December 30th, 2022 by Sarah Miles

Create the outdoor space you’ve always wanted – without spending a fortune!

For those lucky enough to have an outdoor space, there are few greater pleasures than spending time in our gardens in the spring and summer and it is often thoughts of this that help us get through the cold winter months when we spend most of our time indoors.

However, if the thought of your own garden fills you with less-than-joyful emotions because it’s just not the dream garden you want, now is the perfect time to start planning for creating one.

A dream garden without the dream budget

Garden renovation projects often come with big costs and right now, that’s not an option for most people as we endure the cost of living crisis.  Don’t be disheartened; not only are there plenty of things you can do to improve your garden that is not expensive but there are also other reasons for doing it too:

• Being creative and spending time on outdoor projects can be good for mental health, well-being, and fitness
• Having an outdoor space where you can spend time with friends and family provides an alternative to going out, which can be expensive
• Spending time in the garden can get you out of the house and away from the TV/games console/computer etc, helping you to make family time
• Planning your garden now can provide a welcome distraction from the cold weather and short days of winter and give you something to look forward to
• You will get a great sense of achievement from planning and executing everything yourself

Low-cost ideas for garden renovations

Here are some ideas that you can do yourself, very inexpensively, to transform your garden and make it into somewhere really special:

Plan it around the sun

The amount of sun your garden gets, where it gets it, and what time it gets in should be one of the key considerations when planning the layout of the space. Perhaps position your garden furniture in spots that get the sun at the times you’re likely to want to sit there (eg at mealtimes) and place sun-loving plants in spots that get the sun and shade-loving ones in areas that don’t.

Only buy appropriate plants for your garden

Before buying plants based on how pretty they look, research what plants are likely to thrive in your garden according to the amount of sun you get, the soil you have, and the general climate in your area. This way, you only buy plants that are likely to grow well and don’t waste money on plants that won’t.

Try growing from seedlings

Plants can be very expensive but there are alternatives to going to the garden centre and buying lots of established plants. Try growing them from seeds, bulbs, or seedlings. Obviously, this takes longer but it’s much cheaper and very satisfying. You can start many plants indoors from quite early in the year.

Plan planting for the long term

Don’t just think about the garden you want this summer, think about how you want it to grow and flourish in the longer term. Planting perennials and self-seeding plants will keep your garden blooming and developing every year for little ongoing work.

Spruce up the big areas

We often think about the stars of the garden being the plants or the garden furniture but, actually, areas like the lawn and the patio/paths often occupy the greatest space so getting these looking good can often make the biggest impact. Get your lawn looking lush and green by feeding with products such as iron sulphate and get hard areas cleaned up and looking like new again by eradicating dirt, grease, mould, algae, and black lichen by cleaning with a patio cleaner or black spot remover.

Upcycle and renovate

Your garden furniture may be looking past its best but that doesn’t mean it’s no good. A bit of fixing up and a spot of paint could give them a whole new lease of life. Repair any broken slats and tighten up any wobbly screws and give them a splash of colour. A paint sprayer makes the job fast and easy and could also be used on fence panels and even sheds and garages.