Summer is approaching and many of us are spending time sprucing up our gardens to make the most of the outdoors. But, amid a cost of living crunch, splashing out on new flowers and trees may seem unfeasible this year.
Writing in The Times, columnist Stephen Anderton has shared his top tips for gardening on a budget. Where you go to buy plants can make a huge difference to the price you pay.
Bargains can be found on the high street at stores such as B&M and Wilko, Anderton advises. He says the retailers "may not know how to look after plants well" compared with specialist nurseries but still "have some good stuff".
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The gardening expert recommends visiting the chain stores to pick up Japanese maples, snake plants and succulents, such as cacti. Find out how to care for these plants on the Royal Horticultural Society website.
Other places to look for reasonably priced plants are flower shows, Anderton says. As an example, he says cheap agapanthus and crocosmias can be bought at the Shrewsbury Flower Show in Shropshire later this year.
Other top tips he shared include making your own mulch from lawn clippings and creating your own plant food from sheep manure. And, he says, why not generate a sustainable source of garden canes by growing a small bamboo clump?
