3 Stage Backyard Makeover For Any Budget | Full Episode S29 EP19 | Great Home Ideas

Charlie gives a basic backyard a fresh new look on a budget. In this three-stage transformation, he adds garden edging, timber steppingstones, and lush planting before building a simple arbour and finishing with a relaxed entertaining space complete with a firepit. Melissa shares a clever way to shape succulent cuttings into a topiary-style feature ball, perfect for adding interest to any garden.

0:00 – Upgrading Backyard On A Low Budget
2:00 – Installing Garden Edging
4:15 – Best Plants For Budget Garden
6:00 – Building A Garden Arbour
11:28 – Making A Fire Pit Seating Area
14:30 – Budget Garden Makeover Reveal
16:05 – How To Make A Succulent Sphere

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we’re making over a garden in stages so you can see exactly what you get for the money you spend For a dry garden or just for adding some color to your home the succulent can do it all They’re also brilliant for small garden projects So I’ve got a real winner to show you You don’t need me to tell you the cost of living keeps going up and up and we all have an eye on the budget So I’m going to start with an average size back garden And over the next 3 weeks I’m going to spend three different amounts of money so you can see exactly what you get for that spend And of course there’s going to be lots of costsaving tips along the way Hey Louise how are you Hi Charlie how are you So this is your back garden Hey this is my back garden Tell me a bit about how you use it We love to entertain family friends Looking at the backyard As you can see it’s very plain very boring The trampoline is not used So we can get rid of that Yes I’d love some plants I’d love some just some pretty area With that in mind it’s time to get to work This really is a typical Aussie back garden We’ve got a hills hoist that dominates and takes up a lot of space So that’s going to go The lawn it is nice and it’s a really important element to a family garden but it doesn’t exactly draw you out here You don’t want to be on it So I’m going to lift some of the lawn and create some curves to give this garden personality and get people out into the garden First things first though let’s get rid of this trampoline It’s in good nick so we’ll be giving it to a new [Music] home In the back of the garden I’m just creating a circle of lawn It’s going to break up all of the square lines that we’ve got I remember it’s you [Music] We’ve got a few different options for garden edging Now if you wanted to save a buck you could just do a spade edge It doesn’t cost you anything but the maintenance is obviously a lot more Now the whole thing is costing us 450 bucks You could spend more if you were to do a brick edge or a sandstone edge something like that But this stuff is perfect cuz it’s easy to install [Music] One of the real benefits of this aluminium edging is that it’s so flexible So it suits our curves perfectly You just use a little joiner here They come in 3 m lengths And you peg it down to finish it off [Music] In all three makeovers that we’re doing in this garden I’m using little pathways or boardwalks made out of timber sleepers In this location it’s to connect the entertaining space with the lawn and I’m also going to be using one over by the washing line They’re really simple treated pine sleepers Each one cost just under 15 bucks and I’ve screwed it to a couple of rails to stop it from twisting It’s a great way to link the dining space with the rest of the garden [Music] Every good family garden needs of course a washing line And I’ve gone for a big one so we can hang up sheets But I’ve got one that is retractable so it folds down so it’s not a main feature of the garden Now when you’re putting in something like this it’s always a good idea to set the height to the person who’s going to use it All right Do you want to mark that Greg And then we can get this concreted in [Music] If you’re looking to save a bit of money you really need to be getting your materials like mulch and potting mix in bulk Now this is forest vines It cost me 200 bucks but I’ve got 3 cubic meters Imagine this in bags And think of all the plastic you’re saving as well Three cubes will easily do our average size back garden [Music] When it comes to saving a dollar on your garden makeover plants are a great way to do it Now you wouldn’t imagine that this is $700 of plants It’s a lot of plants but it’s not going to go far in a garden this size So you need to select the right ones You want ones that are fast growing the ones that fill out quickly but ones you can also propagate So in a couple of years you’ll have more free plants Some plants that are going to be great for you are salvas Now these flower for absolutely ages They strike really easily from cutings and after a couple of years you can lift and divide them into various clumps I’ve also got some native violets here Now we’ve only got about 10 plants here but in a couple of years this whole garden all ground cover will be native violets That’s for sure And I’ve also got some lamandras These native grasses are going to add a fantastic texture Put them in the ground for a couple of years Then lift the whole clump out split them into two You can even split them into four and dot them around the garden We’re leaving no trace behind Get to the other place Together on a roller coaster ride [Music] We all know that paint is a great way to transform a space It happens so quickly and it’s relatively inexpensive I’m going to spend about 400 bucks and for that I’ll paint all the fences and the shed But it’s a double saving because it’s going to make our plants look even better as well We’ve taken this garden from a boring piece of lawn into something with some real interest and potential to be so much more We’ve spent $2,000 We’ve got painting We got edging We’ve got stepping stones planting and mulch Adding a vertical accent to a garden is a great way to make it feel more dynamic because your eye gets drawn up and it’s not on one level I’m going to be building an arbor and it’s going to go smack bang in the middle of the garden Now the reason it’s going here is to work as a connection point between the entertaining space by the house and this area at the back here It also gives us a great area to grow some plants Now I’m building this out of treated pine external