If you’re landscaping your backyard or garden on a budget, here are the best garden design tips and ideas from leading garden designers. Find out how to save money and still get the garden you’ll love!
The garden designers are:
Arit Anderson: www.aritanderson.com
Charlotte Rowe https://charlotterowe.com/
Adam Frost http://adamfrost.co.uk/
Mark Lane https://www.marklanedesigns.com/
Jane Beedle https://www.instagram.com/janebbakes/
Francine Raymond http://www.kitchen-garden-hens.co.uk/
Monty Don https://montydon.com/
Best books on garden design
(Note: I’m an Amazon affiliate so I earn a small fee on qualifying purchases, but I only recommend things I really think you’ll like!)
Monty Don’s Down to Earth (https://amzn.to/346BUJg) is about how to create a garden rather than strictly about how to design one. A very readable way of becoming a better gardener.
The RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about garden design: https://amzn.to/369HcFI
And top garden designer Ginny Blom’s The Thoughtful Gardener (https://amzn.to/2pZ45LK) is a good read and an insight into how garden design professionals think when approaching a new garden.
Adam Frost moved into a new house and garden while he was writing How to Create Your Garden (https://amzn.to/2NfEK8f). The perfect garden design book for anyone looking at their garden and wondering how to turn it into something that reflects their style.
Shop my favourite gardening books, products and tools on the Middlesized Garden Amazon store: https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/themiddle-sizedgarden
For garden ideas, gardening advice, garden design and landscaping ideas for your garden or backyard, subscribe to the Middlesized Garden YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThemiddlesizedgardenCoUk
Whether you love English garden style, cottage gardens or contemporary urban gardening, The Middlesized Garden has gardening advice and garden ideas for you.
Weekly videos cover gardening advice and garden design – from small space gardens to middle-sized garden landscaping – plus garden tours and tips for container gardening.
For garden ideas, gardening tips and inspiration for your garden, subscribe to the Middlesized Garden YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThemiddlesizedgardenCoUk
The Middlesized Garden uploads weekly with visits to private gardens and interviews with expert gardeners. If your garden is smaller than an acre, join us and enjoy your garden even more!
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For small and middlesized backyards and gardens….
See The Middlesized Garden blog: http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/
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43 Comments
Having interviewed some wonderful garden designers over the past five years, I wanted to pull together their best tips for saving money on garden design – so I hope you like it. And if you have any good budget-friendly garden design tips, do add them in the comments! Thank you.
I always look at my neighbours Gardens and am surprised that folks plant a tree and don't realise what it is nor how the height they can grow to plus root systems entangling water pipes etc.
I placed a vulture statue in my garden.
Yes, planned paths. I heard of a college that opened without putting in the sidewalks until the students, walking to the various buildings, cut obvious "paths" into the ground and then that's where they put the sidewalks. 👍
I’ve just moved and I’m planning my garden. Thank you so much for your encouragement, tips and advice!
I like the guy that said don’t be afraid to fail. You can’t control a garden! I love this because I am just starting to garden abs worry to much I might fail but just words hit home for me.
In my new garden I had a big long concrete driveway that I didn't want. I smashed up all the concrete and used it to create a big dry stacked retaining wall in the back, which looks great!
Wonderful informative and down-to-earth programme. Glad I have followed a lot of her principles and advice in my own garden. It was redesigned in 2009 when I bought my 1890 house. The start was to rip up the old floor concrete that was more cracks than floor, very uneven and dangerous, it was replaced in the courtyard area by lovely gavel – this is when I found out about the various grades of gravel – and their various prices! – interspersed with large slabs of York stones which make it easier to walk. The courtyard is home to a large collection of pots in different sizes and shapes, filled with roses and other plants. The furniture I found in an antique centre. It is a set of 1920 French garden furniture. A couple of coats of garage door paint every few years keep it sparkling white. The whole fence 15 panels + a gate were also beyond saving. We then turned our attention to the garden proper, overgrown and shapeless but with a beautiful mellow old brick wall at the bottom, except that you couldn’t get near it. Some years before, someone had planted a kind of conifer that had grown enormous. At some point it had been chopped off, probably hoping it would bring about its demise, instead of which it coppiced it, sending further ‘trunks’ and very large branches. This mess had grown to an incredible size, totally obliterating the view of Ely Cathedral that had sold the house to me. It took an entire day for a tree surgeon to bring it down safely!
Once we were rid of the monstrosity we could look at the garden, what was there, what could be kept, saved, moved and then we decided on the trees. I already had a lovely apple trees, probably seventy years old which is of no identifyable lineage but is covered with large, red and delicious apples every summer. This tree became a centre piece around which the scheme was designed. Being already in my sixties at the time, I was conscious that I had to buy things of a certain size so that they would fairly quickly come to look like ‘trees’, in went a gorgeous coppiced white birch, a tall pencil-shaped Swedish birch, a Gingko. Its golden shower of leaves are a yearly delight. I could go on….
The garden itself has an amazing number of roses, the beds and path meander, making the garden appear much bigger than it is, with my beloved ‘woodland’ bit at the bottom.
The great joy of a garden is to see it develop over the years and change and, as the lady said, allowing it to do its own thing. Every winter, I cook up new projects and 2020 as I was shielding from Covid was no exception. I had little brick surrounds and raised beds built of reclaimed bricks to replace the original ones made of railway sleepers and this has been a great success. A few weeks ago, a wooden arch was erected leading into the woodland bit. Just had a small rambler planted at the side to cascade over it. I also acquired a large wooden trough on legs which I will fill with petunias and other annuals once the risk of frost has finally departed and dahlias for height. Right from the start I put in a daphne plant and I can imagine how wonderful it will be to have its scent next spring and all that waist high. The hyacinths create a wall of scent, even on a cold morning.
