For the time-rich and cash-poor, gardening is the perfect hobby. And although at this time of year it’s tempting to go and splurge at the garden centre, most gardeners would argue that exercising caution and restraint will help you spend your money more wisely, and end up with a better garden. It’s a cliche, but as with most cliches, has a lot of truth; with gardening, the more effort you put in, the more you get out.
As Alice Vincent, the author of Rootbound and keen amateur gardener known as Noughticulture on Instagram is quick to point out: “It’s important to state that gardening can be done on the cheap but what you save in cash you spend in time. However! Smaller, cheaper plants often establish better than larger, more expensive ones, and I do think you get better gardens from taking your time.”
And, if you’re doing a bigger garden makeover, remember soft landscaping (plants) is generally less expensive per square metre than hard landscaping. Whether you’re designing a new space or just want to improve what you have already, here are some tips that will help you cut the costs and make the money you do spend go much further.
Play the long game (especially if you’ve just moved house)
Pace yourself, watching which plants do well, learning from your garden and its unique conditions. If you’ve just moved into a new house, wait and see how you use the garden during your first year there, watching where the light goes, thinking about where you’d like to put your dining area (I often suggest away from the house, so you are encouraged out into the garden).
Additionally, you’ll get to see what plants come up at what time; this is especially useful if the previous owner cared for their garden, as there are bound to be some nice surprises waiting for you throughout the year.
Don’t binge-buy at the garden centre
If you take a Saturday trip to the garden centre one sunny day in June, the chances are you’ll end up coming home with a load of beautiful, flowering plants – that will look good for a week or two before going over.
I don’t begrudge anyone for wanting an instant garden full of life and colour and texture. But, if you do throw all your money at your garden in one go, the chances are you’ll end up spending more than you planned and almost certainly not getting bang for your buck.
Instead, do some research to find out what flowers when, and plan accordingly. Buying online is often cheaper than in person and gives you more choice. Often, the best planting schemes are the ones that have a succession of plants that flower at different times – there are some brilliant online resources that help you do this (more on that below).
And if you do fancy a spending splurge… “Raid the sales!” says Alice. “I barely buy plants these days but there are absolute bargains to be had if you want to get your bulbs in October or November and plugs and plants later in the season. This works really well with perennials, as they’ll come back next year, whereas annuals can be a bit tired by the time they make it from the warehouse.”
Grow plants from seed and lift and divide perennials
“Save seeds. Calendula, nasturtium and poppies all save really well – plus, you know that they’re varieties that work in your particular garden” suggests Alice.
Growing from seed takes some time to get the hang of, as well as some sunny window sills. But when your seedlings do start to appear it’s so worthwhile, and a really calming, simple pleasure that is practically free.
Propagate from other plants – again, this takes a bit of patience and knowledge but there are so many YouTube videos, you’ll almost certainly be able to find one to help you with your exact plant (different types of plant require different techniques and treatment).
Also, lift and divide perennials, adds Alice. “This is basically my strategy now – every autumn, lifting and dividing. It has the added benefit of giving more cohesion to your space, too. Ferns, hardy geraniums and heucheras are particularly forgiving.”
Online resources to help you plant a professional-looking garden
There are quite a few really helpful online resources available now that help you put together a more structured and coherent planting design for your garden, without having to go to the expense of hiring a designer.
Dig Gardening has recently launched a new initiative where they provide ready-made border designs for different types of gardens. From delivering plants to your door to providing easy step-by-step instructions on how to plant them, they walk you through the process of planting up a new part of your garden. And better yet, they also help you with maintenance, sending you tips and advice on caring for your garden.
Investing in something coherent and preplanned is a good way to ease yourself into gardening, helping you get an eye for what works well together, and giving you some good solid foundations. Online nurseries such as Sarah Raven and Crocus also offer ready-made plant combinations for containers and borders, with different colour combinations, styles and suitability to different conditions.
Designing your garden yourself
If you want to go a step further, invest in a short garden design course – there are plenty around that are aimed at the keen amateur gardener and you’ll come away with a whole new understanding of design and gardening. You don’t need to know much to do most of these courses too – almost all are open to beginners. We all have to start somewhere!
As well as being run by some of the industry’s most decorated and respected garden designers, The London College of Garden Design runs four-day courses on how to design your own garden. Other fun things include morning walks at Wisley looking at planting inspiration. Head to their website to find lots of other events to get stuck into.
Sarah Raven also offers courses, quite often teaming up with Arthur Parkinson. I’ve heard first-hand that these are great fun and really informative, especially for beginner gardeners. As well as inviting guest speakers to host events, Sarah teaches herself on topics like cutting gardens and how to have year-round colour.
Go for second-hand planters and furniture
If you’ve ever tried to find lovely, affordable plant pots you’ll know that it’s near impossible. Cheap and cheerful doesn’t really exist unless it’s second-hand, and obviously classic terracotta and the like always beats the plastic and cheap varieties. The same often applies to garden furniture; something hard-wearing and beautiful that can be left outside all year is rarely going to be really affordable.
So if you do want to have lots of containers in your garden – for instance, if you’re in a rented property – head to Gumtree and Facebook marketplace, says Alice. “[They] are absolute goldmines if you’re prepared to search the suburbs. A lick of paint can literally make most things look like new.”
Think about maintenance
One of the first conversations I have with new clients is about maintenance and how much they’re prepared to spend on it. Newly planted gardens especially need a lot of TLC and if you’re going to do a big makeover of your outdoor space you want to make sure you’ve got the time to do it justice, or the funds to pay for someone to help you going forward.
Create areas that you can grow into, buying smaller plants and then giving them space to grow, and also not putting so many different plants in that in two years’ time you end up feeling overwhelmed and need help maintaining everything!
Often, a lawn is seen as an easy option for a garden, but if you think about the mowing hours, petrol and watering required to keep one going, suddenly a lawn doesn’t seem such an attractive prospect. Ornamental grasses and wildflower meadows, if planted in the right place, are a nature-friendly, low-maintenance alternative.
If you do go away, travel for work or just like taking long holidays, consider irrigation systems before you invest too much time and money in your garden, or make sure you have a helpful neighbour! Newly planted gardens need lots of help establishing, especially in their first few years, and watering is absolutely essential to that.
