I made my dream of having a Nancy Meyers garden come true – my $3 tip will supply you with a season’s worth of flowers
A LIFETIME gardening fan brought to life her dream of having an outdoor oasis that rivals that of Nancy Meyers.
She shared simple hacks to create your own including a cheap tip that will supply you with flowers that last a while.
Jen is a Certified Organic Vegetable Garden Specialist for the ‘dream team’ Garden Girls[/caption]Based in Houston, Texas, three women make up Garden Girls, a “dream team” dedicated to creating aesthetic gardens.
Garden Girls‘ McDonald began gardening five years ago after watching “too many” movies by notable American filmmaker Nancy Meyers.
“Let’s dream a little and then turn that dream into your very own Nancy Meyers garden!” her bio said.
She shared several affordable tips to create your peaceful arrangement with The U.S. Sun.
DIY DEAL
When it comes to cheap starter flowers, McDonald recommended investing in a packet of zinnia seeds.
According to the expert, they normally cost under $3 and will supply “a season’s worth of beautiful flowers.”
She added that using seeds for flowers and vegetables, instead of transplanting them from pots will cut costs.
Some veggie seedlings to consider are pole beans, cucumber, squash, and melon.
“Once flowers have gone to seed, you can save and dry those to use the following season,” she explained.
She also suggested starting a seed swap with neighbors and friends as another sustainable gardening method.
Also, reusing and recycling planting trays and pots, making your compost, and harvesting vegetables that can be canned and used later on are all fiscally responsible tricks.
BUDGET BLOOM BUYS
McDonald offered a great gardening deal from Amazon for anyone in need.
Corona AG 4930 Tempered Steel Clippers, $11.52, are a budget-friendly necessary item for maintaining your plants.
Use a clear over-the-door shoe organizer to organize and store seed packets.
Jennifer McDonald
“Garden kneelers, gloves, wildflower seed are usually easy to find at big box and discount retailers,” she added.
HELPFUL HACKS
If you’re not sure what to do with your mass amount of seeds or seedlings, McDonald shared a storage solution.
“Use a clear over-the-door shoe organizer to organize and store seed packets,” she said.
“It will make life easier if you’re like us and have 500 seed packs sitting in drawers!”
Pictured: Meryl Streep in a Nancy Meyer’s garden in the film It’s Complicated[/caption]The Garden Girls experts also recommended using multi-seed dibbers to sow seeds for radish, carrot, arugula, and lettuce, found on the website.
McDonald explained that it makes four uniform holes to place seeds quickly and efficiently.
“The spacing is perfect and the tool is easy to use,” she said.
Easy gardening tips to save money, maximize space, and repel pests
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- Banana peels, vinegar, and coffee grounds are often recommended as natural fertilizers.
- Dollar Tree sells four packs of seeds for $1.25.
- Try a vertical planter like Amazon’s Mr. Stacky 5 Tier Stackable Planter, $35 to make more use of a small space.
- Use netting like the Garden Netting Pest Barrier, $8, from Amazon to keep away bugs that eat your vegetables.
- Try sacrificial planting to reduce the use of pesticides and keep pests away from your garden. Deliberately growing certain plants to attract agricultural pests can keep them away from the plants you want to protect. Examples include marigolds, lavender, catnip, and chives.
- For pesky weeds in your garden, the Grampa’s Weeder – The Original Stand-Up Weed Puller Tool with Long Handles, $45, from Amazon is a helpful tool you can use without having to bend over.
STARTER SEEDLINGS
McDonald said that arugula, radish, and herbs like thyme, oregano, sage, dill, and chives are beginner-friendly plants and “very easy” to grow.
Herbs and arugula only need about four hours of sun per day, she said.
“When planted by seed, arugula and radish will germinate within 10 days,’ she added
Hand watering each day will help this process and give you a vibrant bloom with minimal effort.
Arugula, radish, thyme, oregano, sage, dill, and chives are beginner-friendly plants[/caption]