Reviewed By ROY NICOL
Roy is a Professional Gardener and Horticultural Consultant, specialising in large garden year-round maintenance and garden development. He is an RHS Master of Horticulture and uses his research in the application of no-dig methods in ornamental garden settings. Roy has been a Professional Gardener for more than six years and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Professional Gardener's Guild and Association of Professional Landscapers (Professional Gardener).
Contributions From DANNY CLARKE
Danny Clarke ('The Black Gardener') is a British Horticulturist and Garden Designer. He is probably best known for his TV presenting roles on the BBC's Instant Gardener, his time on the ITV This Morning team and Filthy Garden SOS aired on Channel 5. He also co-directs CIC Grow 2 Know, a charitable organisation encouraging diversity in horticulture.
Flo Headlam is a Garden Designer, Writer & TV Presenter. She is currently a Designer and Presenter on BBC Garden Rescue, having previously worked in the BBC Gardeners' World team. Flo has a Diploma in Garden Design from Capel Manor and has experience working on commercial projects and community gardens.
Sara Venn is the founder and leader of Edible Bristol, an organisation set up to create edible gardens across the city of Bristol. With 60 gardens and counting, the project is still growing. Sara also has previous experience as a Horticulturist at various plant nurseries.
Kate Gould is an award-winning Garden Designer who has built her company, Kate Gould Gardens, over a period of more than 20 years. Kate has won 5 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medals, including an unprecedented 3 medals for the same garden at the 2022 show. She is a member of the Society of Garden Designers and the British Association of Landscape Industries.
Kim Stoddart is a climate change gardener and the co-author of ‘The Climate Change Garden’, which was updated and republished in February 2023. She teaches courses for the RHS and has also written for publications such as The Guardian and Country Smallholding.
IN THIS GUIDE
- 1) Decorate Your Plant Pots
- 2) Recycle Plastic Bottles
- 3) Repurpose Old Furniture
- 4) Plant In Teacups & Jugs
- 5) Create A Gravel Path
- 6) Add Borders
- 7) Plant Pretty, Affordable Flowers
- 8) Grow Herbs & Veggies
- 9) Paint Tin Cans
- 10) Plant A Tree
- 11) Create A Ladder Garden
- 12) Make Tyre Planters
- 13) Repurpose Old Clothes
- How Do I Change My Garden On A Budget?
- How Much Money Can You Save By Growing Your Own Vegetables?
Not everyone has the time or disposable income to invest in expensive furniture and landscape design for their garden – but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a beautiful and inviting outdoor space, that functions for you and your household.
Whether it’s through using recycled materials, repurposing household items, or painting your existing garden accessories to give them a new lease of life, there are lots of DIY and inexpensive ways to turn your garden from ‘drab’ to ‘fab’.
If you’re looking to transform your garden on a budget, check out this collection of 12 cheap and simple garden ideas, to inspire you to make some changes, and create the outdoor oasis you’ve always wanted.
1) Decorate Your Plant Pots
You may already have some plastic or terracotta plant pots lying around, but perhaps you aren’t impressed with their dull green or brown appearance.
If this is the case, spray a primer onto your clean, dry pots, and use acrylic or outdoor paint to give them a new lease of life.
Look online for inspiration and get creative with your designs, colours and patterns, to create unique plant pots that are personal to you.
This can also make a great crafting activity to do with children.
2) Recycle Plastic Bottles
In a world where stopping single-use plastics from polluting our land and oceans is of the utmost importance, repurposing used plastic bottles as planters is both a cheap and eco-friendly garden design idea, as acclaimed Garden Designer & TV Presenter Danny Clarke explains:
“Reuse the plastics in your home – don’t throw them away as they can have another use.
“Plastics don’t decompose so we should try to hold onto them for as long as possible.
“You can build all sorts of things with plastic bottles and pots, but if you don’t need them, give them away to other people for them to use.”
To make a plastic bottle into a planter, cut a large hole in one side, and puncture a couple of small holes in the other side, for drainage.
Fill with potting soil, and your chosen seeds or seedlings.
Hang multiple bottles on a wall or wire fence to create the effect shown.
3) Repurpose Old Furniture
“Why not repurpose furniture for the outdoors?” asks Danny.
“Give your old furniture a coat of paint instead of taking it down to your local tip.
