Landscaping your garden needn’t cost a fortune. Doing it on a budget doesn’t mean lowering your standards, however. In fact, you are not only saving money, but since you have a constraint it also forces you to be more creative which creates an even better garden than what you may have imagined.
One of the best ways to do an elegant garden without overspending is to use repurposed materials. What that means is to utilize something that was destined for the trash heap since it outlived its original purpose. Using it in a creative way can make your garden one of a kind as well as cheap.
Even interiors benefit from using things like car parts, so why not your garden, too?
In this article, I will go over several ways that you can make the garden of your dreams with repurposed and upcycled material to keep it on budget.
1 – Pallets
Pallets are like the duct tape of building material. Since there is such a huge amount of goods being shipped all over the world, there are unused pallets just about everywhere you look.
Getting them free and then turning them into just about anything you want is never a problem no matter where you live.
For use in your garden, they are indispensable. One of the most popular ways to use them outside is to make patio furniture. Armed with just a hammer, screwdriver and a saw you can make up frames for chairs, sofas and tables for just the cost of the hardware to keep it all together.
It doesn’t stop there, however. They also can make excellent plant and herb hung gardens. Without very little in the way of modifications, it can hold small plants and then attach it to a wall to save space. If you have a patio or balcony without a big yard, then this is an excellent way to have a garden and decorate a small space.
If you do have the room, they still look great especially when combined alongside an outdoor water fixture. You can get some ideas on what looks good by visiting sites like OutdoorFountainPros.com.
2 – Planters
Potted plants are great for landscaping as they can be moved around and also add to the decor by being stylish in and of themselves.
One great way to save money and make for a unique look for your garden is to use repurposed items as planters. For instance, surely you have some old wash tubs or access to some for nothing or very cheap. Those are an obvious choice.
You can get very creative here, though and use things like old rain boots, care tires, an old bathtub or even a toilet! Whatever the style you prefer there is surely an old item that would be thrown away otherwise that can live on in the form of a planter.
3 – Corrugated steel
Another cheap material that is everywhere and can be had for a song is corrugated metal. It’s the wavy metal roofs that you see over sheds and small outbuildings. It does get rusty even though it is usually made out of a type of stainless steel, but that adds to the industrial chic of it as a material.
It can be shaped into various forms as it is thin and flexible. Use it together with some pallet wood for outdoor shelving with the metal as the back of the shelf for an understated look.
Or, it can even be repurposed for its original intended use. If you have a pergola then this makes the ideal roof for it.
4 – Paths
Paths through your garden are a nice way to give some definition to the space. It can be used to divide the area for different uses or to lead the eye to a feature you think is the centerpiece of your garden.
An eclectic way to make your path is to use a variety of discarded items. You can find used bricks that can’t be used for building and install them as a path if you want a classic look.
Or for something more unique, you can go to a scrap yard and see what you can find in the way of flat materials that can be laid on in a path. Think of cast iron gears or plates from industrial machines from the last century which are likely going to be free or for pennies a piece.
Ground up car tires are also a good way to keep the landfills clear and give you a soft, cushioned walking path. Though this is likely to cost some money it should still be inexpensive.
