What are some nice cheap flowers/plants i can buy to make a garden?

i am looking for some pretty but cheap flowers/plants to plant in front of my house. i am also going to be planting them with my 7 %26amp;8 year olds, any tips on how to make it fun with the kids. i live in north east pa, if that matters. thank you for all your suggestions.

What are some nice cheap flowers/plants i can buy to make a garden?
Seeds. Seeds are very cheap, go to your garden center and buy the seeds for planting now. Plant them with your children, get your children to write pointers which will be placed in the earth where the seeds are. OR, buy potted plants already sprouting and plant in your garden. Give your children a note book and they can note down how big/long/colourful...it has grown over the days/months. Gardening is such fun, once they get the hang of it they will love it.......good luck
Reply:i like carnations they are cheap they spread to cover a not bad sized patch the are very bright and colorful they also come up every year.you can also buy water cress for the kids boil an egg cut the top off scoop out the egg put some soil or cotton wool in to egg sprinkle the seeds in (cost at the most 1 pound per pack)then draw a face on the egg the kids can then watch the hair grow.have fun
Reply:theres a new product out called Roll %26amp; Grow. its 1000 seeds in a fabric that you lay where you want and water, you can cut it into different fun shapes to make a variety of shapes. check rite aid, cvs and walgreen's. i think its $20.00.
Reply:Impatients or marigolds or petunias are cheap if you buy them in a flat like 15 plants for 5.00. Then you can have you kids dig holes and put the flowers in and cover them up. Then fill a pitcher and water. Then kids will like knowing they are helping and that they are pretty and the chance to watch them grow.
Reply:vanda miss jokim
Reply:The cheapest way is to buy seeds and plant them.
Reply:Putin a few elephant garlic bulbs.they are pretty and have a nice flower, low maintenance hardy and good flavoring for food get some irises and a few Jerusalem's (sun chokes) a few canna lillies and you are done!
Reply:Sunflowers are easy and impressive. Be sure to get the mammoth variety. Poke a thumb-sized hole in the ground with a stick, pop the seed in and cover. I put some out a little over a month ago and they're almost two feet high. They'll grow 8-10 feet. Wildflowers are good, too. If you want something you don't have to seed yourself go down to a local nursery and look around. I'm always planting new stuff in my yard and most of the stuff you'll find will be reasonably priced. I've got a fire bush and a butterfly bush paired together on my fence row. Butterflies and hummingbirds are always welcome. :) Good luck with whatever you decided to plant.
Reply:sure thats a great idea. you can go to homedepot prob with like $50 bucks , by a couple of 24 pacs of those small type of flowers you see in front of buildings with the water fountain and the small purple, green. yellow flowers, 2 24 pacs would prob run you sumthing like $30. then get some garden soil and some cold sodas...cuz its hot out here dont knw about there!
Reply:I find that I have the best success rate with Tubers and bulbs. I'm a "low maintanence" gardener meaning I kill anything that requires more than watering. I've had a lot of success with Canna lilies.... and the best part is they were free!!! A co-worker planted some last year that the multiplied and he had to split them off. So your best bet is to find someone who have a garden and mooch off of them (most are more than willing to give) I also think that these give you more bang for your buck b/c if you DO have to buy them the multiply so fast that the next season you'll have twice as many