Cheap Budget Garden Ideas

We Brits love spending time in our gardens. As soon as there’s even an inkling of sunshine, we'll be out there BBQ-ing, sunbathing or pottering around. According to data, 26% of Brits enjoy gardening and don’t need an excuse to get a little green fingered.

The only thing is, gardening can be an expensive hobby. From lawn seed and weed killer to mowers and trellises, the costs can soon add up. On average, we spend £360 in total on plants, ornaments and furniture to make our gardens ready for a (hopefully, but probably not) sizzling summer.

Our gardens are a lot more than a place to spend time in, they’re also great for our mental health. A study from mental health charity, Mind, found that 63% of adults said spending time in their garden has been good for their mental health since the pandemic.

Trainee Clinical Psychologist Molly Greenslade highlights the importance of gardening on our mental health: ‘Gardening can be a useful tool for de-stressing and reconnecting when so many of us experience such fast-paced lives. Ulrich’s (1983) psycho-physiological stress reduction theory suggests that spending time in nature has an immediate impact on our nervous system response leading to enhanced relaxation and wellbeing.’

So don’t let the cost put you off spending time in your garden. Whether you’re working with a huge lawn, a small terrace or even a balcony, there are plenty of cheap garden ideas that let you achieve your gardening goals. We’ve spoken to several gardening experts to give you some budget-friendly garden ideas.

Contents

1. Budget-friendly garden ideas to transform your small garden
2. How to transform a larger garden space on a budget
3. Savoo’s top five ideas to improve or transform your garden on a budget

Budget-friendly garden ideas to transform your small garden

Small gardens can be both a blessing and a curse. It can mean there’s less to look after, but also means you have less space to fulfil your horticultural dreams. But, with a little creativity, you can make your little plot of land a beautiful garden you’re excited to spend time in.

1. Hanging baskets and trailing plants maximise vertical space

While it’s only natural to expect plants to grow in the ground, with smaller gardens you can make the most of the vertical space you have at your disposal too, to add a sense of height and make your garden feel more spacious. And this doesn’t mean planting a whacking great tree, either.

On your vertical limits, the experts at YouGarden say, ‘While big gardens come with so many possibilities, we similarly love finding smart solutions to make the most of those slightly more compact spaces. For a smaller garden, remember always to look up! The vertical space of our gardens is always underappreciated and underused – fill it with reusable features like hanging baskets of trailing plants or trellises for climbing veggies like tomatoes and runner beans.’

Browse YouGarden discount codes to save money and make the most out of your vertical spaces.

2. Create a focal point to draw the eye

Even if you have a small garden, you can maximise the space by drawing people’s attention to a specific spot that can have a huge overall impact.

Garden expert Kathryn Coulton of Cedar Garden Design understands the importance of making the most out of the space you have. ‘A feature positioned away from the house creates the illusion of a larger garden. It doesn't have to be something as basic as a statue or birdbath, either. This is your outdoor room so treat it as you would the interior of the house.’

Retailers like Matalan can be a great place to find unique items to create a focal point. Browse Matalan discount codes and save money while getting creative.

3. Use mirrors to make the space look bigger

Believe it or not, mirrors work just as well outside the home as they do inside – and it’s not just so the birds can admire themselves. Landscape gardening expert Marc Harbourne-Bessant says, ‘Using mirrors in your garden can create the illusion of additional space. It can also reflect planting to make it look like there are more plants in your garden.’

You can pick up a garden mirror for as little as £20, or something more extravagant for around £150. Browse voucher codes for Wayfair, which has a huge selection of garden mirrors, and grab yourself a great deal.

4. Add personality with creative bird feeders and plant pots

If you’re looking for an affordable way to entice birds into your garden, this one’s for you. Think outside the box and see what you can reuse and recycle from around your home. For example, an old tea cup and saucer can be transformed into a unique bird feeder. You can even add a lick of paint too so it looks completely new.

The gardening experts at YouGarden appreciate the opportunity to use their creativity. ‘We love making wacky and wonderful planters from all manner of items we find sitting around the house, from old buckets to shoes – just get creative and you’ll be astounded by the results.’

