A garden transformation on a budget
How to transform your garden for under £200
With outdoor living such a huge trend, it’s no surprise that many homeowners are splashing the cash to create an Instagrammable garden. But it doesn’t have to cost the earth. A simple cheap garden transformation can make a huge difference – if you know what you’re doing. Clever updates such upcycling plant pots with leftover paint and some savvy styling revolutionise your outside space and create that indoor-outdoor living vibe by extending your home and opening up new areas to relax in.
Interior stylist Yasmin Fatollahy from Gateshead, who runs the popular Instagram account @homeatheathfield, talked to online flower delivery service Bloom & Wild about her experience of transforming a neglected space in her garden into a serene haven for her and her dog, Cyrus.
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Yasmin’s cheap garden transformation
‘Don’t be scared to get your hands dirty,’ when undertaking such a project, says Yasmin, who documented her cheap garden transformation journey for her 56, 000 Instagram followers. ‘You will have a real sense of achievement if you complete the work yourself.’
Having done most of the renovations within the house herself, Yasmin shows her audience how a DIY garden overhaul can not only save you money, but also reflect your unique style.
Create the illusion of space
By bulk-buying stones from Cotswolds Stone Chippings, Yasmin presented how she was able to create the illusion of a larger outdoor space by setting a flowing base layer for a cheap garden transformation.
‘You can then bring out personality with plants, furniture and accessories,’ rather than focusing on creating separate spaces through different mediums of base-layers in an already limited space.
Yasmin already owned the egg chair and firepit. Photo: Yasmin Fatollahy @homeatheathfield
Play with exterior upcycling
Further reflecting her passion for custom pieces in her upcycling projects, Yasmin says that she was able to make her garden renovation even more low cost by upcycling various plant pots by repainting them with left-over paints she had had from previous projects.
‘One of the better things to come out of national lockdown was making strong relations with neighbours and having a sense of community,’ with one of her neighbours making her a large wooden planter box and gifting it for the garden space.
Just add pets and prosecco… Photo: Yasmin Fatollahy @homeatheathfield
Make a wildlife haven outdoors
Yasmin didn’t have a set budget, but says that the cheap garden transformation only cost her around £200 (£103.80 for a bag of Cotswold Stone Chippings, £70 on miscellaneous plants and flowers and £49 on the Tarno bistro set from IKEA, which Yasmin painted black to match the rest of her furniture).
‘I spent around £70 on plants and flowers as I wanted a sense of having a garden where wildlife and insects could have a place to visit. I have so many bees come to visit, and I’ve had a lot of sparrows coming to eat the seeds from my birdhouse.’
A good tip to make your garden makeover even more low-cost is to look on Gumtree, Freecycle and Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone is giving away any plants and flowers locally.
Yasmin already owned this garden furniture set. Photo: Yasmin Fatollahy @homeatheathfield
Add scented flowers to your alfresco space
‘Buying flowers that give off a scent throughout their blooming period is an added bonus to the enjoyment of sitting outdoors,’ particularly during the spring and summer months, when the temperature makes having an outdoor space a well-appreciated luxury.
Appealing to all the senses is an easy way to make a cheap garden transformation feel indulgent.
MORE CHEAP GARDEN TRANSFORMATION IDEAS
- 15 easy garden update ideas
- 7 gardening upcycling hacks to help save money
- 5 great garden bar ideas from Instagram
