Three Colorful Design Tips that Save Money

I formed the arch by recycling two old bedposts and topped them with
old, curtain rod finials. A bent a piece of rebar forms the center of the arch.

 1. Anchor your design with evergreen plants.

Use evergreens, that bloom in different seasons, around the perimeter of your landscape to maintain a lush and colorful, but inexpensive appearance year-round. Evergreen plants shed and re-grow leaves in moderation through the year, as opposed to deciduous plants which shed all their leaves at once and go completely dormant for a season. (Oleander, Ruellia and Asparagus fern are evergreen.)

2. Add permanent color.

Paint a wall, bench or acessory. We chose Mediterranean blue for the back wall and simple gray concrete for the stepping stones, bench and urns to mute the effect of the bright wall. Three sizes of gray river rock add texture and interest.

3. Limit and group annuals.

Annuals are the perky, colorful flowers that generally last only half a year in Arizona, and can be expensive to replace each season. Some annuals prefer to bloom during our cold season (geranium, petunia, snapdragon, stock, lobelia, begonia, nasturtium) and others bloom during our warm season (vinca, zinnia, pentas, scaevola, lavender, celosia). Sometimes you can nurse them through to a second bloom season but they generally struggle. To limit costs, I used evergreens in my design and only designated one urn for seasonal annual color.

Add debris to the compost bin or campfire kindling pile.

Spanish Lavender and Zinnia (Warm season: Full to part-sun with good drainage).

I only spent $7. refreshing the annual color in this urn. My original design allowed me to refresh this garden room with minimal effort by simply removing debris and the overgrown clutter. Everything else is permanent. Simple!

 "If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought
into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give." -George MacDonald