20 DIY Garden Ideas to Redefine Your Outdoor Space on a Budget
If you’re looking to find budget-conscious garden ideas to redesign and improve the use of your space, you’ve come to the right place. This article is designed to shine a spotlight on the many Hometalkers that have successfully undertaken their own DIY garden ideas.
Turning Basement Bits & Bobs into Garden Decor
This Hometalker found it hard to buy cool-looking garden décor at fair prices, so they upcycled instead. A resourceful way of adding charm and character to your redesigned garden is to use bits and bobs hidden in the depths of your basement or loft. This Hometalker found all sorts of hidden treasures such as garden plaques, ornaments, and teapots that now have a new home outdoors Get tutorial here
Playful Gnomes & Fairies Make for Fun Garden Walks
If light-hearted and whimsical is what you’re looking for in a garden, look no further than this fairy garden. This Hometalker is part of a garden club and works hard on maintaining the personality and beauty of their enclosed garden. There are plenty of garden ornaments used here, creating a garden walk that has playful gnomes and fairies at the bottom of the garden. It’s a colorful, fairytale-themed space that wouldn’t look out of place in Alice in Wonderland. Get tutorial here
Rustic Herb Garden Ideas Without Spending a Dime
This Hometalker created her own rustic herb garden at home using things she’d found or saved. Without having to spend a dime, she accumulated items such as a large but leaky horse trough and rocks gathered from the countryside. The trough was eventually filled with compost and dirt, as well as a few small rocks to aid with drainage. It became the centerpiece of her herb garden, flanked by rocks placed in a "dry stack". Get tutorial here
Could the Keyhole Garden Bed Method be Suitable for You?
If you don’t have space for both a garden bed and a compost heap, this two-in-one design could just work. This Hometalker used the “keyhole garden bed method” to build a raised bed that would act as both a garden and a home for compost. There are multiple benefits of using a keyhole garden bed. Primarily, it aids water conservation, encourages the use of recycled natural materials, and it’s a genuine space-saver. Get tutorial here
Teapot Mini Garden Ideas Ideal for Courtyards
This Hometalker was inspired by the movie, Oz The Great and Powerful, to create a China Town-style teapot garden. Using delicate teacups, creamers, sugar bowls, and a teapot, she has created a delicate landscape for her new miniature garden idea – ideal for courtyards and balconies. There is even a little wooden gate to further enhance that fairytale style. A delicate Maidenhair Fern is used to offer a "cool spot for visiting fairies" to relax in. Get tutorial here
Low-Maintenance Rock Gardens Ideal for Side Porches
It has taken them some time, but this Hometalker family has finally refurbished their side porch. They mulled over a string of rock garden ideas before deciding on a relatively low-key, low-maintenance option that befits the traditional, rustic look of the property. The rock garden is sufficiently barked and appears to have a flat membrane to prevent the appearance of weeds. It’s a huge improvement on the messy space that the side porch used to look on to. Get tutorial here
Fountainscapes Are Affordable and Ideal for Any Environment or Space
A water feature can bring any outdoor living space to life. This Hometalker recommends fountainscapes. Water features offer melodic sounds and have a natural tendency to attract a wide variety of wildlife, such as butterflies and birds. This Hometalker suggests incorporating fountains into even the smallest garden spaces. They are low-maintenance, capable of operating independently, and their decorative nature also makes them easy on the eye. Get tutorial here
Rock Mosaic Garden Art Makes for Beautiful, Natural Features
This Hometalker stumbled across a container of rocks that enabled her to undertake a long-held garden idea. Some time ago, this Hometalker created a large mosaic rock, topped with polished river rocks. It became an instant feature in her garden, but time constraints meant that she never got around to making more. This latest haul of rocks encouraged her to recontinue. The key to these rock mosaics is to be liberal with the amount of glue you use. Get tutorial here
Creative Garden Edge Ideas That’ll Flatter Your Flower Beds
If you want an eye-catching way to differentiate your garden from your flower beds, look no further. This Hometalker suggests nine effective garden edges that will flatter your flower beds. We were particularly taken by the idea of using a low gabion to grab the attention as opposed to a solid wall or even a basic pile of stones. These rocks are wire-wrapped to create a striking display that can also act as a retaining wall for gardens on multiple levels. Get tutorial here
How to Reuse Broken Garden Pots in Your New-Look Garden
