Sharing and swapping plants acts as an information exchange
sowing. To take advantage of this process, you can’t be too tidy, but leaving seed heads in place to give seeds time to disperse can have other benefits, too. Many look beautiful in winter with a trace of hoarfrost embellishing their intricate structure. Leaving stems offers extra frost protection to the dormant plant, as well as providing somewhere for beneficial garden insects to overwinter. And, last but not least, seed heads are a source of food for birds such as goldfinches and sparrows.
Some plants in my garden have arrived seemingly out of nowhere, blown on the wind or deposited by birds. Over the years, I’ve built up an entire hedge of hazel, spiky blackthorn, dog roses and vigorous viburnum, all by spotting seedlings in the garden and moving them to where they’re needed. This year, for the first time, there are bulrushes in the pond.
You can’t just rely on random arrivals to fill your garden, though. Gardeners are generous folk and if you’re new to gardening, they will happily share cuttings, seeds and seedlings. Sharing and swapping plants acts as an information exchange. By seeing varieties growing in friends’ and neighbours’ gardens, you’ll know how tall they can grow and how wide they’ll spread. You can also see what other species they look good with and what growing conditions they need. It’s still a treat, however, to visit a garden centre or specialist nursery for a specific plant.
Thrifty gardening includes improvising with equipment and tools, too. You’ll have to invest in the basics – a trowel, fork and spade – but these can often be picked up at car-boot sales or in secondhand shops. Use recycled bubble wrap to cover pots and borderline-hardy plants in a cold snap and make a cold frame from a plastic storage crate with a piece of glass for a lid. (See opposite for more tips on budget kit.)
Now is a good time to take some semi-ripe cuttings (see right) of shrubs such as escallonia, hebes and viburnums; woody herbs such as bay, rosemary and lavender; even climbers like Chilean potato vine (Solanum crispum). Keep them in your improvised cold frame over winter and you can restock your garden next spring or share and swap plants with other thrifty gardeners.
Plants for Free: Seeds & Cuttings to Fill Your Garden by Sharon Amos (Pavilion Books). Illustrations by Olga Lychkova.