I have a little nugget of good news today - I’m soon moving house again and this time I’m going to have a garden! Maybe it’s the spring sunshine, but I’m getting super excited about this prospect. Until now, a few disasterous months of allotmenteering and three window boxes are the closest I’ve ever come to having my own patch and, needless to say, a ‘garden on a shoestring’ Pinterest board is already taking shape.
This contemporary concrete planter DIY shared by my friend Heather is one I’m definitely going to try. Mix together a bag of cement, pour into old plastic buckets, add a pinch of interior stylist’s instinct and voilà!
Find the full step-by-step instructions at Growing Spaces.
Have you got any tricks or ideas for sprucing up a boring garden on a budget? I’d love to hear your advice!
[Photographs and tutorial both Heather Young for Growing Spaces]
As long as you are mixing cement make some stepping stones and a birdbath with the cement. First you mound some dirt or sand to make a bowl and cover it with a plastic bag and then take a very large leaf like a rhubarb leaf and cover the mound of dirt. Then pat the wet cement on top of the leaf. Let dry then tip over and you have a beautiful bird bath for your garden that has all the veins of the leaf inscribed on the inside of the bowl.. You can make stepping stones the same way just don’t use a mound of dirt leave it flat.
This sounds lovely and a great idea to have several projects ready to make once you’ve mixed up a batch of cement. I love the idea of making a leaf impression on the surface too.
Go for perennials like poppies, foxgloves, nasturtiums and other cottage garden plants. They’re cheap as chips if you plant them from seed (you can mostly just scatter them where you want them and leave them to it) plus they’ll seed themselves and come back year after year. The Thrifty Gardener by Alys Fowler is a great book for inspiration and advice on gardening on a budget. Lidl and the pound shops are great for cheapo seeds that’ll still do the job!
Can’t wait to see how your new garden turns out!
Hi Emma thanks for your fantastic tips. I love cottage garden plants and it’s good to know they’re easy to grow. Can’t wait to get stuck in!
Thanks for sharing this! And very exciting news about your house move x
I love the idea of using materials that have ‘little monetary value’ and transforming them into a beautiful, durable and functional objects. We live in such a throw away society, that even top designers are reconsidering the value of material.
I like to do a DIY spice jar revamp. I save all my jars (well most of them) paint the lids with great vibes and print off lovely patterned labels for ‘cardamon pods’, or ‘cumin’. This really spices up the kitchen jar scene.
Your personalised spice jars sounds lovely Polly - I love seeing creative uses for discarded objects. If you’re on Pinterest you might like my ‘Recycling, Upcycling, Revamping’ ideas board http://gb.pinterest.com/DecoratorsNotes/recycling-upcycling-revamping/