundcovers in just such a place: sweet woodruff (Gallium odoratum) and Canada ginger (Asarum canadense)--healthy clumps for just 2 dollar. I planted them underneath a cut-leaf sumac, and in two years they filled in smartly.
展开▼
