Hello Spacefarmer and welcome! I love Olympia! I live in Seattle
Don't know if you are from the PNW originally or new here but for me, coming from Mi originally, I was amazed that things grow year round here!
One thing to do when on a tight budget is figure out what plants can grow from cuttings...if you have the space for a bush or 2, hydrangeas tend to do really well just cut the branch a little below a knob (where there are new leaves growing) and place in a flower vase of water, even this time of year, they will root...Once rooted you can plant either in a pot or in the ground.
In this way I created 20 hydrangea bushes which now fill along my parking lot (I live in an apartment building) this space had been weeds, now it is lovely bushes. This process took several years.
Coleus and geranium are also plants that you can take cuttings and place inside in a vase, then plant outdoors in spring