5. Give your wood a glow-up

Wood preserver oil or stain can add a fresh lease of life to fences, decking and other wooden structures. A small amount of investment now can also save you loads of money in the long run. Make sure you protect the wood in your garden, including wooden furniture like benches, so they don’t weather too quickly and need replacing. They’re also far more likely to take less of a battering through the harsher autumn and winter months.

Marc is a big believer in preventative wood care, saying, ‘Garden fences and sheds can weather over time in the elements. Treating the timber with a wood preserver oil or stain can revive the wood and make it look new. It will also prolong the lifespan of the wood.’

You could even use a bright wood stain to change the colour scheme of your outdoor space, to make it feel fresh and new.

Wood preserver costs around £10 to £50, while a new fence can cost £2,000 or more. Check out B&Q discount codes and save money on taking care of the wood in your garden.

6. Pick perennial plants to prevent buying new flowers every year

When choosing plants and flowers for your garden, there are two main types you can choose from: annuals and perennials. Annuals generally flower once then die and never regrow. However, perennials will regrow at least once more and usually several more times, which means they’ll re-bloom without needing to be replaced every year.

Expert Gavin Shaw from Marshalls Garden says, ‘Pick plants that give many months of flowers in the garden and spread every year to get bigger and better rather than lots of plants that don’t get bigger and only flower for short periods. Great examples of this would be Geranium Rozanne, Alstroemeria Indian Summer and Erigeron Stallone, all with a minimum of 4-5 months flowering every year.’

If you fancy perusing perennials, check out the discount codes at Marshalls Garden and fill your garden with colour for less.

7. Create a feature out of your patio

If you have a small patio space, you don’t have to be limited to the same old paving slabs as everyone else. Creative use of floor space can make it even more inviting.

‘Use budget paving and lay paving stones on the diagonal, or use two similar colours of paving, like light grey paving for large areas and then edged with a darker grey to create a feature. Alternatively, turf and gravel chippings over weed-suppressing membrane are the most cost-effective materials to use but still look fantastic,’ says Kathryn.

Browse Wickes discount codes and save money while making a feature out of your patio.

8. Have fun with solar lights to create ambience in the evenings

A creative use of lights will turn the most mundane garden into a twinkling paradise, and create the perfect atmosphere for parties in the long summer evenings. You can pick up solar lights for as little as a few pounds, so they’re great for small budgets.

Marc is a big fan of using solar lights creatively, saying, ‘Lighting is really important all year round, but especially in the darker months. Not only will it allow you to use the garden for longer, it will help to create a cosy atmosphere around seating areas. Festoon lighting looks great strung underneath pergolas and along fences.’

Browse Homebase discount codes and save money making your garden stand out like Blackpool Illuminations.

9. A well taken care of lawn goes a long way

A lush green lawn is the cheat's guide to gardening on a budget. It’s amazing how a well-maintained lawn can make such a huge difference.

As a general rule, if you have a small area with a bit of money to spare, laying turf is the quickest option. But for larger areas, sowing grass seeds is much more wallet-friendly. If you already have grass that’s yellow and patchy, cover it in seeds during late spring and water on a daily basis; it’ll take a couple of weeks to germinate, but for a little short-term pain it’s worth it for long-term gain.

For great deals on the latest lawnmowers and other lawn care tech, browse Currys discount codes to get your lawn in shape for summer.

10. Add fresh life to a social media bargain

This is one of the most simple garden ideas when you’re on a budget. Scour social media, particularly Facebook pages in your local area, as residents frequently offer their unused bits and bobs for a super low cost – or even for free. Marc says, ‘Keep an eye on local community groups for people giving away garden furniture or pots. There are also many people who grow their own seedlings for inexpensive plants.’

Bargains like this are also great for upcycling. If you spot some pots that are perhaps beyond their best, a lick of paint to match your window frames could give them a brand new lease of life.

How to transform a larger garden space on a budget

With a larger outdoor space, your only limit to what you can do with it is your creativity – oh, and the costs involved, of course. You may assume that the bigger your garden, the more money you need to spend to fill it with the plants, flowers, trees and furniture you’d like – but this isn’t necessarily the case. Just because you have a bigger garden, it doesn’t mean you need a bottomless budget to get the most of the space.

