Budget Garden Design Ideas For 2017

Check out this beautiful wooden sleeper coupled with some natural boulders to create a natural garden seat.

It’s that time of year again; winter has started to recede and we’ve got visions of seeds, roots and rhizomes dancing in our heads. If you haven’t started your garden plans for the year yet, it’s time to start cracking. These still cool temperatures are a great opportunity to get the pen, paper or laptop out so that you can prioritize your to do list and map out your garden beds to scale. What’s in the Garden Design forecast for 2017? Take a read below for some fabulous garden ideas that won’t stretch your budget and will stand the test of time.

Reduce, Re-use & Recycle Never Goes Out Of Style With the still growing trend of using recycled pallet wood for projects, we think the garden is one area that shouldn’t be forgotten. Pallet wood can build plant containers; it can surround your compost pile, make gates, and even be used to build rustic decks and small sheds. We’ve seen it turned into wall decor, a boardwalk through a yard, and left whole for use as a planter with built in rows. Your imagination and handiness with tools are your only limits when it comes to using pallet wood in your garden. They’re easy to dismantle, easy to use in the creation of a variety of other projects. More than often companies will be quite grateful to give them away for next to nothing or in some cases your helping companies get rid of waste so you may even get some for free.
	Add Bold Colours To Your Garden You may have noticed that the interior home paint colours this year focus on pale pastels and neutrals. Not so with the flower beds! Think bright, bold colours and mix the surprising and unexpected to make displays that will wow from the street. If you’ve already got perennial beds established, punch them up with bold colours of annuals or tuck a few containers into the bed. We’ve seen a large increase of interior styles been mixed into exterior design. For instance in the image from housebeautiful.co.uk they’ve added a bold pink punch as the backdrop to their perennial garden flower beds & baskets.
Choose Self Sufficient Plants We’re all about being environmentally friendly, and one way in which you can support your planet is by using annuals and perennials that grow well in your climate. If you often experience drought in your area, choose plants that won’t need constant watering to survive, but go with more hardy native species that won’t demand so much nurturing. The plants native to your area will be healthier and will use less of our precious resources to stay that way. If you simply have to have plants that aren’t native but may do well in certain areas of your yard, plant according to the species needs, whether that’s shade, full sun, or enough room to spread. Another great idea is to put your irrigation on a timer or with sensors that means the water only comes on when the soil is dry and needs it – preventing you from spraying unnecessary water during a shower or when standing water is doing the job.	The Foxglove is native to Brtiain. Vibrant, punchy and resilient they can brighten just about any garden.
	Incorporating natural elements This is an outbreak trend in 2017. The concept encapsulates the use of naturally sourced materials like boulders and other rocks which let plants cascade as they will. Hedges should be more natural looking and not necessarily clipped to within an inch of their lives. Dead hedges are also becoming more and more popular; this is where tree and lawn clippings and other natural debris is brushed into piles that shape a border or hedge, essentially creating animal habitat and bird nesting sites with bits and pieces of your yard that would otherwise have been tossed. Do your research with this one to create something appealing and functional.
Think Fruit & Veg Too! Even if you don’t officially have a garden designated for growing your own food, this trend for home gardeners is growing in leaps and bounds. Tuck veggies into existing flower beds and enjoy the best of both worlds – many veggie plants themselves put on a gorgeous show of flowers, especially easy to grow peas and beans. Strawberry plants tucked into hanging pots can be just as pretty as any other flower that would normally grace your deck and arbour, and provide you with delicious fruit as well. Tomatoes and basil do very well in a south facing bed and will allow you to harvest from late summer through early fall.