There is nothing I love more than preparing for Spring by plant shopping for my garden beds. There is a method to my utter madness and it's a way I ensure I don't overspend and that I don't buy more than I can fit in my garden beds. So today I'm going to explain exactly how I do it!
First, I plan everything out.
I walk around my garden beds and make sure I pay attention to any areas where Spring blooms are coming in so that I don't dig them up accidentally when I plant Summer flowers. If there's plants that are perennials but didn't last through the cold weather and I want to replace them, I write down what they are. I also sketch out what each garden bed looks like and draw symbols and label them as the existing plants. Then I go through and sketch what I want to add and where.
Make a list and check it twice.
Once I've got my general layout idea sketched out, I make a list of everything I want to add. I organize my list by the different garden beds so once I get all the goods I know where they will go.
Planning my trips.
I've been gardening for enough years that I generally know where and when in the season I can find what I want at which places so this is where I write down what to look for at each of my 3 go to garden centers. Sometimes I check their social media pages to see photos of what they're getting in. Depending on the weather each year, some places wait a little longer to get cold sensitive blooms and vegetables in.
Budgeting is key.
So I usually budget $200. It goes down a bit each year because as I buy and plant perennials I don't have as many new things I need to buy. Also, I split certain perennials each year and transplant some of them to other spots in my other beds. This means for $0 I got a new set of plants. I stick to my budget by saving cash for the month or so prior to when I go shopping. This way I won't make any crazy impulse buys since I know I'm limited to how much I can spend. I try to shop the sales and I don't buy any pre-made arrangements. They are way too expensive for me so I will just buy the flowers I want in the pots I already own and I add them myself.
Don't forget the necessities when shopping.
Always buy new soil for any pots or raised beds. Make sure to factor that into your budget and your shopping plans. Sometimes I have to stop home and drop off what I bought before I go to the next place. I also save box lids so I can keep my plants in them on the way home so that they don't flip over and spill dirt in my trunk.
Planting time has finally arrived.
When I've purchased all my plants, it's time to plant. I immediately sort everything out by which bed it will go in (using my sketch plans) and then I work on one bed at a time.
So like I said, there's a method to my madness so it's really quite enjoyable and organized.
Do you enjoy gardening as much as me?
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