1. Split your space into impactful garden zones

By splitting your garden into different zones, you can focus your efforts (and budget) on what you’re likely to use the most. This might be an area for relaxing, entertaining, growing vegetables or something else.

When it comes to garden zones, Marc says, ‘If you have a very large garden, you can create different zones using planting or screening and allow under-used areas to be a bit more wild.’

Browse Dunelm discount codes and find your perfect furniture or feature to help create a garden zone.

2. Make your garden an extension of your home with covered seating

With more room at your disposal, you can use the space to extend your home outside so you can spend time in your garden even if it’s a little too sunny (not very likely in the UK) or drizzly (very likely in the UK). A covered seating area doesn’t need to be permanent and expensive.

Marc says, ‘Having a covered seating area is always a good idea with the typically unpredictable British weather. This could be a permanent roof covering for your pergola or a detachable sail that you can leave up until the winter comes.’

Browse our range of home and garden discount codes to see how you can save money and help you buy wisely.

3. Let your garden save you money on your weekly shop with a vegetable patch

Flowers and plants are a great use of your garden, but you could switch things up by creating an area where you can grow your own vegetables too. By incorporating colourful vegetables, flowering herbs, and thoughtful layouts, you can create a vegetable garden that's as pleasing to the eye as it is productive. And the great thing is, all you need is a patch of well fertilised ground, some basic tools and some seeds, which are usually very budget friendly. There’s also a huge advantage in that you can feature what you grow in your cooking, which comes with a huge feeling of accomplishment.

The experts at YouGarden say, ‘You can save some pennies in your weekly food shop and reap the rewards by starting your very own vegetable patch. To get the ball rolling, grow some fast summer favourites like lettuce, radishes, and beans from seed.’

Browse YouGarden discount codes to turn your garden into your own personal allotment for less.

4. Always keep your plantlife healthy with your own compost source

Just like pets, plants are hungry creatures and need feeding regularly to give them the nutrients they need to thrive. The bigger your garden is, the more plants you might have, so the more compost you’re likely to need to keep everything looking big, bold and beautiful. Save money and keep your plants healthy by creating your own compost source.

The experts at YouGarden are big advocates of composting, so am I. ‘If you’re blessed with a big and expansive garden, this could be the year to create your own compost source. Create a sturdy bin out of odd wood cuttings or material lingering at the back of the shed, fill it with kitchen scraps, lawn trimmings, and egg cartons, to create free feed for your plants – and save yourself a few trips to the tip!’ Plus, compost is very expensive, it’s easy to use 20 bags in season at a cost of up to £200 so anything you can do at home will save you money.

Browse Crocus discount codes to find out how you can save money on your own composter and other garden supplies.

5. Create a unique path with stepping stones instead of pavements

If you have a large garden and need to install a path from one side to the other, the cost can quickly mount up. The bigger the path, naturally, the more it’s going to cost in both materials and labour.

Kathryn Coulton of Cedar Garden Design suggests using stepping stones as an alternative. Not only will it cut the cost of a full path, but it can also add character to your garden and help it stand out.

You don’t even need to pay for expensive flagstones - I made a wiggly path through our wildflower garden using salvaged paving slabs and even concrete scraps. I made them look a bit more natural by laying them a tiny bit lower, covering the corners with soil, and planting them with grass and creeping thyme.

Browse Homebase discount codes and save even more money when creating your own garden stepping stones.

6. Have a small but impactful hard landscaping area

When you have a lot of space, it can be tempting to give yourself a big patio or an area of gravel to mix things up. Unfortunately, the cost of hard landscaping can be rather lofty. Rather than choose a huge patio area, design one that is smaller but still has room for what you need.

Expert landscape gardener Marc Harbourne-Bessant has tips on how to tackle hard landscaping: ‘Elements like paving and pathways are essential but often expensive. Think about ways of reducing the hard landscaping you require or look at ways of reusing existing materials in the garden like paving slabs or gravel. You could reduce the amount of hard landscaping and have more planting areas or a lawn instead. A gravelled seating area would be much less expensive than a paved seating area.’

Browse Travis Perkins discount codes and save money on your hard landscaping area.

7. Enhance your garden by borrowing some scenery

If your garden is surrounded by natural beauty, like rolling hills or woodland, or your neighbour happens to have a stunning garden of their own, use this to your advantage.

