I’m always whining about gardening in El Paso and how difficult it’s been for me. So this year I resolved to have container gardens. Since money is tight I’m planting seeds. But I’m also looking for instant color, so I’m buying mostly annuals, which pretty much goes against everything I’ve ever believed in. I believe perennials give you more bang for your buck, like years worth of bang. But I can’t afford to spend $12.99 or more on a plant that might die in a week. So I’m going with annuals and a few veggies.
Because I’m spending money on annuals, I can’t really afford to go out and buy the beautiful pots I’d like to get. But I need deep containers so my plants will think they’re in the ground. So I’m trash can and bucket gardening. No one can see the garden but us, because it’s inside our courtyard where I can keep an eye on it 24/7. I’ve gone around and collected all the unused trash cans we’ve got, and I’ve been buying buckets. The cheapest buckets I’ve found are the Home Depot utility buckets for $2.79. I drill holes in the bottom, drop in some newspaper and rocks for drainage, then add my special soil mixture. And of course (the most important part) I’m turning the bucket so the giant Home Depot ad doesn’t show.
Here’s a pepper plant and his friends oregano, snap dragon, and the petunia gang.
I took this shot about a week ago.
And here it is this morning. So far, so good.
Here’s some lovely bucket salvia.
Here’s some bucket petunias below:
And here’s my one big perennial splurge, trash can Rudbeckia and a hollyhock.
I went to the store yesterday with a specific “bucket list” of what I wanted and here they are below. I’ve got to plant these today. They’re already well on the way to looking good (unlike the half-dead marked down K-Mart plants I bought weeks ago), so hopefully they’ll keep on keeping on and encourage the rest of the garden to do the same.
I’ll keep playing chakra music to my bucket garden and talking to it, and I just know the garden will cooperate. OR I WILL FLIP OUT.
I’m not really supposed to on here right now, taking photos and blogging, because I’ve got too much work to do so I’m gonna run. Happy gardening, everyone!
I love the containers! All the flowers look so happy ! Are you keeping them in the courtyard or the patio out back ? Those Hollyhocks look fantastic – as do the Rudbeckia . I cant wait to see your garden in the middle of July !
TWO GREEN THUMBS UP !! ;-D
My fave is the orange bucket with the lavender petunias. Gorge-ous! In another month, every thing will be draping over the sides and so lush no one will know that’s a Home Depot utility bucket!
I love your garden! It gives me hope that I can garden out here! I planted my morning glories and they looked great but yesterday I came home to some landscaping landlords who inadvertantly (or maybe advertantly) pulled up all my morning glories. My one true gardening attempt was yanked out without me knowing.
Sad. But I ought to try this bucket idea!
Bucket gardening is a great idea. There’s probably not much weeding involved. I hate weeding. Barbara actually likes to weed. I was supposed to have a vegetable garden this year but my plans didn’t pan out. Well, your flowers look gorgeous.
Firehouse Subs sells “pickle buckets” (the 5-gallon food-grade plastic tubs that their pickle spears come in) for $2.00 each, and the proceeds go to fire department charities. Bright red!!!
LM
♥
Beautiful collection Wendy. Impressive pepper plant too.
lifewithbuck(et). Very nice!
Beautiful! What direction are these plants facing? And are they always in that shady area or do they get some (am?) sun?
Thank you! The plants would get sun all day long if I didn’t open up a big patio umbrella over them starting around noon-1PM. I should post a photo of what it looks like now, it’s completely overgrown.
I love your resourcefulness!
“Frugality without creativity is deprivation.”
This is some sheer creativity on a tight budget — bravo! Thanks for inspiring me and reminding me I’m not alone in my “scrapping” to live in a way that makes me feel lavished.
Totally adore your bucket garden containers! You’ve inspired me to round up (not to be confused with Round Up) new, re-used containers for the fall season!
LOL Thank you! I’ve just been using any container I can find from sand pails at the dollar store to the Home Depot buckets (which were on sale two weeks ago for $2.29!). All you need is a drill so you can make drainage holes and you’re good to go.