Now that I have your attention, this first post is for all of you fellow new gardeners/wanna-be gardeners out there who live in the Southern United States. If you live in another area of the country, this blog may also be useful to you and spark your interest to do some research on how you can find free plants in your area. There are enough plants on this list to get you more than started on your first beautiful garden! If you want, go to your local hardware/garden store and pick up some flower seeds to sprinkle along the ground to intersperse with these plants.
First though, I think there's something that needs to be shared:
Conclude from this what you will.
...
I'm going to treat this post as if the readers know nothing, as I knew nothing until about 2 years ago, so please don't be offended if some of this info is painfully obvious!
My mother-in-law, who rightfully should be the one managing this blog because she is WAY smarter than me concerning gardening and probably most other things, has rubbed off on me quite a bit since I've been married to my husband. She has a lot of high moral standards, but the ones I'll be talking about today are her "free plant" morals.
We tilled up an area in our yard last year, and she was very concerned as she told me that mulching that area was going to be very expensive. I was thinking like, 100's of dollars, and I asked her, concerned also, how much she thought it would be. She shook her head and I could tell she was considering and calculating, and she said in a whisper as if the number was so ghastly, "It could be fifty dollars."
So, now you know my mother-in-law, Cindy. :)
She will not pay for plants. She informed me recently that it's against her religion. I don't remember God being against buying plants in the Bible..... :)
Seriously though, for all of you out there who are reading, I put together this short list and pics of plants that are easy to transplant, easy-to-grow, and are most likely growing right around your corner. Don't go out and buy these plants!!!! You can get them for free if you just have a small trowel and a few plastic planters.
General Lesson #1: The flowers listed in this blog have bulbs, the bushes and vines have roots. This will help you to later identify that you're digging up the right things, I promise.
Green Thumb Rule:
One rule that my mother-in-law gave me that I didn't believe at first but found later to be true, is that after you dig up plants (not planting from seed) you need to soak the plants for about 12-24 hours before transplanting in water, but don't drown them. This will refresh them and they will be able to stand the transplant much better. Don't be discouraged if you do the work and don't see results this season. Your plants will most likely come back the next year and be as healthy as ever!
***My roses are so huge I can't even believe that when I dug them up they were seriously as big as my thumb, as in that was the total size of the plant. Now they take up an entire brick patio wall***
I live in North Carolina, and here is what I have in my garden that I did not pay a penny for and here is how to transplant it:
1. Jasmine
Jasmine is a fast-growing, yellow-flowering vine. It's absolutely beautiful! If you have a gutter spout or brick wall that you want something to grow on, this is your plant. I have mind draped onto a brick patio wall. You will probably see it as you're driving down the highway, engulfing entire trees and intertwined with Wisteria. Since it's a vine and it will grow fast, be sure that you'll be committed to trimming it every once in a while. You could even put it in a large pot if you didn't want it in the ground. When you find some (which won't be hard-just look around), take your trowel and try to dig up a portion that has some roots on it. Put it in water immediately and let sit for appropriate time. Don't be discouraged if it loses it's leaves. It will come back-trust me. Full Sun.
2. Ivy
This is a little bit of a cheater because I already had some in my yard. I added it to the list because it is so incredibly easy to start so please don't go buy any! If you know anyone who has ivy, or if you see any, follow the same instructions as you did for jasmine. If you want to experiment, try planting it directly in the ground instead of soaking and I bet it will be do okay. I don't know what will happen so if any of you do it let me know how it turns out!
3. Daffodils (Narcissus)
These flowers have bulbs with roots instead of just a root system, so when you find them and want to dig them up, be careful to keep the bulbs as in tact as possible and also to keep as many of the roots attached to the bulb as you can. The beauty of these guys is they reproduce every year, so you will have an increasing number with each year! If you want to try and get sly and find them before they bloom, look for tall grassy-ish stuff (daffodil stalks), dig with your trowel and you'll most likely find a bulb. Plant in full sun.
4. Wild Roses (I have seen white, light pink, dark pink)
You will also see these lining roadsides-I have noticed them particularly in the country lining the drainage ditches (drainage ditches are a cheap gardener's friend). If you see a tiny sprig of one, don't ignore it to go on to the bigger stuff. Like I said earlier, mine was the size of my thumb and now it takes up an entire patio wall! When you dig it up, just make sure you get as many roots as you can with it. Soak in water overnight and plant the next day. They like full sun.
5. Chives (they are common but if you're filling out an area they are good for that). When you dig these up you find little tiny onion bulbs at the bottom with roots attached. I don't know if these little guys are edible or not, but they are not like regular onions in that they won't grow bigger. Whatever they are when you dig them up are pretty much as big as they will get.
6. Wisteria
This one was the most difficult for me so if any of you have any luck with it I commend you! I know it's possible but just haven't gotten around to trying it again. When you dig up the vine try to get as many of the roots as you can. If you all you can find is a large vine, try to see if there is a small growth attached to it that has some roots and use it. When I planted mine, I broke off a branch and put it in a pot, watered it everyday for a month or two, and it ended up rooting itself. I let it grow in the pot for one year and it bushed out wonderfully, but then I planted it and it ended up dying. :( But, good luck with yours! It smells WONDERFUL.
7. Crepe Myrtles
Crepe Myrtles drop seeds like there's no tomorrow. If you see any in your area, wait until they are losing their blooms and then go and collect their seeds. They are round and woody. Save to plant in spring.
8. Orange Lilies
You see these guys lining the roadside every summer and they are beautiful! They have the same rules as daffodils. Don't be discouraged if they die off a little when you plant them, they'll be back at least three-fold by next summer (they reproduce also). Plant in full sun.
9. Blackberries
Need I say more-yumminess will be growing right outside your door. If you don't already have these growing in your backyard or in our drainage ditch (check and see), you must find some! I have seen lots in Winnabow and Albemarle, NC if you live near any of those areas. This bush will have a root system so make sure you get as many of it's roots as possible when you dig it up. This plant will grow quickly, so don't overlook a small one. Soak in water for 12-24 hrs. and plant in full sun.
Have fun playing!
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