The prospect of transforming your outdoor space into a high-end garden sanctuary can seem like a daunting – and pricey – venture.
But with a little time, imagination, and know-how, even the tightest of budgets can be stretched to turn your garden into a luxurious outdoor space to rival any Chelsea Flower Show garden.
From sticking to a particular colour scheme to knowing where to find the biggest bargains and growing a certain type of ‘posh’ vegetable, here are 16 tips and tricks to help you achieve the glamorous garden of your dreams without spending the earth.
WHITE AND GREEN ARE KEY
Queen Anne’s Lace embodies the perfect white and green colour palette
A simple but effective trick to make your garden look high-end is to stick to a white and green colour palette. Ferns and white hydrangeas are a classic combination for a lush and shady town garden. You can achieve this look on a budget by growing your own plants from seed. Now is the perfect time to sow biennial white foxglove seeds to grow under cover over winter and plant out in the spring, alongside annual Queen Anne’s Lace or Ammi majus which you can also plant as seeds now. Buy 250 seeds of white-flowered foxglove for £2.99 from waitrosegarden.com.
GROW POSH VEG FROM SEED
Grow globe artichokes over winter to plant out in a raised vegetable bed or flower border the following spring
Globe artichokes are both architectural and edible and can add a touch of luxury to your outdoor space. Also known as cardoons, they grow up to 6ft high and have large silvery leaves and thistle-like flowers which can be eaten as buds. These upmarket vegetables can be costly if you buy them as large plants. A more affordable approach is to grow them from seed. Sow under cover from March to July into moist compost and grow them over winter to plant out in a raised vegetable bed or flower border the following spring. Buy a packet of approximately 40 seeds for £2.35 from chilternseeds.co.uk.
BAG BARGAIN FURNITURE
Now is a good time to buy outdoor furniture in end-of-summer sales
The end of summer is a great time to go bargain hunting for outdoor furniture as many garden centres and online retailers slash their prices by up to 80 per cent. John Lewis, Habitat, Dunelm and Oka are all currently holding sales.
If you’re willing to go second-hand (and you should be), scouring local online groups can bring up beautiful, hand-crafted furniture that would have cost hundreds or even thousands when bought brand new. Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are good places to start. Go for durable materials such as teak and cast aluminium and choose classic designs.
PLANT ROSES BAREROOT
Roses are considered the queen of plants and add a sense of luxury to any garden
No luxurious high-end garden would be complete without roses, often thought of as the queen of plants. Many of them are now enjoying a second bloom after taking a rest over the summer. It can be tempting to buy roses while they are in flower, but any canny gardener knows it’s better to plant them bareroot between November and March. They may look like straggly sticks during this season but, as well as being more affordable, it is also the best time to get them in the ground as they have time to put down roots before the spring.
UPCYCLE WOODWORK
Consider giving your shed a lick of paint in grey or sage green
Give sheds, benches and tables a fresh, boutique hotel look by painting them in tasteful shades such as sage green and smoke grey. Wait for a dry, sunny day, put on some old clothes, and get painting. Ditch expensive posh paints such as Farrow and Ball and go for Valspar Garden Paint in Dried Basil or Shadowed Ivy which is a fraction of the cost (£27 for 2.5l of Valspar Garden Paint from B&Q).
BUY COTSWOLD GRAVEL IN BULK
Gravel makes a cheap but chic landscaping surface for paths in your garden
Gravel is a great option for a cheap but chic hard landscaping surface – especially sandy-coloured Cotswold chippings found in posh estates and hotels across the country. It is much more cost-effective to buy it in bulk from an aggregates supplier than to order smaller bags. This only makes sense if you have a large area to cover (0.12p per kilo when buying an 850kg bulk bag of Cotswold chippings from gravelmaster.co.uk).
