Whether you've got an apartment balcony or a yard, you don't have to break the bank to create a beautiful garden space. And while it might be a bit soon to plant some things, it’s not too soon to get started.

Ross McLaughlin took a trip to Hunters Garden Centre to see what the experts recommend for an easy to manage and beautiful garden.

"This is a euonymus green spire. It’s a little bit of a statement plant," said store manager Laura Doheny, “And aren’t these gorgeous? This is bergenia, the snow bird variety...”

“Are they hardy?” asked McLaughlin.

“Yes, very hardy,” Doheny answered.

And in the long run that’s going to save you money and will come back every year.

"You want to get the bones in. The bones are the things like your smaller shrubs," she said, “You can always fill in with annuals to give youself pops of colour throughout the season.”

One of the most abundant flowering perennials for the early spring is heather. There are many types, but Doheny says the most beautiful are the spring blooming varieties.

Annuals like primula can also make a great fill in, and perennials like helleborus are budded and blooming nicely with flowers that will last for months. Shrubs like hamamelis (witch hazel) are coming into bloom and their heavenly scent is contagious.

For McLaughlin’s planter arrangement, Doheny chose a small shrub called skimmia.

"In the spring this opens up to a lovely white flower and that becomes your base for the planter," explained Doheny.

Add a little grass for a nice textural element, and a purple hookera, a wall flower for a pop of purple colour.

The arrangement is fragrant and versatile and when you put it into a $30 planter, the total cost comes to around $80 and it will last year round.

If you're thinking of planting geraniums, think again. You should wait at least another week and a half. We're still getting some night frosts in Metro Vancouver and that means it’s too soon for more delicate plants.

If you want to create a garden for even cheaper, think about using seeds. For under $10 you can put together a nice arrangement.

And if you think the cost of a beautiful garden is too much, just remember, a well landscaped yard can add up to 20 per cent to your property value when you go to sell.