‘The Japanese have a term called ‘shakkei’ which translates to ‘borrowed scenery’. If you are surrounded by countryside, large trees or neighbours with mature gardens, think about ways you can create views beyond your own boundary that ‘borrows’ some of the beauty surrounding you,’ says Marc.

8. Use plenty of bright colours to add new life to spaces

When it comes to pimping up your garden, bright colours don’t have to be limited to your plants and flowers. Using paint to add a splash of colour to sheds, fences, doors and more can help draw the eye and make your space unique without having to spend much money.

Kathryn is a big fan of colour, and suggests you can even use your house to add a touch of personality, saying, ‘You can paint existing features bright colours or a colour to compliment your window and door frames.’

Browse The Range discount codes to save money on paint to add some new life to your garden.

9. Take inspiration from techniques used in other countries

There are many talented gardeners in the UK, but we’re not the only green-fingered nation. Many other countries are known for having incredible gardens, including Japan, China, India, Spain, The Netherlands and more. You can save money by taking inspiration from gardens around the world to see how they create incredible, calming and functional spaces without the need for huge budgets.

Kathryn often takes inspiration from Japanese gardens in her own designs. For a budget-friendly way to bring in some Japanese elements she recommends, ‘Use gravel chipping over weed suppressing membrane and position a Japanese lantern with a few cobbles randomly placed. All it takes is a few ferns and grasses to create a Japanese area without the need to spend much.’

10. Jazz up large brick walls

Brick walls can be a bit of an eyesore, especially in large gardens. However, because they’re a lot sturdier than fences it means you can use a lot more creativity to ensure they’re more of a feature, and it doesn’t require a large budget.

‘If you have a large brick wall or fence dominating your garden add a feature to it. Buy a cheap canvas painting and varnish it to waterproof it. Climbing plants also add life and colour and look great contrasting against the brick,’ says Kathryn.

Browse Gardening Direct discount codes to save money when jazzing up your brick walls.

 

Savoo’s top five ideas to improve or transform your garden on a budget

Many of us love diving in and out of the shed as we make an effort to transform our gardens so they’re ready for summer. It can be fun, relaxing and rewarding, with something to be proud of at the end of it. The only trouble is, it can be expensive, whether you have a small garden space or a big one.

‘Tackling an overgrown garden can be daunting, regardless of its size. But, with a little creativity, there are plenty of ways to create an outdoor space you can be proud of without the need for a large budget. It can be tempting to try and recreate the latest horticultural trend, but it’s about what works for you and your garden.

‘The average UK garden is 16 metres squared, which isn’t actually that big. So, that should mean many of us can create a comfortable oasis you love to spend time in, with the added bonus of not having to spend much money to help make that happen.’

If you have the time, but not necessarily the budget, there are ways you can save money so you can continue doing the bits and pieces in your little slice of paradise. Here are our top five ideas for how to improve your garden on a budget:

1. Start with the basics, including looking after your lawn and getting rid of weeds, which is a fast, effective and affordable way to make your garden look so much nicer. It can also save you money in the long-run as you’re less likely to need to replace your lawn area.
2. Set up a barrel to collect rainwater, which is a free and environmentally friendly way to water your plants. Rainwater is also free from salt and minerals, unlike tap water. You could even paint your water butt for a more decorative touch to your garden.
3. Use plants native to where you live, which often means they’ll thrive in outdoor spaces and you don’t have to spend loads of money to help them look their best.
4. Build an affordable DIY greenhouse using wood or pipes and clear plastic sheeting, which can help you grow plants or vegetables for longer and protects them from the weather. Having a supply of hardy veg in the garden can also help save money on shopping over winter, too.
5. Keep an eye out for discounts at major and smaller retailers to help you save money on big-idea plans for your garden and things related to day-to-day maintenance. So far this year we’ve shared over 4,700 home and garden deals, giving you plenty of opportunities to make big savings.

Now that you know a little bit more about glorifying your garden, why not give it a go so you can make the most of those summer vibes? Browse our home and garden discount codes and save even more money transforming your garden. Don't forget to check out our article on Cheap DIY Garden Hacks to help you save even more money whilst gardening.