Outdoor Decorating Ideas On A Budget

DECORATE YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE ON A BUDGET: THE BEST SMALL GARDEN IDEAS

How to make your outdoor space your own in 5 easy steps, whether you're rending or not

Guilty owner of a neglected balcony, terrace, patio or urban garden?

We should start by saying, you're not on your own. Making your outdoor space a place that you want to spend time in can seem like an expensive and not entirely necessary ordeal- but it really doesn't need to be! Whether you own your home or you're renting- there are tons of quick and easy ways to pimp up your outdoor space!

Let's get started, shall we?! Check out our small garden ideas below!

TIME TO GET DOWN AND DIRTY

Now it should go without saying that before we get started you should sweep and clear the space of any leaves, dirt and rubbish and also make sure you're pulling out any weeds- not only can weeds have a tendency to take over a garden in no time at all, but they can also destroy other plants- boo!

EASY SMALL GARDEN IDEAS ON A BUDGET:
THE 5 PILLARS TO A GREAT OUTDOOR SPACE

5 easy steps to the perfect outdoor space- be it balcony, terrace, courtyard, patio, front garden, back garden or anything in between!

STEP 1: PICK A THEME

This can be anything! Having a theme will help you to pick out things like furniture and plants that go well together, which will bring all the elements together into one cohesive space that you will want to spend time in!

Ideas for garden themes:

Bright, colourful, muted, minimalist, Morrocan, tropical, english garden, jungle, oasis, seaside, kitsch, DIY, hippie vibes, peaceful, English garden, bohemian, LA chic, Mediterranean, kitchen garden or city garden.

STEP 2: CREATE YOUR SOCIAL SPACE WITH FURNITURE

Furniture is the key to making a space inviting and creating a focal point that everyone will be drawn to and want to hang around in! Even if you only have space for one little chair we highly recommend getting one- it makes the perfect spot for that morning tea or coffee!

Comfy garden seating ideas: Hammocks, a small table and chairs, waterproof bean bags, benches, wooden crates, tree stumps, small deck chairs, wooden pallets stacked on top of eachother to make a daybed or sofa.

TINY BUDGET TIP: You don't need to spend a ton of money on your garden furniture! Check out Freecycle, charity shops, local facebook groups or facebook marketplace where many people give away garden furniture for free/very cheap. This is a great way of getting hold of anything from wooden pallets to outdoor sofas! We got hold of a lovely wooden table and chairs for free this way!

STEP 3: BRING IT TO LIFE WITH PLANTS

Every outdoor space needs a plant or two to make it come alive, soften the space and attract wildlife!

In a small space, potted plants are your friends! Repurpose old buckets, crates, sinks, boots, mugs, tins or dustbins to use as plant pots- anything goes! If you have one large plant, try breaking it up into several pots to spread throughout your space and save money on buying more plants!

If you have a tiny space, try hanging plants from baskets, or creating a vertical wall planter using wooden pallets and filling it with succulents and herbs!

Want to try your hand at growing an urban vegetable garden by growing vegetables in pots? We have a blog post for that! Check it out here.

LOW MAINTENANCE GARDEN IDEAS

The best affordable and low maintenance outdoor plants:

Herbs

Buddleja

Ferns

Haworthia

Crassula

African Daisy

Yarrow

Coneflowers

Where to buy cheap outdoor plants:

Buy local if you live outside of London- bargains can be found at many rural and suburban garden centres! If you live in London, try Columbia Road Market and New Covent Garden Market for some greenfingered bargains.

Where to buy cheap outdoor plants online:

HOME BASE
GARDENS 4 YOU
PLANTS GALORE ONLINE
GARDEN EXPRESS

TINY BUDGET TIP: Can't afford to buy new? Take cuttings from your friends' plants and propagate them to create new plants of your own!

TINY BUDGET TIP 2: Look online for plant swaps in your area or online where like minded individuals can send and swap seeds, plants and cuttings through the post or at special plant swaps around the UK. Otherwise, Facebook marketplace and Freecycle are your friends again here!

STEP 5: MAKE IT UNIQUE WITH QUIRKY DECOR

There are loads of ways to make your outdoor space feel more homey! Here's a few garden decoration ideas that we love!

Garden decoration ideas:

Pimp up your outdoor furniture with cushions! These can be the special outdoor kind or just some that you keep in a basket by the door and bring in with you at the end of the day!
You can pick up decorative tiles in various prints cheaply online or from home hardware stores such as B&Q and Homebase. These are perfect for placing plants on and can make great table decorations! We love the vidvid Moroccan and Portuguese styles.

Outdoor rugs and mats help to cover up any sad looking grass or ugly urban garden paving! Have a look at WAYFAIR or BENUTA.

TINY BUDGET TIP: Try collecting bits to decorate your garden with from your local area! In London we always keep an eye on the pavement outside of people's houses to see what they're leaving out for people to take- we've found some real finds for our urban garden- from old wooden crates to beautiful tiles and terracotta pots! Picking up things from the beach or the forest, like driftwood, eroded glass, branches, shells etc are all amazing small garden design ideas!

We hope these garden decoration ideas help you on the way to creating the ultimate outdoor space on the cheap- no matter how tiny!

Wishing you many happy days and evenings spent pottering around, drinking Pimms, dining al fresco, BBQing and sunbathing in your new outdoor oasis!

SUMMER IS HERE!

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