Lots of plans for large garden but very little £££

[UpTheBumNoBabies]

Have been living here 10 years and only just really started taking an interest in getting the garden looking nice. It's rough 50ftX40ft.

When I first moved in it had massive bushes which we cut down as I couldn't keep up with keeping them cut back.

We have lots of plans, ie decking, veg garden etc but money is really tight.

Any ideas on being able to transform it on a budget please?

I know it's going to take lots of time but like most, I'm super impatient and want to see results!

Do your structural work first, paths, decking etc. Dig some big deep beds and borders and improve the soil by top dressing in autumn ( that makes it sound like I know what that is, I think it means digging in manure at least a year old). I hear seaweed is also good.

Buy things at different times of the year so you have year round interest. Watch the ‘ultimate size’ or you will just get the big mature bushes back.

Unfortunately super-impatient and gardening on the cheap are not that compatable!

As Brown says, do the hard-landscaping first. Draw up a plan and get to work digging borders, laying paths etc. You could get some cheap perennial plugs and bring them on in pots ready to go in next year when the borders are ready (you could also get a cheap greenhouse to help them over the winter, or knock up a large coldframe.

Look on your local FB selling sites, someone on mine was giving huge amounts of stone away for free this week if you went to collect it, could have been used for terracing, edging, rockeries or walls.

Carboots are great for plants too. Also look out for cheap timber to make raised beds for your veggies.

A good garden takes years anyway as you find out what works and what doesn't and herbaceous borders take a good time to mature.

But get cracking, see this as a time for laying the foundations.

Ah I know it's going to take a good fair while for it to be complete it's just all the visions I have I just can't wait to see them done. Plans have been drawn up and planning on doing the decking first. Bit at a time is definitely key!

Garden centres are beginning to sell off perennial plants that are past their best. You can buy them now, pot them onto slightly bigger pots and put them in a sheltered spot to overwinter, until your ready for them to go into the garden.

Could you team up with someone else to buy different types of seeds and swap so you both have more variety? I do this with my Dad so I get a lot of plants for very little money. There are Facebook groups and websites where you can swap too.