How to create a stunning garden on a budget

When Anya Lautenbach first moved to her Buckinghamshire abode 11 years ago, the 'garden' was a barren space without a single plant in sight.

Now, over a decade later, the digital creator and self-taught Polish gardener has turned her half-acre plot into a riot of colour, boasting sweeping lavender borders, lush perennial beds, and fragrant climbing roses.

She estimates the transformation has cost her around £1,000, thanks to growing from seed, propagating, savvy buys from community marketplaces, and producing her own compost and fertiliser.

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"You can create the most breathtaking, stunning garden, spending hardly any money," she asserts.

Her approach to gardening has always been to work in harmony with nature. "We didn't do much hard landscaping. We already had the patio and used some old paving slabs and some gravel to create a little hard landscaping," but for her, it's all about letting the plants take centre stage.

Today, as a mother-of-two, she showcases the gardening prowess she's honed on her Instagram account @anya_thegarden_fairy, where she's attracted a following of 465,000, along with another 58,000 on TikTok, sharing tips on thrifty gardening.

She's also penned 'The Money-Saving Gardener', a guide aimed at helping others cultivate their ideal gardens without breaking the bank.

Lautenbach shares this piece of advice for those embarking on their gardening journey:.

In terms of gardening guidance, the first step is to get to know your soil. Ask yourself: is it heavy clay or sandy?

Is it full of stones or does it feel enriched and moist?

All these factors will help you determine which type of plants could flourish in your garden, taking also into account the amount of sunlight the area gets.

Work with what your garden yields naturally.

"Anything that my garden produces I turn into precious materials. I improve my soil by using grass cuttings. I have clay soil and didn't have enough money to buy mushroom compost so I started putting grass cuttings on my borders. Over the years that has created amazing soil."

Additionally, she insists on making her own compost and fertiliser from comfrey.

Avoid unnecessary splurge on tools.

For the casual gardener, a fork and trowel, along with a spade and rake are essential, but she suggests increasing your tool inventory gradually, depending on the size of the garden and available storage space.

"You don't have to buy new tools. If you have a local village group, whether it's a gardening group or on social media, reach out and ask if anyone's getting rid of any gardening stuff. Sometimes people will give you things for free, whether it's tools, pots or even plants that they've grown."

Last but not least, consider growing plants from seeds.

You can cultivate more plants from a seed packet and if successful, they would likely be stronger and more resilient than their expensive store-bought counterparts. She advises planting perennial plants as they typically bloom year after year.

"If you buy a plant that's an annual, you only get it for a year for your money and you need compost and everything else. With perennial plants you make the same amount of effort but you have a much longer-lasting impact," she says.

Buy small.

"If you don't have the time, space or inclination to grow from seed, buy your plants small in early spring. Seedlings will grow quickly in the right place."

Reach out to other gardeners.

Be proactive. Ask around to find out if your neighbours or local online community might be getting rid of some plants which they may have divided or pots they don't have room for, or simply don't want any more, she suggests.

October and November are good months to go on online marketplace sites, as people are often looking to declutter, as Christmas approaches.

Make plant supports from prunings.

"Whenever I prune, with every branch I feel like I've found gold. Birch and hazel are the best. Not everyone will have them but there are coppicing companies that sell them very cheaply."

Don't dismiss sale plants.

Plants that are in the sale may look dishevelled, but they should come back, given the right conditions, she says. "You get a great sense of achievement if you rescue plants, as well as saving money. Go at the end of the season because you'll get amazing plants for half price."

Propagate your plants.

"Propagation is my life. We need to show people how easy it is to create your own plant from another plant. Propagation is easier than most people think."

"People might think you need a big greenhouse but that couldn't be further from the truth. I don't believe in heated greenhouses because they are bad for the environment, and I've propagated thousands of plants not a single one was in the greenhouse. Most plants are happy to be outside."

"But if you do things at the right time you have nature on your side. If you take cuttings of certain plants in spring, you'd have to try hard to kill them. Roses, hydrangeas, lavender and softwood cuttings of shrubs can be taken in spring. They will take two or three weeks to create roots, then should be planted in individual pots for a few months before you plant them out."

Some propagated plants take longer to flower than others, she observes. She's had hydrangea cuttings which have bloomed the same year they have been planted out, although she'd rather cut the flowers off the first year to allow the energy to revert back to the plant while it establishes.

Instead of digging up and disposing of self-seeders like forget-me-nots, utilise them you can have seedlings for free. You can transplant them to the places you want them to grow.

The Money-Saving Gardener: Create Your Dream Garden At A Fraction Of The Cost by Anya Lautenbach is set to be published by DK on February 8, priced at £16.99.