How to create designer gardens without spending small fortune
We may be in lockdown but there are those of us with gardens that now have time to tend them.
It is possible to create lowcost gardens with eye-catching design without breaking the budget. Here’ advice on best types and varieties of plants to include in any design for coverage, blooms and year-round interest.
Bulbs and self-seeding plants are good for filling space without having to do any work and fast-growing ground coverage is ideal for creating an established feel.
Always opt for perennials when buying plants rather than annuals and bedding plants. Annuals last just one growing season. Perennials will last at least two years and will re-grow every spring.
Herbaceous perennials grow and bloom over the spring and summer, dying back during autumn and winter, re-growing from their roots.
Perennials can be anything from trees to herbs, fruit and vegetables to beautiful flowering plants including lavender, geranium and dianthus.
Daffodils, tulips, alliums and crocus are all a good choice for guaranteed colour each spring.
Having pots dotted around the garden isn’t for everyone but is great for mixing up the look of your garden without having to go to the effort of digging up and replanting or shelling out on new plants.
For year-round interest, try planting shrubs in your garden. Varieties like camellia, aucuba and fatsia japonica are all a good choice.
These hardy plants will work in shady spots in the garden and, when in bloom, will create real talking points.
If you don’t want to go to the effort or expense of buying lots of plants to fill your garden, how about opting for some self-seeding plants. Perfect if you want a hasslefree garden - just make sure they don’t take over!
Among the best self-seeders are aquilegia, poppies, foxglove and verbena.
These are essential if you want to give your garden a finished feel without spending a fortune on established, large plants. These spread at the base of your borders which will fill gaps and stop weeds in their tracks. Try planting lily of the valley and cyclamen for shady spots and sunnier parts of gardens.