Cheap Tricks to Landscape Your Garden Without Spending the Earth
Use simple landscaping devices in your backyard to create maximum impact with minimum spend
It’s an all too familiar story. The landscaping budget is virtually non-existent because all the money went on the renovation or the build. If this sounds like you, don’t panic. There are plenty of things you can do to improve your garden without turning your bank balance red. There might be a little more work involved, but the results will be that much more satisfying. Just follow these easy tips for a garden that looks and feels good without blowing the budget.
Add water
Water is an element that gives gardens a sense of exotic beauty like no other feature. And the great thing is you need very little of it to achieve that look. A lovely birdbath, water bowl or a large sealed pot with perhaps a miniature waterlily growing in it, will do the trick.
Water is an element that gives gardens a sense of exotic beauty like no other feature. And the great thing is you need very little of it to achieve that look. A lovely birdbath, water bowl or a large sealed pot with perhaps a miniature waterlily growing in it, will do the trick.
En masse
Bold massed plantings of one type of shrub or perennial is an easy way to create drama and interest in a garden. Buying small plants won’t break the budget and they’ll adapt more quickly than larger grades.
Bold massed plantings of one type of shrub or perennial is an easy way to create drama and interest in a garden. Buying small plants won’t break the budget and they’ll adapt more quickly than larger grades.
Become a DIY decorator
Make your own outdoor art using pebbles as shown here in this Kangaroo Island garden. You can also recycle industrial, marine and farming artefacts; make screens from pumice or driftwood and walls from old logs; craft mosaic walls and paths; make scarecrows or assemble old cutlery or shells for wind chimes; get the kids to paint a mural on the fence.
Make your own outdoor art using pebbles as shown here in this Kangaroo Island garden. You can also recycle industrial, marine and farming artefacts; make screens from pumice or driftwood and walls from old logs; craft mosaic walls and paths; make scarecrows or assemble old cutlery or shells for wind chimes; get the kids to paint a mural on the fence.
Cutting edge
Take cuttings from neighbours’ and friends’ gardens for free plants. Check out garden manuals for advice on best times to take cuttings and how to pot them. Easy plants to grow from cuttings include the beautiful hydrangea in this Sydney garden, pelargonium, abutilon, Iresine, fuchsia, most succulents and impatiens.
Take cuttings from neighbours’ and friends’ gardens for free plants. Check out garden manuals for advice on best times to take cuttings and how to pot them. Easy plants to grow from cuttings include the beautiful hydrangea in this Sydney garden, pelargonium, abutilon, Iresine, fuchsia, most succulents and impatiens.
Go big with pots
Plants in tiny pots look tatty very quickly. Get rid of all those little containers of different shapes and sizes and replace with one or three large beautiful containers. Leave unplanted or go for something that complements their shape like the succulents here, sculptural cycads, graceful Lomandra or a clipped topiary.
Plants in tiny pots look tatty very quickly. Get rid of all those little containers of different shapes and sizes and replace with one or three large beautiful containers. Leave unplanted or go for something that complements their shape like the succulents here, sculptural cycads, graceful Lomandra or a clipped topiary.
Divide and conquer
Dividing perennial clumps is an easy, low-cost way to acquire new plants. Check out the gardens of those aforementioned kind friends and neighbours and ask them for divisions of perennial plants that you like. Perennials that are ideal for propagating by division include the variegated purple-flowering Liriope in this Perth garden, as well as Ajuga, agapanthus, aster, astilbe, Bergenia, canna, catmint, day lily, dianella, flax, many grasses, Hosta (when dormant), many irises, lamb’s ear, mondo grass, salvia and sedum.
Dividing perennial clumps is an easy, low-cost way to acquire new plants. Check out the gardens of those aforementioned kind friends and neighbours and ask them for divisions of perennial plants that you like. Perennials that are ideal for propagating by division include the variegated purple-flowering Liriope in this Perth garden, as well as Ajuga, agapanthus, aster, astilbe, Bergenia, canna, catmint, day lily, dianella, flax, many grasses, Hosta (when dormant), many irises, lamb’s ear, mondo grass, salvia and sedum.
Paint job
Paint is a low-cost, easy way to add excitement and colour to a garden. Use it as a focal point or to create unity by painting the different structures in the garden – shed, pergola, fence, edging, deck – the same colour. Choose a colour already used on the house to reinforce its connection to the garden.
Paint is a low-cost, easy way to add excitement and colour to a garden. Use it as a focal point or to create unity by painting the different structures in the garden – shed, pergola, fence, edging, deck – the same colour. Choose a colour already used on the house to reinforce its connection to the garden.
Get real
Instead of wasting money and time trying to grow plants that are completely unsuited to the conditions of your garden get real and opt for those you know will thrive. That doesn’t mean you should restrict yourself only to native plants. If you live near the sea, for instance, plants that grow naturally in many other coastal regions around the world (such as the Mediterranean and South Africa) will do well in your garden.
Instead of wasting money and time trying to grow plants that are completely unsuited to the conditions of your garden get real and opt for those you know will thrive. That doesn’t mean you should restrict yourself only to native plants. If you live near the sea, for instance, plants that grow naturally in many other coastal regions around the world (such as the Mediterranean and South Africa) will do well in your garden.
On the edge
Neatly trimming beds and lawns has immediate impact, giving gardens a defined, contemporary look. To make mowing easier consider using one of the many edging products that are available now, most within the scope of an average DIY enthusiast to install.
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Do you have any tricks you’d like to add? Share them in the comments section.
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Neatly trimming beds and lawns has immediate impact, giving gardens a defined, contemporary look. To make mowing easier consider using one of the many edging products that are available now, most within the scope of an average DIY enthusiast to install.
SHARE WITH US
Do you have any tricks you’d like to add? Share them in the comments section.
MORE
How to Choose the Right Garden Edging For Your Outdoor Space
Jazz Up Your Garden With Fun Features
10 Ways to Make Your Small Garden Feel Bigger
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Hedges add crisp structure to a garden, can be trimmed to fill awkward shaped beds, are easy to look after and are useful in disguising unsightly weeds or plants past their best. Many hedging plants such as box, Choisya and lavender are easy to grow from cuttings which can save you a lot of money. If you’re after a simple, low-maintenance garden, hedges are your best bet.