grade because it doesn’t have to cost the earth Now this structure is going to be really easy to build I’m just doing four posts four beams and six rafters on top First things first though just cut all my timbers up in the middle of the hurricane [Music] I’m giving all my timbers a lick of paint before they go up Now this is for a couple of reasons Firstly you get a much nicer finish You’re less likely to do drips but more importantly you don’t get paint in your [Music] hair With all the timbers dry it’s time to get on to screwing our arbor together Now I’ll do that on the ground before I put it into the holes And I’m going to add some lattice to the sides It’s only 50 bucks off the shelf Super easy to install but it will transform the way the homeowner uses the space as they walk up to the arbor It will help to slow them down as they walk through the rear garden will then slowly get revealed [Music] It’s just me and you But we’ll all lose but still come through Together come what may Yeah Win or lose will still come true together to the [Music] end Honey your heartbeats of my dreams We’ve just braced our posts off with some extra timber that’s stopping them from moving around whilst we secure it all together And we’re putting our second set of beams on You’ll notice I’ve cut a nice angle here just to add some detail to the design Once we’ve got these on and screwed in we’re going to have six rafters going across the top [Music] The last thing we need to do before concreting our post in is attach the lattice Now you notice I’ve just got a little bead on one side and I’m just using a finishing gun to fix it off with I told you I reckon the arbor looks pretty good Everything here just came off the shelf So it was super easy to make although it is custom made And I love the fact it is custom made because it fits the garden perfectly Now this all cost us 700 bucks Of course you could buy something already pre-made but I think this looks much nicer My heart is beating like a sun Oh I can feel it coming Trees are really important for every single garden Not because they give you height but because they set the tone for the whole space Here I’m using Tristanopsis lina luscious Now I love this variety of plant It gets between seven and 8 mters in height so it’s perfect for a mediumsized garden like this It’s got a white trunk to it It’s got black stems and then lovely glossy green leaves but I’m using four of them And the reason I’m doing that is because I want to create an enclosed feeling at the back of this garden So a space that the homeowner is going to really want to come out and relax in Now when it comes to digging your hole for a tree first things first you need to work out the best spot for it So you need to know how big your tree is going to get so you don’t cram it in a too tight a space For the width of the hole you need to be much wider than the root ball That way the roots can get out and penetrate into the ground And for depth you don’t ever want to go any deeper than the root ball If anything you want it that much out of the ground so you don’t get water logged [Music] [Applause] roots Now before you get your tree into the ground it’s really important to inspect the roots You can see how they’re growing all flat along here Now they’re going to continue to grow in that direction if we just put it straight in the hole So we want to give them just a really light tickling out Now when you’re lifting a tree you always want to get as low as you can so the heavy bit is beneath you and just try and get it in as quickly as you can Just like that You want to use the same soil that you dug out of the ground to go back in And if you want to improve it just do it in the top layer The best thing for it is a thick layer of mulch and let that break down And of course you need to water it in but do not scrimp on the water As a rule of thumb the pot size that the plant comes out of is how much water it needs to establish it This is a 100 liter tree so 100 lers of water I like to go by time for something like this So I’ll put the tap on a really slow trickle And I’ll just leave that on for about an hour That will completely soak all the soil around the root ball and stick it to the root ball so it doesn’t dry out in time It’s well worth the investment when you’ve just got lawn They give you a practical space to play with the kids and kick a ball but they also give you breathing space for the planting around them I’m going to dig up this whole area and turn it to gravel It’s going to give us a destination And the homeowner does have a fire pit so it’s the perfect footing for under that as well as still allowing water down into the ground [Music] Now before we put down our pebbles I’m just putting down a layer of road base It’s much more cost effective to put road base down It’s $60 a ton compared to decorative gravels which are around 120 Though you don’t want to fill up with the expensive stuff Now once this is all leveled out and compacted I’m going to put down some geo fabric as well That’s going to stop the soil and the road base mixing with the gravel and give us better longevity Can there’s nothing left to say we’re living in technical [Music] disting grasses in this garden and I’ve dotted them throughout the garden bed to give me some vertical height But I’m also using this mscanthus in a pot to give me extra height as well Now I love this grass cuz it’s got these lovely feathery flowers to them that just add softness to a design Now mscanthus is a great grass because once it’s established you can rip it out the ground chop it in half and you’ve got extra plants Now they really like free draining soil so great for a pot And don’t be scared to mix it up in garden beds and in pots because it will just continue the look through the whole garden Look into my eyes I just shine light up my [Music] If you’re looking for a failsafe climber you can’t beat Star Jasmine Track Bernum Jasminees It’s an evergreen climber that will take full sun and really quickly cover this arbor Now I’ve got four cuz I want them to go up each post And the total we’ve spent on plants for this garden is $3,000 Now of course you could spend easily half that by getting smaller plants and letting them grow in But remember more plants makes a better garden Speaking of love is calling out your [Music] name like a picture in a frame Make a wish that will be