by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: January 21, 2009

The use of annuals in the garden can provide the gardener with a quick and easy to fill in spots, fill containers in specific places, especially when using window boxes. With every aspect of the economy looming in the forefront of most citizen's minds, how can a gardener continue to enjoy the beauty of a garden without breaking the bank?

The first and simplest way to save money is by starting your annuals from seed. For the cost of a single package of seeds, it would probably be possible to fill an entire flat full of annuals.

Consider planting annuals that reseed themselves. By using reseeding annuals, you will virtually eliminate the need to purchase seeds in subsequent years.

If you are trying to fill in a bed, look for things that spread out rapidly. This will allow you to plant fewer plants at equally spaced intervals and if they are fast growers, as most annuals are, they will fill in any empty spots very quickly. A perfect example of plants like this are portulaca (also known as moss rose,) or impatiens.

Plant some of your annuals in containers. That way you can bring them inside to over winter. When choosing your annuals, make an effort to look for some annuals that can be propagated by cuttings. You can provide yourself with more plants by taking cuttings of your own plants.

Towards the end of the growing season, avoid dead-heading your flowers. By dead-heading them, you prevent them from producing seeds. If you allow your flowers to stay on the plant and produce seeds, you can harvest your own seeds, thereby providing yourself with fresh seeds to use the following year.

If you normally buy flats of plants, consider looking for plants at yard sales. When people sell plants at yard or garage sales, they will sell them for a fraction of price that retailers charge.

Check out your garden centers on a regular basis. When their plants don't look healthy, they will often discard them because the plants won't sell. Ask the manager of the garden center if you can purchase the unhealthy plants. You will either be able to get them for free, or you will be able to buy them for much less than you could otherwise.

When looking at packs of annuals in stores, look for packs that have more than one stem in each of the planting units. You will probably discover that the plants in the unit are root bound, but you can gently separate the stems so you can have additional plants.

Go shopping for plants with friends. Consider buying larger quantities of plants because the larger

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