I bought a new house in Dordogne in Jan 2021, downsized from previous house but new one has quite a big garden which was completely void of flowers, though there are some nice trees. Old house had a big garden too but I spent 30 years there making that garden.
In 2 years I have spent roughly 400€ on shrubs, 220€ on roses x 18 (some were end of season offers), 300€ on perennials, a few I brought from my old garden, 120€ on clematis x 6 and honeysuckle x 2 and some on fertilisers and lots of bags of compost. Also about 150€ on daffodils and more on some tulips, snowdrops, alliums and camassias. Mustn't forget some trays of violas and a tray of petunias. Oh, and a silver birch Jaquemontii and an Amalanchier. My daughter gave me 5 pink shrub roses and a Viburnum.
Then there is the veg garden, seeds, baby plants, raspberry bushes. Had loads of raspberries in '21, not many in last year's drought and I was in the UK. Raspberries are expensive to buy in Dordogne.
I don't buy expensive clothes, I live in M&S jeans and various jumpers in winter and summer dresses in summer. I don't smoke, OH buys the wine and pays for outings and plane and ferry tickets when I go to his cottage in Norfolk.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Wow, I knew I was pretty frugal but I now feel positively miserly!
I haven't kept an exact count but since moving here 18 months ago, I had one 'big' spend of about 150€ on shrubs and perennials, €100 on bulbs and maybe another 100€on seeds (I'm in love with seeds, especially unusual veg). The bog area for the sewerage clean water outlet was another €100 in planting. That's the only hard landscaping we've done and it was part of the whole system so isn't 'gardening'. And now €80 on the trees. Oh, and €25 on a little plastic cold frame that's better than nothing if you don't have a greenhouse . In addition the usual compost, etc. and some bark for the steps.
That is all to get the garden started. When we came here there was nothing but a leylandii hedge (gone!) and a few oddly planted shrubs. We now have the outline of a garden which will hopefully start to look like something this year.
As so many of you say, we spend nothing (almost literally) on clothes (I volunteer for what is effectively a clothes bank, everything at 20 cents), we don't smoke, drink or go out, and will hopefully end up growing a lot of our food. My other hobbies are walking, my guitar, pilates and making animals from wire, sometimes recycled, so nothing exactly bank breaking.
And yes, the pleasure from watching things grow is immense, and at the same time it keeps you fit.
I think many folk who are keen gardeners, tend not to spend lots of dosh on the sort of things many other folk spend on. It obviously depends on finances too, but maybe we're less materialistic or something? No need for fancy bits and pieces. I like to have a reasonable looking home, but that's as far as it goes. Like myself - functional rather than luxurious.
A bit of a generalisation, but perhaps we [gardeners] just see things differently.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I don't buy plants online. £30-40 per visit to garden centre. In the olden days about 6 times a year. Fewer times in recent years - covid. I also buy whatever I fancy in Lidl. Tools or plants - maybe £50 year.
I simply spend far too much. If I had saved everything I have spent over the years on my several gardens I would be a very wealthy woman. However, gardening has been my salvation throughout my life. I do not smoke or drink, and do not socialize very much, but derive enormous contentment, and peace of mind, my remaining little grey brain cells get exercised, and I get physical exercise as well as feed myself. One happy lady.
I think many folk who are keen gardeners, tend not to spend lots of dosh on the sort of things many other folk spend on. It obviously depends on finances too, but maybe we're less materialistic or something? No need for fancy bits and pieces. I like to have a reasonable looking home, but that's as far as it goes. Like myself - functional rather than luxurious.
A bit of a generalisation, but perhaps we [gardeners] just see things differently.
I think you may have a point there, @Fairygirl. As you say, a generalisation but the keen gardeners I know are, to coin a phrase, "down to earth". I don't know if it's a lack of materialism, although that's absolutely true of me, or more of a greater appreciation of living things rather than the latest kitchen gadget.
Below is the 'garden' before we moved in. Half of the garden had been dug away (have the pics somewhere of the digger doing the job) to make way for the extension, I call it the conservatory. The Christmas before he died my husband gave me an IOU for whatever it takes to make a new garden. And I did and still am spending the IOU.
We weren't living there at the time as the cottage had to be renovated too. Five months later we'd only been there for about 10 days before he died and after the funeral me, my daughter and granddaughter got cracking on levelling the mess that the building work had caused.
I would say I didn't spend much last year, a couple of bags of potting compost and one seed order and that was it. Except, of course, there was the new greenhouse
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
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In 2 years I have spent roughly 400€ on shrubs, 220€ on roses x 18 (some were end of season offers), 300€ on perennials, a few I brought from my old garden, 120€ on clematis x 6 and honeysuckle x 2 and some on fertilisers and lots of bags of compost. Also about 150€ on daffodils and more on some tulips, snowdrops, alliums and camassias. Mustn't forget some trays of violas and a tray of petunias. Oh, and a silver birch Jaquemontii and an Amalanchier. My daughter gave me 5 pink shrub roses and a Viburnum.
Then there is the veg garden, seeds, baby plants, raspberry bushes. Had loads of raspberries in '21, not many in last year's drought and I was in the UK. Raspberries are expensive to buy in Dordogne.
I don't buy expensive clothes, I live in M&S jeans and various jumpers in winter and summer dresses in summer. I don't smoke, OH buys the wine and pays for outings and plane and ferry tickets when I go to his cottage in Norfolk.
I haven't kept an exact count but since moving here 18 months ago, I had one 'big' spend of about 150€ on shrubs and perennials, €100 on bulbs and maybe another 100€on seeds (I'm in love with seeds, especially unusual veg). The bog area for the sewerage clean water outlet was another €100 in planting. That's the only hard landscaping we've done and it was part of the whole system so isn't 'gardening'. And now €80 on the trees. Oh, and €25 on a little plastic cold frame that's better than nothing if you don't have a greenhouse
That is all to get the garden started. When we came here there was nothing but a leylandii hedge (gone!) and a few oddly planted shrubs. We now have the outline of a garden which will hopefully start to look like something this year.
As so many of you say, we spend nothing (almost literally) on clothes (I volunteer for what is effectively a clothes bank, everything at 20 cents), we don't smoke, drink or go out, and will hopefully end up growing a lot of our food. My other hobbies are walking, my guitar, pilates and making animals from wire, sometimes recycled, so nothing exactly bank breaking.
And yes, the pleasure from watching things grow is immense, and at the same time it keeps you fit.
A bit of a generalisation, but perhaps we [gardeners] just see things differently.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I also buy whatever I fancy in Lidl. Tools or plants - maybe £50 year.
If I had saved everything I have spent over the years on my several gardens I would be a very wealthy woman.
However, gardening has been my salvation throughout my life. I do not smoke or drink, and do not socialize very much, but derive enormous contentment, and peace of mind, my remaining little grey brain cells get exercised, and I get physical exercise as well as feed myself.
One happy lady.
We weren't living there at the time as the cottage had to be renovated too. Five months later we'd only been there for about 10 days before he died and after the funeral me, my daughter and granddaughter got cracking on levelling the mess that the building work had caused.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”