New Year's Resolutions
Good morning, 2010 - 'Twenty-Ten', as many are calling you. Before you try and tempt me by online plant auctions and nursery sales, I should warn you - the gardener in me has already made a severe and serious New Year's Resolution.
Look After That What I've Got
I am 'looking after that what I've got'. Consequently I am on a zero-dollars gardening budget for the first time in years. Here follow some cautionary tales, to remind myself how gardening budgets work.
Naughty!
Late last year I found a host of old fashioned roses I could buy. If they'd been priced as per the nursery - say $25 each - I'd have been thrifty, allowing myself perhaps three or four. But, because they were available at $12 each I got really excited and bought about 38 of them. The arithmetic doesn't lie - 38 x 12 equals well over four hundred dollars. Eek! That was so naughty! I spent way more money than I ever should have. I made two trips with the trailer. I giggled, plotted, and planted for weeks afterwards. Even Non-Gardening Partner thought I'd been a bit excessive.
Oops - Too Many New Roses
And here's another example from 2009 - perennials were a dollar each, so I stuffed my wee car with forty seven of them. I know I can clone my own perennials easily with a bit of time and a lot of patience - so what's the rush?
Gardening Greed
It's time I came out of the gardening closet (or potting shed) and admitted that I have a problem. There is a fatal flaw in my gardening attitude. Let me be strong and face this head-on. My behaviour is called gardening greed. Gardenwise I am compulsively, hopelessly greedy. So - here are the ground rules for 2010's earth-shattering zero dollars garden budget.
Grumpy Gardener
No Online Plant Auctions
No more allowed. Not even any peeping at the listings, just in case there is a bargain or anything is going for free. The only exception will be made for listings of retro concrete garden gnomes (I do have a modest monthly budget for gnomes). I've arranged for automated messages from the trading site to be sent, so only the gnome pages will be accessed.
Sales Restrictions
Only one nursery sale allowed - namely the great Easter Plant Sale at the local nursery. But - this is new - only ONE trip will be allowed, and no trailers. No repeat visits to see if there's any new stock in the bargain bin.
Road-side stalls can only be stopped at in exceptional circumstances, specifically when Non-Gardening Partner is feeling generous and I have left my wallet at home. Ouch.
No Replacements!
I am allowed to buy consumables such as compost, potting mix, and gardening gloves. However (this is really scary) there will be no replacements for garden tools carelessly lost. I remind myself - look after that what I've got! Get through the whole year with one garden hand digger - this is the essence of being a careful budgeting gardener. Aargh!
Do you know, I don't like the sound of this New Year very much! But I can do this. Wish me luck. By the way, donations of unwanted Agapanthus, old-fashioned roses, peonies, lilacs, and good quality New Zealand native shrubs can just be left at the gate. There'll be a box there waiting for hand-me-down garden tools. And just pop any unwanted garden vouchers discretely into the mailbox. Thank you all in advance...
Oops. Just kidding!