6 Budget Friendly Ways To Improve Your Garden
If you consider your garden to look a little lifeless and in serious need of some attention, but you never got around to revitalizing it because you’re too afraid of the expenses, well – think again!
You don’t always need a landscape gardener to breathe in new life into your backyard, you can refresh your garden on a budget with simple updates. Many gorgeous, contemporary-looking gardens you’ve seen in magazines can be achieved thanks to designers who promote use of easily sourced materials and plants that are more environmentally safe.
You can re-use creative materials that are low-maintenance and cheap plants that require little care – the possibilities are endless! Here are some tips on how you can refurbish your garden:
Plants
Play with colors, height, and maybe even try something new like grasses or bee and butterfly friendly plants. Before you buy any plants, see if some friends are willing to give you several small cuttings of their foliage.
Some very beautiful plants and flowers grow well from clippings and can make your garden look classier. You can also plant with perennials – they return year after year. The only difference is that they cost a little more, but it’s a long-term investment which will definitely pay off.
However, all these plants need some kind of care so don’t forget to update your watering system. An irrigation system might be a good solution, but just a simple hose reel can make a huge difference in making your garden look fresh without much effort.
Pots and other containers
If you were considering pots, have one thing in mind: the bigger the better. Plants need a lot of space for their roots and water and they need to be provided with stability.
You probably don’t even have to go buy raised beds or planters from a gardening store. You can use all kinds of things, from wine crates or barrels to old tires and palettes! Get creative and throw out those old drawers from the attic, give them a makeover, punch a few holes in the bottom and voila!
If you’re still feeling like buying something new and cheap, simple ol’ terracota will do – they’re everlasting and you can also give them some artistic touch with a brush and some paint.
Vegetable garden
If you want to make your garden a bit more viable, but you’re not sure if you have enough space or the funds to make a full-scale vegetable garden, you can try to make a vegetable trug instead.
Your vegetable and herb bed will be easy to manage and away from any harm, and you can protect it with netting, too. There’s nothing like gathering and eating fresh produce from your own garden!
Get busy with the ground
You can achieve a great visual impact with the use of pavers and ground cover. If you have a space that’s not use in the garden or bear earth you’d like to cover up, you can make a mosaic out of recycled or broken pavers, and then plant moss or creeping sedum between the seams for contrast.
You can also use gravel as a cheap and chic garden accent. You can put it in spots where is heavy foot traffic and no plants, or an area where you think a modern look is needed.
How about a pond?
Anyone could do it: it could be small pools made from old washing-up bowls, Japanese water stones or ponds of any size and shape. Just make sure you have water features – even an overturned Cretan pump will do.
Be creative
You can artificially recycle almost anything in your backyard. Steel, wood scraps, old copper – all of that can be added to your fence or patio wall for a more contemporary look.
If you have a compact garden, you can hang a mirror among the foliage on a wall or a fence to add a sense of more space, and bring even more light in. Repaint your old iron garden chair a new crazy color and buy colorful cushions for you bench – you’ll be surprised how much difference it makes!
Final thoughts
From garden lighting to cheap furniture ideas, there are a multitude of smart ideas to make your garden great without breaking the bank. All it takes is a little planning and a few simple tricks, and even you can turn your garden into a tranquil haven to enjoy all summer long.
Category: Housing
