How to give your garden a budget makeover

Landscaping and maintaining a garden can, like everything else, be enormously expensive. But with a smart and careful approach, it’s possible to make big changes without costing you an arm and a leg. Here are some of our favourite suggestions.

Let there be light

Garden lights, such as fairy lights, are an increasingly popular choice for gardeners simply because they leave an enormous impression and come at a very low cost. They are easy to position throughout the garden and can be supported by trees, hedges, shrubs, fences, and ornaments for a nice warm glow. To really cut down on costs, just arrange for the lights to be powered from a cable that feeds into the house. That way, there’s no need for an electrician.

Experiment with artificial grass 

The grass is always greener, as the popular saying goes, and so it can be a difficult decision to make if you are planning on introducing artificial grass in to your garden. Fortunately there are companies out there that offer free artificial grass samples, so you can try before you buy. There are many benefits to artificial grass, including keeping down costs by reducing the need for pesticides and fertilisers. In addition to this, artificial grass can be raked, leaf-blown, and power washed for years and remain in immaculate condition, so it’s easy to see why it’s becoming more popular in gardens around the UK.

Make sure you eat before you go to the garden centre

This may seem like a digression, but it’s really not. It’s estimated that garden centres generate up to a third of their revenue from just catering alone. Make sure you eat a hearty meal beforehand and use the money you would have spent in the café on some good gardening equipment or plants instead.

Ornaments and bird feeders

It’s never been cheaper or easier to find ornaments to scatter about your garden for greater appeal. For mere pounds you can spruce up your outside with fluttering butterflies, solar powered lights, decorative plaques, miniature windmills, and gnome statues. Bird feeders are often designed with the dual purpose of looking decorative. Choose yours wisely and get one that functions effectively on both accounts.

Outdoor heaters

Many people baulk at the thought of buying an outdoor heater for the garden. They are generally expensive, true, but not all of them are, and they provide a crucial burst of enthusiasm for gardeners – they make it that more accessible as the temperature plummets heading into winter. If you have furniture, position an outdoor heater over it and find an extra bit of comfort in the winter sun.

Get creative – Brighten up your garden furniture with cushions and pillows

Garden furniture is also something that can be surprisingly expensive. Fortunately, you can overhaul them with inexpensive cushions and pillows, rendering them virtually unrecognisable from the tired old model before. Experiment with colour coordination, matching them to the season. If you can sew, make an extra hobby out of it and create your own pillows. You’ll probably spend just as much in preparation as you would outright buying new ones, but it’ll be a lot more satisfying in the end – and you’ll have your artisanry on show, too.