How to Upgrade Your Garden Without Breaking the Bank

English Gardens
Aug 21
2 min read

Updated: Aug 22

Your garden can make a considerable difference to your quality of life. It’s a space to cultivate flowers and edible plants, some of which might find their way into your kitchen. At the same time, you might use it as a place to exercise, eat, work, and simply unwind.

Getting the best from the space means caring for it and treating it to the occasional upgrade. But exactly which changes provide the best value for money? Let’s consider the ones that truly make a difference.

Embrace naturalistic planting and wildlife zones

The further you try to steer your green space away from what nature prefers, the more work you’ll have to put into maintaining it – assuming, of course, that you’re going to be focusing on plants over hardscaping elements.

Look for hardy perennials that are native to your part of the country. That way, you can be reasonably sure that they’ll be able to survive when a heat wave or a flood arrives. Wildflowers and edible plants can help to keep your garden thriving and cost-effective.

Add smart décor on a shoestring

It’s easy to spend over the odds when you’re decorating your garden space. But this needn’t necessarily be the case. You might seek to build structural elements, like pergolas and furniture, yourself. Or, if space is limited, you might get creative. Vertical plant walls can be a major asset for apartment balcony spaces and for narrow gardens where sunlight is limited. You might also scour local charity shops in search of items that have the potential to be upcycled.

Install solar‑powered garden lights for ambience and utility

If your garden is to look the part after dark, then you’ll need to install the right lighting. This is where solar lamps are an obvious choice. You can use them to highlight pathways and borders, and lend structure to the space. Best of all, they’re eco-friendly and don’t require any complex outdoor wiring. Simply position them and forget them!

Add water features for tranquillity and biodiversity

There are few sounds in nature more relaxing than that of flowing water. The right fountain, if it’s installed in the right place, can also act as a visual centrepiece for your garden, and draw in birds and other wildlife. These can provide knock-on benefits for the garden as a whole by controlling the population of pests, like aphids and slugs.

Bird baths are inexpensive and can be installed with little difficulty. Other features, like fountains, might require more involved plumbing. Make sure that you get a good idea of how much you’re really going to be spending, however, before you start the work.

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