Have you ever considered reusing broken flower pots? This Hometalker finds creative ways of repurposing them. Do you have a string of broken flower pots? Perhaps you have young children that like to play ball games. If you have broken pots that are smashed on one side, you can always turn it on its other side and plant succulents inside it, giving them a new unique home. Broken plant pots are also ideal for mulching. Get tutorial here
Make a DIY Herb Garden That Frees Up Patio or Garden Space
This is one of the best small garden ideas if you are blessed with only a small courtyard or patio area. If you enjoy cooking with fresh herbs, this vertical herb garden idea takes up minimal floor space and gives you a chance to grow your own produce. This Hometalker talks you through how to put together this vertical herb garden made out of cedar boards. It’s a project that you can finish in a single weekend! Get tutorial here
Herb Garden Wheels Are Practical & Beautiful for Budding Cooks
This Hometalker revealed one of the most inventive herb garden ideas we’ve seen: a herb garden "wheel". Her local scouts and guides had devised this herb wheel garden for a local allotment, and you could easily replicate this design in your own back yard. The sage was used to act as the center plant of the wheel, adding much-needed height, with annual herbs such as parsley and thyme scattered around the outside edges. Get tutorial here
Herb Garden Ideas Within Your Garden Furniture
It is said that herbs are a natural fly repellent. This Hometalker experimented with ways to test this theory. Given that this Hometalker lives in a rural area, flies are rife. To discover whether herbs really do deter flies from outdoor areas, this Hometalker cut out an area of her patio table and replaced it with a miniature herb garden. It’s dual-purpose – helping to keep the flies at bay and giving her fresh herbs to cook with. Get tutorial here
Year-Round Flower Garden Ideas to Retain Color in Your Garden
Color is almost always easy to achieve in the spring and summer, but how do you achieve it in fall and winter? This Hometalker recommends a host of plants that will offer perennial color. They recommend plants with berries that ripen into festive red or orange colors in the winter. The Hellebore plants you can see above are also winter blooming and can be paired effectively with summer bloomers such as Hosta and Astilbe. Get tutorial here
Used Pallets Make for a Wonderful Vertical Garden in Smaller Spaces
If you have a small yard like this Hometalker, DIY garden ideas such as a pallet-based vertical garden are ideal. This Hometalker picked up a used wooden pallet for free from a local home improvement store. After giving it a quick sand and a dark, rich stain, she used landscape fabric to fit a backing and bottom to the pallet. Then comes the fun part – filling the pallet with as many flowers and colors as you wish! Get tutorial here
Clever Ways to Create Wintry Landscapes for Your Garden
If you’re looking for low-maintenance, high-impact plants for your winter garden, keep reading! This Hometalker highly recommends the likes of Dogwood Shrubs, Hazels, and Mahonia to help your garden put on a show in the colder, darker months. If you’re looking for Christmas flower garden ideas, delicate snowdrops are the ideal choice as they bloom mid-winter and bring an icy feel to your landscape. Get tutorial here
How to Get Creative With Hanging Baskets
If you haven’t got the money to stretch to brand-new hanging baskets, it’s time to get creative. This Hometalker found a metal beer bucket in a home improvement store that cost just $1. After drilling a few drainage holes, the bucket was filled with red and white petunias for a gorgeous summer appearance. They also recommended used watering cans as a hanging feature, which you can view by clicking the project link above. Get tutorial here
Build a Rock Garden to Increase Your Garden’s Sustainability
If you are passionate about creating a low-maintenance, sustainable back yard, a rock garden is a must. This Hometalker talks you through their process of tearing out the grass that was previously in their back yard and replacing it with a dry creek bed and a rock garden. They carefully selected new plants that are drought tolerant and don’t demand water to survive. It has transformed this corner of their garden into a lush green space. Get tutorial here
Reclaimed Concrete Driveways Can Make Ideal Rock Garden Walls
One of the best garden ideas to save driveway concrete from going to the landfill is to reuse it as a garden wall. This Hometalker discussed a recent project that saw an old concrete driveway drilled up and reused to create a striking rock garden wall. It creates depth to the garden shown above and also increases its natural appearance, with the concrete mimicking natural rock faces interspersed with summer and winter blooms. Get tutorial here
Water Gardens Can Befit Smaller Gardens Too
This Hometalker insists that water garden ideas can be enjoyed by those with small spaces too. Small ponds and water gardens can actually take center stage in a small back yard, meaning no more grass to mow. Alternatively, they can be used to transform small wasted spaces, like the one pictured above. This previously unused back yard corner has been turned into a tranquil oasis. Get tutorial here
