Money saving garden tips: cost-effective plants and flowers

You can fill your garden with colour and interest, even on a tight budget, given a little time and patience. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a few packets of seeds or some carefully chosen shrubs. We asked our favourite gardening experts to suggest cost-effective plants and flowers to bring your garden to life. Here’s what they said…

Choose long-lived perennials

“To save money I choose perennial plants for my borders that will thrive for years. Many can be divided as they grow to produce new plants for free. I also buy tiny plug plants in bulk, then grow them on. They’re much cheaper than buying fully mature plants.”
– Louise from @our_little_veg_garden

Cosmos seeds are excellent value for money

“Growing from seed is a quick way to fill a space. Flowers such as cosmos are easy to grow and, with a little pinching out at the beginning, they produce masses of flowers all summer long.”
– Laura from @lamagardener

Cut back sweetpeas for a second flush

“Sweetpea seeds are also good value. Water them in dry weather and don’t give up when they’re nearly finished flowering. Give them a feed, cut off all the blooms, provide lots of water and they will thank you with lots more flowers.”
– Laura from @lamagardener

Take advantage of cost-effective seeds

“Two of the most cost-effective, easiest and most satisfying aspects of gardening are growing from seed and taking cuttings. My garden is filled with plants I’ve grown by taking pieces of plants from friends and family’s gardens and theirs from mine. Seeds are really cheap to buy, and there’s something very special about seeing a tiny seed germinate and grow.”
– Dawn from @dawns_gardening

Learn how to propagate new plants

“I try to propagate most plants. I look up how to do it and then give it a try. I love plants that will root in a glass of water, like begonias, and it’s great fun. I also have some plants that I know are short-lived such as Erysimum: they’re easy to root from cuttings so I take a couple of cuttings most years to make sure I always have them in my garden.”
– Alison Levey from The Blackberry Garden

Use Clematis ‘Montana’ for quick cover

“When I first started gardening I took lots of cuttings of plants I liked in friends’ and families’ gardens – my windowsills were full of them! It’s a good way to remember people too. Try Clematis Montana – it’s especially easy to propagate and provides quick cover.”
– Laura from @lamagardener

Fill a large space with roses

“Banana trees are great at sprouting new plants from the base which can be easily removed and transplanted. And roses are easy to propagate if you need to fill a large space.”
– Derek Daley @fiveminutegardener

Choose the best plants for your soil

“You can save a lot of money by not having to keep replacing plants that fail. Whether you buy established shrubs or a packet of seeds to sow, the best way to save money is to see all those plants thrive. And that means “right plant, right place”. Get to know your garden. Is the soil heavy clay or sandy? (Just try squeezing it into a ball and you will find out) Which beds get the sun? Then spend a moment checking that you can provide what your potential purchases need. Happy plant, happy gardener and no money or effort wasted!”
– Alison Marsden from Gardening by Design

Don’t forget trees

“Beyond the shade they offer in the summer, the colour in autumn and the perches for birds all year round, trees are so useful for other garden jobs that save me money! Hazel can be cut back hard every five years (in spring) so it grows long straight lengths – perfect for making bean poles on the veg plot!”
– Hannah from @talesfromagarden

Plant willow for fast-growing interest

“If budget is an issue and you need to fill your garden fast with trees and shrubs, willow (Salix) is a great option. There are some beautiful varieties on the market with colourful or contorted stems and ramshorn shaped leaves. They grow incredibly quickly, and can be easily kept under control by annual pollarding. What’s more, all cut stems can be planted and will quickly grow into new trees. They are also excellent for making fun live mazes and wigwams for children. If you don’t want to grow more willow, the stems have other uses too. I use smaller flexible branches as a base for my homemade Christmas wreathes, and larger branches as plant supports (just dry them out first, otherwise they will root).”
– Katherine from @lemon_housegarden

Recycle pillows to fill containers

“Don’t throw out old pillows. Use them in the bottom of bigger pots to reduce the amount of compost you need to buy. Pillows hold moisture and add mass but next to no additional weight.”
– Caroline from The 3 Growbags

Seeds help to build a sustainable garden

“Growing your garden from scratch doesn’t have to break the bank. A little bit of resourcefulness can go a long way in building a beautiful, affordable and sustainable display. You can easily grow a whole garden of plants from a packet of seeds or, even better, from seeds collected from the garden. You can also propagate brand new, free plants by taking cuttings or dividing established perennials.”
– Mel from @melslittlegarden

If you have time and patience, there are lots of ways to create a beautiful garden on a budget. Starting your plants and flowers from seed is a good example. For inspiration, browse our full range of flower seeds and find out what to sow and grow each month in these helpful guides.