“I’m always amazed at the sort of things people throw away, as there are so many indoor things that you can quite easily repurpose for the outdoors.
“Even if it only lasts for 3-4 years, it’s still not going to landfill and you’re saving money instead of spending thousands on new bits and pieces for your patio.”
Consider whether you have any old furniture at home which might look better in your garden.
An old desk can make an excellent potting table, whilst a chest of drawers can be used as a unique plant stand, and a disused dining or coffee table makes a great garden table.
Paint the furniture a bright colour or pattern for a funky look.
For the truly daring, an old toilet or bathtub can make a quirky planter, and is sure to get the neighbours talking!
4) Plant In Teacups & Jugs
If you have any old chinaware that you don’t use anymore – perhaps it’s got a chip in it, you don’t like the design – instead of throwing it out, repurpose it as quirky plant pots.
“Not buying containers is a definite thing, as there are so many things we can use,” says Kate Cotterill, Co-Director of She Grows Veg.
“Grow absolutely anywhere and in anything. We plant seeds in all of our toilet rolls and yoghurt pots, even if it just means growing them on a windowsill around the house.
“Using what’s around you is such a useful tip, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.”
The small size of teacups and mugs makes them perfect for herbs and succulents – paint mismatched pots in a unifying colour, as above, to create the look of a matching set.
“Watch out for over-watering plants in containers without drainage so they don’t become waterlogged!’ shares Roy Nicol, a Horticultural Consultant.
“Just keep an eye on them and pour away excess water.”
5) Create A Gravel Path
If your garden is a boring square or rectangle of grass, consider making a gravel path to break it up, and add depth and interest.
Perhaps your path could lead to a seating area or a vegetable garden at the bottom of your garden.
Flowering perennials can also be added on the border of paths to add colour year after year.
You can purchase gravel from garden centres, builders’ merchants or DIY stores.
Creating a path is as simple as marking it out with stones, digging up the turf, laying landscape membrane to prevent weeds from growing through the gravel and filling it in with gravel.
6) Add Borders
Borders are a great way to create a professional, landscaped look in your garden.
Use them to separate your lawn from a path, or to divide flower beds and veggie gardens.
Borders can have the added benefit of stopping plants from spreading to unwanted areas.
You can buy cheap wooden or plastic borders from DIY stores, which you can drive into the soil between your flower beds and lawn.
Alternatively, make your own borders using rocks and stones or using a proprietary metal edging solution.
7) Plant Pretty, Affordable Flowers
An easy way to improve the appearance of your garden is to plant flowers, which will fill your space with colourful blooms during their flowering season.
You can plant them in a container, so you can move them around and indoors during winter, or choose varieties that are hardy to the UK climate and plant them in the ground.
“You can grow a mix of annuals, perennials and biennials from seed and see how those plants behave to save some pennies,” shares Garden Designer Kate Gould.
“Go back to the basics.”
Some good varieties to consider for this includes annuals such as violas, pansies or periwinkles.
These ground-covering perennials come with the advantage that they smother weeds, meaning you can save yourself the time and money of having to spray and remove them.
“Growing things from seed is a really good way to bulk up on the amount of plants you’re growing,” shares TV Presenter and Garden Designer Flo Headlam.
“Taking cuttings and propagating is another way to do this but you do have to have space to do this.
“You can get seeds from seed banks or community groups that often do seed swaps or exchanges. You could swap with neighbours too if they’re also planting things.”
8) Grow Herbs & Veggies
Growing your own herbs and vegetables in your garden is not only highly rewarding and adds to the look of your garden, but it can also save you money on your food shopping during the summer months.
“Grow your vegetables from seed,” says Kate.
“Your plants will be much stronger, even though it’s going to take you longer.”
Veggies can be grown in containers, or in the ground.
There are a wide variety of vegetables which grow well in the UK, including peas, potatoes, onions, salad greens and runner beans – or if you’re short on space, why not create a herb garden, to provide basil for your pasta, chives for your homemade potato salad, or mint for your Mojitos!
“If one of you friends is growing a particular type of vegetable, such as sweet corn, swap with them and give them, say, a tomato plant,” says Kate.
“This can save you a lot of money if you bump up your crop this way.”
