One gardener showed their followers how to save money when filling large decorative planters.
Often, planters are repotted seasonally with flowers that only bloom once, meaning you're buying flowers over and over. This strategy uses annuals that come back every year.
"I'm entering my… 'focus on perennials and shrubs, not on annuals' era," the Instagrammer wrote in the caption.
The scoop
In the informative reel, Michelle (@gardensandchickens) shows how to use perennials in planters to avoid having to buy new flowers each season. In the video, you can see she is recycling old soil and then adding fertilizer followed by perennial bulbs.
Next, Michelle wrote, "Here's one way I fill larger planters for less — I plop in an evergreen!"
The flowering gardenia will last a long time and takes up space in the planter. In the video, she adds fresh soil and says to "sprinkle in a few annuals." In the caption, she explained, "This strategy keeps the containers full for less."
How it's helping
Gardening is a fun and healthy pastime, but it can also be expensive. Using tips like this can save money, making gardening a bit more accessible. This tip is also great for gardeners who don't have a lot of space. Container gardens can be planted on a fire escape or in a window box.
While this particular video showcases decorative gardening with flowers, similar tactics can be used when growing food. Gardening fruits and vegetables is another way you can save money, and it can be beneficial in fighting food waste. All those wasted scraps can be used for compost.
What everyone's saying
Followers loved these suggestions. One person said: "I like this era! Think I will join you!"
Another commenter wrote, "I love this."
Hopefully, this tip can help people have beautiful flowers pop up come spring — and for years afterward.
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