News

Jun 12, 2023

I’m a celeb gardener

WE are in the middle of a mini-heatwave, and the sunshine is set to stay for

WE are in the middle of a mini-heatwave, and the sunshine is set to stay for weeks to come.

Spending on garden plants is forecast to rise from £1.4billion to £6.5billion a year as more UK households become green-fingered.

Almost half of us plan to smarten up our neglected green spaces this year, but it's not easy on a shoestring budget.

Improving your patio for pennies might seem like a pipe dream, but there are ways to turn your garden into a paradise using just spare change.

Celebrity gardener David Domoney says: "By ­recycling possessions in our homes, we can make improvements and solve common gardening problems without spending a single penny."

Here, the horticulturalist and presenter of ITV's Love Your Garden shares eight tips to transform your outside space into a haven for less than a tenner.

POTTED plants look striking and bolster any outside space.

Anything that holds soil can be used as a plant container, provided you can add drainage holes at the bottom.

Old kitsch buckets can be reused to house a fabulous trailing plant like an ivy or lobelia.

If you have a small balcony or even a windowsill garden, the adorably small wellies your little ones have grown out of make for fantastic and unusual containers.

And a lick of paint on old pots can add style to any garden.

THERE is no need to spend hundreds of quid on tables and chairs.

Search the shed for leftover paint to jazz up old furniture, or giant upturned plant pots, which can make sturdy stools for barbecues.

As trends change, you can repaint your furniture to match, too.

You can pick up old seats from second-hand websites or car boot sales, but don't underestimate the humble tyre.

Find them at your local tip and pop a cushion on top for comfort, or use them as plant surrounds.

Plus, they won't get damaged by rain.

HANGING baskets bring splashes of colour to your garden and are perfect for small spaces or even indoors as they can hang in any area.

If you have a small decorative pot, you can make your own by attaching it to a rope plant holder (macrame plant hanger, £3.95, Etsy) and suspend it from a well-secured hook.

To keep the plant watered, pierce holes in the sides of a small plastic bottle and place it in the middle of the hanging basket.

The water will seep out slowly so your thirsty flowers will thrive.

GETTING the lighting right outside is extremely important, but it is often underestimated.

Twinkly lights will transform your outside space into a place fit for romance and entertaining – and most of us don't need to buy a thing.

Christmas tree lights aren't just for the festive season.

If they are outdoor safe, you can use them in summer by stringing them around the garden.

Alternatively, you can buy 120 LED waterproof solar lights for £7.99 from Amazon. See amzn.to/3P2LCHF.

AS well as reducing waste, a bug hotel will provide a safe home for insects who will help pollinate your plants, eat your pests and keep your kids entertained in the process.

Stack three or four old wooden pallets – they can often be picked up for free locally – on top of bricks laid on the ground as corners.

Fill the gaps with loose stones, tiles and dry leaves.

Old roof tiles or a patch of turf on top will keep it relatively waterproof.

If you only have limited space, fill an old drinks bottle with sticks and dry leaves.

A GOOD way to distract the eye from less pleasant sights, such as rotten fences, is by using climbing plants.

All you need to do is attach a few metres of galvanised wire (steel cable, 10m x 1.5mm, £5.64, B&Q) horizontally along the thing you want your plant to grow up.

Runner beans (Scarlet Emperor runner bean seeds, £1, Wilko) are a great quick fix as they will climb within weeks during the summer and burst into colourful flowers.

You can also plant carrot tops, pineapple tops and wilting veg in a greenhouse and watch them create a collage of colour.

PALLETS are a great way to screen your garden from neighbours, and you’ll find them being chucked out by shops and construction sites – but ask before you take them.

You can use screws to mount them on the wall for privacy – or drill in brackets if the pallet is heavy.

Create a great feature with a lick of paint and hook hanging planters on the timbers.

Pallets can even be used as furniture. Just get some cushions and throws to make them more comfortable – don't forget to bring them back inside if they’re not weatherproof.

INSTEAD of throwing out an old mirror, find a suitable spot to put it in your garden.

The reflection will give the illusion your garden is bigger and It's a clever way to bounce light into any darker corners.

Mirrors aren't always waterproof, and glass ones will shatter at the touch of a football, so double check they’re suitable for outdoors.

While you’re beautifying the outside space, you could get kids to find some smooth ­pebbles and stones then get to work painting them.

They make great markers for the veg patch and kids will love getting creative.