9) Paint Tin Cans
There’s really no need to spend money on plant pots – recycled tin cans, such as those used for fizzy drinks and baked beans, can also make excellent plant holders for small flowers and herbs.
Paint them bright colours to create an attractive look, and punch holes in the sides for a string, which you can use to hang your new plant pots from a fence post or bracket – perfect for small spaces.
“Before you throw anything away, ask yourself: could this have a use in my garden?,” advises Danny.
“An empty can of beans could be used for planting seeds in, for example.
“Try and avoid discarding things if you can or, if you haven’t got room for it, give it to somebody who can make use of it.”
10) Plant A Tree
“Rather than going for lots of plants, you could try going for a couple of big plants, like trees, so you get a bigger impact,” says Flo.
Planting a tree in your garden and watching it grow can be an incredibly rewarding experience – not to mention it will help purify your air, provide a home for wildlife, and offer shade in the summer.
You can purchase a sapling from a garden centre for a small cost. Some good types of native trees to grow in the UK include Ash, Hazel, Hawthorn and Silver Birch.
For smaller gardens, there are varieties suited to container growth, such as the Malus sylvestris (crab apple bonsai tree) pictured, which provides attractive spring blossom and brightly coloured fruits in the autumn.
11) Create A Ladder Garden
A step ladder can make a unique and stylish plant stand and add a focal point to your garden.
If you haven’t got an unused one lying around, have a look online for people selling one in your area, or pick up a cheap one from a DIY store.
To really make your ladder an attractive feature, paint it a bright colour using weatherproof exterior paint.
Place a wooden plank between the corresponding rungs to create a shelf and add a plant pot or container filled with trailing flowers.
12) Make Tyre Planters
Used tyres are another widely available and cheap (or free) resource that can be recycled into funky garden planters.
Try spray painting them in bright or pastel colours, for a stylish look.
Fill the centre with potting soil and plant your favourite shrub or flowering plant.
“Try taking waste items and doing something creative with them to upcycle,” says Kim Stoddart, the Climate Change Gardener.
“An old sink basin into a pond, a chipped vase into a windowsill planter and, of course, an old tyre – it feels good to take back waste from landfill one item at a time.”
13) Repurpose Old Clothes
“If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can upcycle clothes,” shares Danny.
“For example, take a pair of jeans that you don’t wear anymore. Tie a knot in the legs and then pack them full of soil.
“Where the waist is, you can put some plants in and hang them up, perhaps from a fence.”
Old shoes can also be used as planters whilst fabrics could make good ground cover over the winter.
How Do I Change My Garden On A Budget?
“My biggest tip for the garden is to stop buying stuff,” shares Sara Venn, the Founder of Edible Bristol.
“If you have healthy soil, you don’t need to buy fertiliser or chemicals. If you look after your ecosystem, you won’t need to buy much at all.”
Having said that, there are lots of ways to change your garden on a budget. Here are some of our top tips:
- Repaint old furniture with weatherproof exterior paint and use it outside.
- Make your own plant pots from recycled plastic bottles or tin cans.
- Source free or cheap wood pallets, to create garden seating or plant stands.
- Build your own fire pit from old bricks and paving slabs.
- Look for second-hand garden furniture in charity shops, and on online marketplaces, such as eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.
- Shop around to find the best prices before purchasing plants and compost – check your local garden centre, and online.
- Choose a few small accessories, such as outdoor cushions or an outdoor rug, to easily and affordably transform your space.
“Some seed-saving helps boost wildlife and can save you money,” says Kim.
“If you choose to save seeds from plants that have displayed some resilience against extremes of weather, even better.”
How Much Money Can You Save By Growing Your Own Vegetables?
Growing your own vegetables will undoubtedly save you money – exactly how much will depend on a number of factors, including what vegetables you’re growing, cost of compost, how many seeds you plant, and how good a harvest you enjoy.
To give you an example, it is possible to buy a packet of 5 potato seeds for around £1 and expect them to yield up to 45 potatoes.
The same quantity of potatoes in a supermarket can cost upwards of £10 – so there are significant savings to be made.
“As well as saving money, the taste of home-grown vegetables is like no other,” adds Roy.
“Freshly dug new potatoes, sun-warmed tomatoes picked straight from the plant or sweetcorn cooked immediately after picking are all superb!”
