Gardening on the Cheap -- Fall is a Great Time for Planting and Finding Bargains

While these guys were slacking off this week, I was busy planting 46 new bushes, shrubs, and small trees...

Can you spot all three critters in this picture?
The kittens blend in with the sheepskin we have tossed at the end of the bed to keep our toes warm.

That's right. Forty-six new plants went in; this doesn't count the twenty flats of myrtle I also added, or the half dozen ferns. (Or the four shrubs I still need to put in the ground.)

Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards were clearing out their garden centers. I picked up everything from 75 to 90% off the original price.

This includes an eight-foot Japanese Maple for $15:

The flats of ground cover were $1.50 each (regular price $11); as soon as I planted them, they began to bloom. How's that for a late fall pick-me-up?

I got Mugo pines for 75 cents, and other dwarf evergreens for a buck a piece, on average. Here's the corner garden, looking out toward the street. The path is made from bits of rubble we've dug up from the yard.

A large butterfly bush, normally $24, now only $6. And enough eunymous to fill in all the empty spots—90 cents to a $1.17 each. I went back to Home Depot three times to fill up the trunk of my PT Cruiser with the eunymous, and I'm contemplating going back tomorrow to see if there is anything left.

Miscellaneous shrubs, each one was an unbelievable bargain:


But here's the absolute best part, a Celtic-inspired concrete birdbath that they were practically paying me to take:


And a cedar arbor and wisteria vine, which I still need to find a spot for. (And nail down the top bits; that's why they look wonky.)

You want to hear the grand total, don't you? Had we paid full price for all of this--including the bird bath and arbor—it would have been roughly $1250. We paid...

...drum roll, please...

only $305!

Can you believe it?

It doesn't matter if some of the shrubs don't survive. It doesn't matter if I'll need to thin out the borders in a few years as the shrubs get big (don't worry, I'll find new homes for them when necessary). For now, for very little money, we have lush, full garden beds. I'm already looking forward to spring to see everything in full bloom.

Next year--because I promised Ted "no more bushes"--we'll be focusing on garden structure, edging, trellises, and our much-anticipated fence for the back yard. The goal is to be able to recycle as much as possible for it, so if you have a lead on some free rocks, let me know...

Tommy Hilfiger Dharma Bedroom Collection, Basement Office Progress

If you saw my bedroom closet, you'd know I'm not one for name brands and designer labels (you'd also see that it's way too small to share with Ted, which is why we're still living out of boxes until we finish off areas of the basement for better storage). Most of what I wear is folk-inspired, hand-made-things-bought-while-on-vacation, purchased-on-eBay, or generally one-of-a-kind items. (Probably more to do with the cash-poor life of a freelancer than anything else, I think.) So I'm actually a bit surprised at myself for buying Tommy Hilfiger bedding.

After removing the drywall and ceiling boards from my basement office, and vacuuming and scrubbing the heck out of it to get rid of all the coal dust, plasterboard remains, and spiders, Ted and I set up a day bed against one wall. Now the room can do double duty as a guest room, although I know for a fact none of my friends and family will sleep down here while it's still looking too much like a basement. When guests are here, Ted and I will no doubt have to vacate our bedroom.

Even though new bedding was not at the top of the list, I poked around the bed-in-a-bag options at Target, Amazon, etc. I wanted something kind of fun, slightly bohemian, and cheerful enough to distract the eye so you'd perhaps forget, even for a moment, that you're sleeping directly underneath the decorative fireplace upstairs, the bottom of which is now quite visible between the joists. But everything I looked at was just sort of yuck.

Eventually, I stumbled on this Tommy Hilfiger Dharma collection (from 2005, I think). It's perfect--the bold blues and hippie flowers are gorgeous. Originally it would have cost a freakin' fortune--I totalled up over $500 for the odds and ends before I got bored looking up the original prices. But searching on eBay and Amazon, I found all the pieces I wanted--duvet cover, sheet set, dust ruffle, shams, and even the foofy decorative pillow--for a tenth of that, with shipping.

Tommy Hilfiger Dharma Collection. I picked up nearly everything seen here--with the exception of the stripey pillows--in a twin size to fit a day bed.

Damn, I just love a good bargain. Did anybody else get some good shopping done this week?