this way forever Now I’ve been talking about how this part of our three-stage makeover is all about creating an entertaining space And Louise the homeowner wanted us to use her fire pit So perfect combination Fire pit and chairs just give this area some purpose and a great focal point from the house Today we have created a beautiful entertaining space by introducing some pebble flooring loads of plants some pots and furniture We’ve spent $5,000 Now you may not have the budget to go this big allin-one But it goes to show you can stage your garden and let it grow with you What was once a blank canvas with just an old trampoline and an eyesaw of a clothesline is now a space that Louise and her husband Michael can enjoy with family and friends And I’m really looking forward to finding out what they think about it [Music] There we go Okay you ready Open your eyes Oh Oh my gosh Oh wow Yeah So good Amazing Yeah Wow It’s not playing anymore Certainly not playing Certainly not as boring as it was before Yeah It’s great We wanted to break up the garden into two sections There’s a big garden room at the end with your fire pit which you requested So that’s a lovely spot to go down We’ve connected the garden with stepping stones and just given it some definition with edging and of course lots of lovely plants as well That’s fantastic So good Wouldn’t even know it’s the same backyard Exactly what I like to hear So do you think you’ll use this space with family and friends Absolutely 100% Yeah You’re going to kick me out and use it straight away aren’t you Might get used this afternoon You’re more than welcome to stay Marshmallows or not Yes I do Get them out Always [Music] Even if you’re not a green thumb you can’t go wrong with succulents They’re just so tough and easy to grow And best of all there are ways to get them for free And then on top of all of that they’re also brilliant for small garden projects So I’ve got a real winner to show you If you want succulents for free well luckily they’re very easy to propagate from both cutings or even just a single leaf Depends on which type of variety that you’re working with But I am just so fascinated by leaf cutings because I think it’s just amazing that nature can do this And leaf propagation is really easy to do with many of the rosette style succulents So things like your echiveras or even sedums work really well And it’s so simple You want to start by nipping out a single leaf And you want to make sure you remove it close to the stem Just like that So then just allow the leaf to dry out for say a day or three depending on your climate What you want is for a callus to form over that cut Once it’s calloused you simply lay the leaf down onto the surface of the soil And then if the soil around here starts to dry out you quite simply just spritz it with water And in a few weeks time or so you’ll start to notice that some roots and leaves start to develop Take a look at that and you’ll actually get a little baby plant forming on that cutting end I think that is just amazing As the baby plants start to develop you’ll notice that the mother leaf will actually shrivel up and die because it’s feeding that little plant Then you can pot it up into another pot So just make sure you’re using a really good quality potting mix So something that is free draining and made specifically for cacti and succulents Now just to give you an idea these plants here have been growing for I don’t know about five or six weeks And some of them are ready to transplant [Music] Now all this baby needs is a nice sunny spot You know I’m always amazed at the color and the variety that exists in the world of succulents Take a look at this one It looks like it’s got warts growing on the leaf It’s kind of ugly and beautiful all at the same time So if you don’t have succulents at home to start your propagation journey then just make sure you talk to your family and friends nip off a few leaves and you’ll have a collection like this in no time Take me to your [Music] island The beauty of a project like this is that you don’t have to wait for roots to form You can quite simply bed borrow and steal a whole heap of different succulent cutings from your neighbors and friends So I’m using succulent cutings to create a colorful ball that we’re going to put on top of this ernlike pot and it’ll kind of look like a clipped topy ball So it’ll be a beautiful decorative feature in the garden And it all starts by filling our pot with a bit of potty mix just to weight it down Or you could use sand or pebbles I’ve just got my hands on some chicken wire from the local hardware store Make sure you choose one that’s nice and pliable And I’ve created a kind of an open sphere that I’m going to fill with spagnum moss that’s already been premoistened And the beauty of this project is that you could really make a shape of any type The key is to stuff the spagnum moss in there nice and firmly so you can get it into all the different nooks and crannies Now spagnum moss is really good for succulent cutings because it holds on to enough moisture to water the succulents but then it easily drains away and dries out so that they’re not sitting in [Music] moisture Now I’m just going to place it on top of the pot It would probably just sit there like that But just to be sure I’m going to peg it in I always think it’s nice to look for succulents that work well together color-wise So I’ve kind of gone with I guess greens and pink tones which will just look beautiful Now if you are working with cutings that have say a nice little stem like this on it you can just quite simply get your hands on a chopstick or a knitting needle poke some holes into the spagnum moss and then push your cutting through If on the other hand you’ve got cutings that don’t have much of a stem at the back then get your hands on some floral wire and just push it through that little stub there at the back so that it forms a bit of a pin and then you can push it in Now it’s just a matter of creating a whole tapestry of color A project like this has such wow factor and it will definitely be a talking point in your garden So once you’ve completed it just pop it in a sunny position Give it a good spritz of water from time to time and you’ll find that the cutings will form roots into the spagnum moss So you’ll get a longlasting display of color Plus how good does that look And now I’m doing