EXPERT SAVING TIPS
● Evergreens are always a worthwhile investment, providing colour year-round. Many gardeners skip over them, but their low-cost impact is unrivalled.
● Don’t underestimate the long-term value of a one-time-purchase evergreen shrub like Choisya, which will perform for years.
● When it comes to flowers, those that are in it for the long haul offer the best value. In spring, this means opting for the likes of Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’, Euphorbia epithymoides and Aquilegia chrysantha ‘Yellow Queen’ – all have unstoppable flower power.
● Summer stalwarts include gaura, nepeta and perovskia. Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ flowers from June to August; Helianthemum ‘Wisley Primrose’ blooms from April into July; and Penstemon ‘Andenken an Friedrich Hahn’ goes at it from July to October.
● Don’t waste money on feeding the slugs and snails. If you are prey to these slimy, voracious pests, avoid things they love to eat (delphiniums and rudbeckias are out) and go for those they slide past – lavender, foxgloves and euphorbia.
● Steer clear of tender plants that may succumb to harsh weather or trampling by pets and/or kids. The likes of male fern, bergenia, periwinkle, globe thistle, buddleja, rosemary and bamboo can survive pretty much anything.