Cost Effective Small Garden Design Ideas
Designing a small outdoor space into a thriving garden does not require a big outdoor area and does not have to hurt one's finances. With a bit of creative thinking and a plan, even a small area can be converted into a little slice of heaven.
As more and more people add gardening to their lives to connect with growing their own food, nature or simply adding a green space to their home, it's important to learn how to do it affordably by learning how to choose the right plants and implement strategic design plans to maximize value without nosediving into emptying one's wallet.
This will be a step by step process in how to do small garden design affordably, how to learn what your soil has to offer, and how to plant budget plants that give impressive results. With a little creativity you can achieve a garden that looks like a professional did it without having specialized tools or spending a lot of money.
Start with a Smart Foundation
Before even thinking of going to the garden center for the first plant, a little thinking and preparation will save you time, money and frustrations. A garden that will thrive, like all ecosystems, starts at the bottom.
Recognizing Your Soil
Caring for the health of your garden should start with getting to know your soil better. Plants are extremely sensitive to the surrounding soil. Some produce better in having acidic soil over others. And some plants do better having more alkaline in the surrounding soil. There are soil testing kits available for the asking at the garden center, or send soil samples to a local extension office to get help analyzing your soil. Knowing your soil type in advance lets you select the plants that will do the best without having to spend extra money on soil supplements and spend extra money on replacing with dead plants.
Fertilizing with What You Have
Chemical fertilizers can get extremely expensive, and the truth is that they do nothing on a long-term basis to nourish the dirt that you're trying to improve. What your dirt really needs is organic materials. Dirt thrives with the presence of microorganisms and those little buddies create a loose but rich structure with the help of decomposed organic stuff. A wonderful, costless, and organic resource is fallen leaves. You can save the leaves that you would normally bag for a winter and spring mulch and they will break down to put important nutrients back in the dirt. They will also nourish earthworms and improve the dirt’s quality.
Selecting Economical Plants for Little Areas
Some plants do not need a lot of care and still give color and texture for multiple seasons. Perennials are more cost-effective over the years, as they come back year after year. Here are some wonderful, inexpensive options that are perfect for mini garden designs.
Blazing Star
Blazing Star is a perennial that has a wonderful purple-and-white color and is easily recognized by its one-of-a-kind flower spikes, which are white and purple and resemble a bottlebrush. It has a nice and unusual blooming style; the flowers bloom from the top of the spike and move down. It is native to North America’s prairies and is extremely tough, withstands droughts, and loves full sunlight. It attracts pollinators as well, like bees and butterflies. This plant is perfect for small spaces because of its bunching popularity and vertical growth habits.
Tiger Lily (Lilium lancifolium)
If you want something dramatic and exotic for your garden, consider planting Tiger Lilies. These tough flowers are a brilliant orange with large, downward-facing blooms and unique dark spotting. It is a hardy bulb that multiplies, meaning you have more blooms every year at no extra cost. These flowers can be easily grown and trimmed as needed for full sun or partial shade areas. They are tall flowers that are perfect for the summer, as they add bold colors and are a lovely backdrop for smaller, shorter flowered plants (mixture).
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
Goldenseal is perfect for the smaller garden as it is an awesome plant for shaded areas. It is not very showy, as it is grown for its distinctive leaves and some medicinal properties. This plant is lush and maintains a cover over the ground; it has large leaves shaped like a palm and in the spring it gets a single, tiny white flower with a red raspberry like fruit. This plant is very particular with its soil, as it prefers moist, rich soil. This plant is a perfect candidate for planting under trees or on the north side of your home.
Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
Happily nodding their heads in early spring with tempestuous nodding yellow flowers (indeed a clear sign of winter’s end), it is a low growing, fully shady plant with excellent flowering, then goes dormant mid summer. After flowering, it goes dormant in summer and is an excellent, low-maintenance choice to show early season interest for low growing, in fully shaded, moist, woodland settings, Trout Lily is an ephemeral delight of spring. Always keeps moisture and other plants to shine in a woodland setting.
Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica)
Indian Pink is a must have from the plant list, especially if attracting hummingbirds is the goal. This native perennial plant has a long blooming period from late spring to summer, and is a reliable source of color. It is a compact plant with neat clumping and will not spread aggressively. It will come in with stunning vertical flower stalks in bright, red to yellow, and yellow color and yellow flowers. Indian Pink will adapt to partial, shady areas of the garden and will prefer soils that are moist with good drain.
Design Tips for Inexpensive Gardens
With your plants selected, it’s time to think about design. Arranging your garden for maximum appeal is just a few simple principles. Here are a few for you.
Creating Flower Cuttings
One of the most enjoyable ways to appreciate the garden is to be able to cut some flowers and bring them indoors. Encouraging plants to produce more blooms is achieved by regularly cutting flowers for arrangements. Make sure to have watered the plants the night prior to obtain the most life. The flowers are freshest in the morning, so be sure to cut the stems at that time, then place them in cooled water immediately. Prior to making arrangements, take off any leaves that will be below the water to help avoid the growth of bacteria.
Go Vertical
If ground space is scarce, consider going vertical. Vertical gardening is a wonderful approach to expand your garden in a more confined space. For plants that climb, like morning glories and beans, you can utilize trellises, for flowers and herbs, you can have wall-mounted planters, and to bring some color to a higher level, you can have hanging baskets.
Embrace Repetition
One of the most powerful yet simple design tricks is the repetition of plants or colors in a garden. It provides balance, harmony, and a sense of rhythm that feels polished, making the design intentional. It helps to avoid a wide variety of plants to not create chaos in the garden; instead, choose some well-known species and repeat them.
TN Nursery: Helping You Explore and Expand the Potential of Your Garden
Visions of where the garden of your dreams will go are already filling your mind, and the start of this beautiful outdoor gardening space is within your reach. With smart design and cost-effective, hardy plants, you will be able to cultivate and see the garden you have always dreamed of and that brings you joy for years to come. Plus, you won't go broke, so that's a bonus.
Take your gardening to the next level with TN Nursery and see your dreams come to fruition. TN Nursery is an online garden shop that has all of the healthy, quality shrubs, trees, and perennial plants that any garden of any size requires. Get your lilys, tiger, blazing star, and other beautys. Get your dreams started today!
FAQs
How to design a garden cheaply?
To design a garden without a budget, you need to start with your existing materials, ie. compost with kitchen scraps, and mulch fallen leaves. Less expensive plants are quickly established, so using smaller plants is key, and for longer value, make sure to use perennials versus annuals.
What is the least expensive way to landscape?
The most economical way to landscape is by growing your own plants from seeds. Make sure to choose plants that are native to your area. Native plants are usually more adaptable to your area and use less water and fertilizer. If you have any free materials that you can use such as wood, rocks, or other landscaping materials from your own yard, that can help you save money as well.
What are the 3 D's of gardening?
The three D's are guidelines for almost any pruning or plant maintenance. The D's stand for Dead, Damaged, and Diseased. Removing plant sections that fit these categories helps to promote plant health, growth, and improves the overall appearance of the garden.
What is a low maintenance garden?
A low maintenance garden is one that is created to help reduce the amount of time a gardener needs to spend on the area. This is usually done by incorporating hardy native self-sufficient plants that do not require a lot of watering or fertilizing, as well as perennials that come back every year, and hardscaping, like gravel mulch, or other materials that eliminate the need for weeding.
What is the 3-5-7 rule in decorating?
In decorating and landscaping, the three five seven rule is a principle that suggests odd-numbered groupings of elements are more visually appealing than even ones. This means that, for instance, you can use three or five of the same perennial in plantings to create a more attractive design.
