TIPS FOR USING salvage

1 ANTIQUE GALVANIZED-METAL CONTAINERS have become expensive, so look in hardware stores and builder’s merchants for cheaper utilitarian things that can be equally appealing.

2 GALVANIZED WIRE GRIDS from builders’ merchants can make attractive trellises for climbing plants. With a bit of imagination, many discarded ‘treasures’ can be repurposed.

3 BIG CONTAINERS are best used in multiples, such as three in a row, or space two to create a doorway between different areas in the garden.

4 TIMBER SLEEPERS can be bought new in either softwood or oak; original railway ones often continue to ooze creosote.

5 SECONDHAND SCAFFOLD BOARDS and pallets are both good for building things in the garden.

6 OLD PIECES OF FURNITURE, such as a sideboard turned into a potting bench, can be useful and look quirky outside. Cover with a waterproof top to extend the lifespan and accept that it won’t last for ever.