Small garden ideas on a budget to create

Regardless of the size of your bank account, there are plenty of budget small garden ideas that will help you create a lush outdoor oasis for less. By being creative and making thoughtful substitutions for more expensive items, you can still grow a beautiful garden that invites you outside—enhancing your living space and adding fresh produce to your table. These 25 low-cost ideas will make a small garden look like a million bucks, but with a much lower price tag.

1. Adapt plants to growing conditions

Work with your small garden's unique growing conditions, and you'll save hundreds of dollars on plants over a decade. If your space is naturally dry and sunny, fill it with drought-tolerant plants like sedum (shown here). If your garden has marshy soil or heavy clay, choose plants that thrive in moist conditions.

2. Start small

Instead of buying an expensive 1-gallon container of perennials or annuals, opt for the same plant in a smaller pot. The plant will scale up quickly and you will save money. Or start with seeds for a more cost-effective option.

3. Choose multi-season plants

Plants that provide color or texture from spring to winter are nature's workhorses. Instead of buying plants to anchor each season, rely on multi-season plants for everything and keep your garden budget low at the same time. Magnolia, dogwood, peony and holly are some beautiful perennials for small spaces.

4. Plant for privacy

A small space landscape often lies just a whisper away from its neighbors. Instead of investing hundreds of dollars in fencing, plant a living privacy screen. Evergreen shrubs such as arborvitae, juniper and many varieties of holly create year-round privacy.

5. Choose perennial fruits

Perennials come back year after year and provide color for many seasons, while annuals only live for one year. Over time, you'll save money by filling your landscaped beds with perennials instead of annuals.

6. Take advantage of segments

Perennials in a small space garden often outgrow the allotted space. In early spring, dig up and divide overgrown perennials. Replant cuttings in other areas of the garden for an inexpensive way to fill out your garden.

7. Add the report container

Make a bold statement with a fast-growing annual by planting a large container in a small space. Plant selection is key here. A 'Dragon Wing' begonia, 'Colorblaze' coleus or 'Suncredible' sunflower will make a lush display in a 24-inch-wide pot.

8. Get creative with raised beds

Cedar planks are often the most expensive part of a raised bed garden. Ditch overpriced lumber and repurpose logs from fallen wood, spare stones or pottery, or even a few metal window wells. Your goal is to create a barrier 18 to 24 inches high that will hold the soil. There are lots of opportunities for frugal creativity here.

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9. Make sure to compost

Compost is a great way to improve soil structure and nutritional value. There is no need to buy large amounts of compost for your small space. Instead, make your own compost using organic waste and kitchen scraps. Accumulate compost components and replace dry, brown components with wet, green components.

10. Use recycled hardscape materials

Paving stones, leftover bricks and clean gravel can breathe new life into your small garden. Offer to take unwanted hardscape items off your hands as friends and neighbors refresh their landscapes. Help your friend while they score materials to create a new path, border or patio in your garden.

11. Vertical cell

Do not forget to look when creating a garden in a small space. A vertical plane can maximize your gardening space. Some budget-friendly options include using foraging limbs to create a trellis for morning glory vines or making a sweet pea cage out of shrub clippings.

12. Plant a portable herb garden

If growing space is limited in the ground, plant easy-to-grow herbs in pots. Unlike some edibles that grow best in ground plantings, herbs generally thrive in containers with adequate drainage. Looking for low cost containers? Transform 5-gallon buckets with a faux stone paint treatment.

13. Assemble a simple arbor

Designing the entrance to your small space garden with a simple arbor instantly boosts its curb appeal. Get a DIY on the cheap by building a simple arbor using four sturdy fence posts and a length of woven fence. Attach the woven fence to the posts with zip ties.

14. Create Vignettes

Grow your small space garden on a budget by adding plants over time. Focus on one area of the garden each year—plant a cheerful vignette that includes a flowering shrub, three or four perennials, and one pop of color per year. Tackle another area of the garden next year.