My husband and I are both students, which means our budget is limited. As a result I am always on the look out for sales and clearance items. This can be difficult when it comes to plants. Usually discounted plants mean half-dead plants. I have learned, however, that if I am patient usually I can nurse these plants back to health. This clematis for example was half priced last year- $7.50 instead of $15.00. It did nothing all year, and I was worried I had wasted my money. You can imagine how thrilled I was to see it budding this spring. It has continued to grow about an inch a day.

 The garden is a terrific place to learn patience. You just can’t force plants, they will grow on their own time and at their own speed. You can learn to enjoy the process or give up waiting for the end product.