GROW YOUR OWN SALVIAS
Grow salvias in pots for a pop of colour in your garden
Salvias are a mainstay of designer gardens, and it is easy to propagate them from existing plants for free – either from your own plant or one belonging to a friendly neighbour. This is best done first thing in the morning when the plant is well-hydrated. Go out with a clear plastic bag and a pair of secateurs and cut off non-flowering shoots. When you have gathered your cuttings, cut them just below a leaf node and remove the lower leaves with a knife. Then insert into a pot filled with a mixture of compost and sand or grit. Keep your cuttings moist in a bright sheltered place out of direct sunlight. In a few weeks, they will have put on roots and can be moved to a bigger pot of their own. By next spring they will be ready to plant out in the garden (a salvia in a 9cm pot costs £6.79 from crocus.co.uk).
ASK FOR BUILDERS’ JUNK
Old chimney pots make attractive planters
You can spend a small fortune on large planters, but if you ask a friendly local builder, they will often have old butler sinks or other items destined for a skip which they are happy to hand over for cash or, if you are lucky, for free. Plant up an old chimney pot with violas and trailing ivy or fill a discarded metal water tank with bamboo.
GO FOR POTS IN ONE MATERIAL
Gardens photographed in magazines often use just one material when it comes to pots and planters. Fired clay suits a classic country garden, while galvanised zinc or steel works well in a contemporary town garden. Once you’ve decided what looks good in your outdoor space, search for second-hand pots in the same material for stylish consistency (set of three aged terracotta pots £20.99 from Amazon).
DISPLAY SHEDS
There is no getting away from the fact that sheds and garden buildings are a considerable investment. One way to reduce the cost is to buy ex-display models that have been on show at a garden centre. Any wear and tear is likely to be superficial and can easily be remedied with a lick of paint. If you can transport and assemble them yourself there are even more savings to be made. Skinner Sheds currently have an ex-display cash and carry double potting shed for sale for £689, down from £1,888 (skinners-sheds.com).
HANG FAIRY LIGHTS FOR INSTANT GLAMOUR
Fairy lights are a simple, quick addition but can ramp up the glamour in your garden
You don’t have to spend a fortune to light up your garden at night. In fact, simple lighting solutions can often look the most glamorous. Drape fairy lights from fences, trees or washing line posts. If you don’t have access to outdoor electricity, there are affordable solar-powered festoon lights on the market (4liteuk.com sells Antheia solar festoon lights at £29.99 for 3m).
PAINT IT BLACK
Old mirrors hung on outside walls create a designer room outside
Black walls are all the rage when it comes to interiors, so why not try it on your exterior walls as well? Paint fences and walls with a warm black exterior paint and hang an old mirror or decorative plates to create a designer room outside (try Valspar Garden Paint in Victorian Dusk or Downing Street, £27 for 2.5L from B&Q).
GO WILD FOR WILDFLOWERS
Try making a mini meadow on your lawn to provide a riot of colour
No chic retreat is complete without a wildflower meadow. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have much space or money, a packet of seeds doesn’t cost much, and you can make a mini meadow in a large container or turn over a metre or two of your lawn. Differential mowing (leaving a patch of long grass while cutting around or through it) is particularly effective. The RHS has a range of shake and sow wildflower seeds for just £6.99 a box (rhsplants.co.uk).
TAKE ON END OF SEASON PLANTS
If you’re in a garden centre or nursery this autumn, look out for perennials that are dying back. They make not look very attractive now, but chances are the price label will be reduced by 50 per cent or more from when they were at their best earlier in the summer. A little patience will pay off. Get them in the ground now, making sure to mark where you put them, and next spring you will have a glorious flowering plant for less.
PARASOL CHIC
Parasols with tassels also create a high-end look
Handmade bamboo and silk parasols with tassels are the latest must-have garden accessory. If you don’t want to pay the high price tag, why not repurpose an old beach umbrella? Opt for classic stripes or cover a plain shade with paisley prints from charity shops. Mismatched panels are double the chic factor. Daals have a lovely selection of striped parasols for £89.99 (daals.com)
SMALL PLANTS ARE KEY
Using smaller plants in pots can also add the wow factor
For that luxurious garden feel, you want an abundance of plants, but if you are buying them all it can prove pricey. Smaller plants in 9cm pots are much cheaper than plants in bigger 1l and 2l containers. They might not have the instant wow factor but planting them at this size can lead to healthier plants as they have more time to establish in the soil while they are growing. They will soon bulk out and before you know it, your borders will be brimming.