I am about to have more lights installed and a power point so that I can enjoy the warmth of the electric heater I have just acquired – the perfect oasis to dream up new projects while enjoying a cup of coffee! The joy goes on!
Rather comforting to know that other gardeners have killed plants…. nothing ventured…on we go. I really enjoy your channel Alexandra. I feel uplifted with every episode I watch, and it gives me the will to keep going. I'm making progress with your encouraging tips and ideas. Thank you.
Best garden channel for sound design advice I have found, other than the one I use for plants to use in my USA zone.
Excellent helpfulness
Thank you for loads of great ideas presented in a very friendly and helpful way – makes it all seem doable!
Nope, no t as one measure in my cottage garden…I've already told my husband to keep out, this is my project…
Some good tips, although the guy with an acre of garden! Sure that’s not small. Mine’s only 7 m long, l-shaped and not as wide! With a rubbish shed, that I’ve not got around to demolishing.
Such a helpful video! Think i will think on it, come back & watch it again.
Very good channel – Thanks for the tips
Really enjoyable video. Great to hear you mention health and safety… Most important aspect of gardening, but rarely hear anything on the subject.
Wow this video is so encouraging – thank-you so much for these money saving ideas!!! 🙏😊😊
Thank you, Such fabulous ideas
Monty Don is delightful, funny and he's so right ! K
Superb video. I agree with what he's saying about nostalgia. I am looking for a particular sweet-smelling rose my father planted in the garden of my childhood home. Can you recommend somewhere I can go that has a display of all the different rose types so that I can smell them to find out what this rose was, please?
There are 104 ‘dislikes’ instead of none. What’s not to like here?
Thank you, Alexandra, for your generous, down to earth and reassuring videos. There is always something to take away, think about and try out without worrying too much about whether it works or not on the grounds that it can always be changed.
In this video l loved Monty Don’s reminder that we are more like the janitor looking after the furniture than the conductor of a grand orchestra.
Thank you once again, Alexandra for your homely and inspiring style.
Ken (in Umbria)
Love your channel! I recently upgraded a wood box spring to a platform frame. After removing the fabric and staples, i stained it and converted it to a grand trellis! Its a smart looking garden feature.
Great advice!!!!
Love your videos, so informative , clear & no annoying background music like some .
Have learned quite a lot ,being a pretty novice gardener . Please keep them coming ,many thanks 🌱🌼x
What an informative piece and loved the way you illustrated the ideas. This has helped me think about my garden.
Thank you!
Thank you! I took notes this was so full of good ideas.
Very good
Hello Alexander, such a lot of information re our gardens in such a shot clip. It is amazing the tips and upliftment I got listening to your chat. I agree, cut back those unwanted trees, it is better than to remove them. I have a Pom-Pom tree, it's a tree for the medium sized garden, BUT those lovely pink ball flowers spread seeds everywhere, You have to either allow them to grow a bit and then ask if people would like the saplings. I decided last night to cut back the branches of this tree so that that more sunlight can reach the conifer, and you confirmed the cutting back so I am safe to do so. I would like to shape something into a ball or triangle shape, but do not have the never surety to trim, I think a professional or another garden fanatic will do the trick for me. Your chats are always so encouraging giving me hope to just carry on it will all come together sooner than later. Have a wonderful day, even though the N Hemisphere could be bracing themselves for the winter whereas we are doing so for December. But it is lovely whether N or S of the equator, make the best of things and prepare accordingly.
keep up the great work
So wonderful and helpful thank you!
Watched twice and worth keeping to watch again. Thanks!
Thank you for your quality content! I love how you organize and present the knowledge that you’ve gleaned over the years from others. I hope that you take it as the compliment that this is meant to be, when I say that I plan on taking the knowledge you’ve compiled here and will be incorporating some of it in my own garden! This isn’t meant as a compliment because I view my garden as super special or anything, but rather because this means that your voice gets passed on to even more people who visit my garden as well. I’m picky about what gardeners I’d actually recommend trusting/following for my newer gardening friends, but I’d gladly recommend your channel! Great work!
These are some great tips, thank you!
Can Agapanthus be split ?
Agapanthus. Any tips, (splitting
Wow; such great advice. As a beginner garden, who's only just started to plan my first project, I'm looking for simple, basic info. The vista on what is possible to accomplish in a narrow, urban backyard has been widened by your videos. I appreciate the philosophical approach to the whole enterprise! Outstanding job.
It must have been exciting to meet Monty Don and have him contribute to your video… Wonderful !
I can't sum it up in one word, but two words. In Las Vegas. I want calm and contempo. The tree, a pomegranate tree. As I am on a suburban lot, I cannot borrow any views. I have to create focal points, instead. I want to add a bit of whimsy. Instead of garden gnomes, I found an outfit that makes three to four foot high aliens. I think it's fitting for Las Vegas.
You are wonderful💐
Very useful tips. Thanks.
Thanks you so much for your lovely and informative videos. Your garden is beautiful. 🌸🌷🌺🌼Your Saluki is so beautiful too. My family had Saluki’s in the past. Your videos inspire me in my own garden. I live in Australia on the Sunshine Coast Qld, 🌴🌻🌞🌺🌴 but I was born in England. We came over when I was a child. My mother was an amazing gardener, and grew such pretty English style gardens, where we lived in Victoria. I adore English gardens, also Claus Dalby’s style of gardening. 🌷🌹🥀🪴🌲🌳
i didn't actually see a design ?