Quick and affordable solutions to revamp your outdoor area in no time:

Quick and affordable solutions to revamp your outdoor area in no time:

Achieving a designer garden look on a budget is possible with creativity, resourcefulness, and a thoughtful approach to design. Here are some tips and tricks inspired by award-winning designers to help you create a beautiful and stylish garden without breaking the bank.

## 1. **Repurpose Materials**

Create a trellis using scrap wood or metal mesh to support climbing plants like clematis or jasmine. Transform old pallets into a vertical garden or a unique seating area like a bench or swing.

## 2. **Maximize Space with Vertical Gardening**

Build a living wall using a mix of plants like succulents and flowers. Mount planters on fences or walls to add greenery without taking up floor space.

## 3. **Create a Budget-Friendly Water Feature**

Use plastic storage tubs to create a peaceful water garden. Add water plants, floating candles, and a small solar fountain for a serene ambiance.

## 4. **Add Glow-in-the-Dark Accents**

Use glow-in-the-dark paint on rocks, pot rims, and stakes to create an enchanting nighttime garden. This charges during the day and glows at night.

## 5. **Achieve Professional Edging on a Budget**

Use inverted plastic cups for clean, professional-looking garden edges. Paint them to match your garden's colour scheme for a cohesive look.

## 6. **Choose the Right Colours**

Use cool colours like blues, purples, and soft greens in small gardens to create an illusion of more space. Avoid warm colours that make areas feel closer.

## 7. **Incorporate Lighting Wisely**

Use solar-powered lights to highlight key features in your garden without the need for electricity, saving both money and energy.

## 8. **Thoughtful Planting**

Colm Joseph suggests bringing planting beds up to the house, near the windows and doors, to avoid filling the patio with bulky furniture that blocks the view of the garden. Echinacea, Phlomis, repeat-flowering roses, and ornamental grasses are examples of shrubs and perennials to mix with the selected trees. Wall shrubs like Ceanothus 'Concha' and the silk tassel bush (Garrya elliptica) can help cover a boundary.

## 9. **Smart Seating Arrangements**

Multiple seating places can encourage the use of the whole garden and allow viewing from different angles. Pollyanna Wilkinson suggests moving the seating area to a west-facing spot for cool evening sun or an east-facing site for morning coffee.

## 10. **Thoughtful Layout**

Creating a circuitous route and dividing up the space with hedges or other tall planting can create dynamic spaces that encourage exploration. Deeper borders that cut across the width of the garden can make it look bigger and offer a larger palette of plants to choose from.

## 11. **Repeating Planting**

Repeating the same plants or plants with similar colours or shapes can make a garden feel more cohesive. In a small garden, prioritizing spaces you spend time in for privacy and locating screening within the garden rather than at the edges can be more effective.

## 12. **Seasonal Interest**

Award-winning designer Colm Joseph suggests adding a variety of deciduous plants for seasonal interest and structural presence. Spring bulbs can provide early interest. Millie Souter suggests training climbers like sausage vine (Holboellia coriacea), Clematis 'Bill MacKenzie', and Hydrangea seemannii on horizontal wires to cover bare fences and walls.

By incorporating these budget-friendly tips, you can create a beautiful, designer-inspired garden that enhances your outdoor space without overspending.

1. Employ scrap materials like wood or metal mesh to construct trellises for climbing plants, transforming old pallets into vertical gardens or unique seating areas.
2. Maximize space by implementing vertical gardening techniques, such as building a living wall with a variety of plants.
3. For a budget-friendly water feature, consider using plastic storage tubs to create a peaceful water garden with water plants and floating candles.
4. Add a touch of magic to your garden by painting rocks, pot rims, and stakes with glow-in-the-dark paint for an enchanting nighttime display.
5. Achieve professional-looking garden edges on a budget by using inverted plastic cups, painted to match your garden's color scheme.
6. Enhance the illusion of space in small gardens by using cool colours like blues, purples, and soft greens for the plants and flowers.
7. Save both money and energy by utilizing solar-powered lights to highlight key features in your garden.
8. Bring planting beds up to the house, near windows and doors, for a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living spaces.
9. Strategically place multiple seating areas to encourage use of the whole garden from different angles.
10. Create a dynamic garden layout by designing circuitous routes and dividing up space with hedges for exploration.
11. Maintain a cohesive garden design by repeating the same plants or plants with similar colors or shapes.
12. Incorporate seasonal interest and structural presence in your garden by adding deciduous plants like sausage vine, clematis, and hydrangea for year-round appeal.

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