5 Budget-Friendly Steps to Creating a Spring Garden Space You’ll Love

We all have that area of the garden. The space with potential that we’ve ignored for way too long. Mine finally got its moment this Spring – and honestly? This before and after transformation was easier and cost far less than I’d been telling myself it would be…

There’s a corner of my patio that I’ve neglected for far too long.

It’s not that it was bad, exactly. It was just… nothing. A square area of paving, a blank wall where the paint was peeling, and a random chair that really didn’t invite you to sit down (I mean, I’d tried to sit there, but… meh!).

It was the kind of space you end up using to store a watering can and a bag of compost you haven’t dealt with yet. It existed as a space, and that was about it.

Thanks to Very.co.uk for sponsoring this post. It’s a great place to check out when looking for items to add to your Garden this Spring (or any season, actually!).

But here’s the thing about this particular corner – it’s actually had the potential to be one of my favourite outside spots, for a few reasons.

You see, it’s tucked away from the rest of the garden, it’s not overlooked, it’s quiet, and most crucially for me – it’s completely shaded in the mornings and evenings!

Because while everyone else is chasing the sunny patch and pulling their chairs around to follow it, I chase shade. Don’t get me wrong – I love Spring when the sun starts to shine and everywhere is warm enough to be outside more – but direct sunlight is not my friend!

This area stays cool and comfortable all morning while the rest of the patio has direct sunlight on it all day (which my Hubby loves!).

It really is a genuinely lovely, sheltered little spot – so it makes sense that I should use it more….

But up until now, I just hadn’t given it any focus – so, at the start of this Spring, I decided it was time!.

I had 2 goals for the space: –

Firstly – to create the feel of an outside room. Somewhere I’d actually choose to be with my morning coffee in hand. An inside feeling to it, but outside.

Secondly – to keep the spend as low as possible. Because a beautiful space shouldn’t have to require a big budget, right?!

TIP: We tend to start buying things for spaces (including outdoors) before we’ve decided what the space is actually doing. The result? A collection of stuff that doesn’t quite add up to anything – and a surprising amount of money spent without a clear result to show for it. Setting goals up front meant that I could focus on buying things that served that specific purpose. No impulse buys. No “that might work.” Just considered pieces – which, handily, is also how to keep a project on budget more easily.

So here’s everything I did, and a few tips from things I learned along the way. Hope you get inspired to give your own home a transformation this Spring!

Step One: Decorate the walls and floor

As with any room, the foundations are the walls and flooring – and so I wanted to make sure that these worked for the look I was going for.

Firstly, the walls.

The back wall was blank and unloved – so I decided to add a splash of Spring colour as a backdrop. I chose a gorgeous soft pink!

A small tin of outdoor paint costs very little, and the impact is genuinely dramatic. I love it!

TIP – You can get masonry paint mixed into any colour you like just like getting indoor paint mixed.

Then I turned my attention to the flooring.

The tiles are lovely – but could feel softer for the indoor feel I wanted – and so I chose to cosy it up with a black and white outdoor rug, which fit the space perfectly.

Rugs are one of those things that seem like a treat but actually do serious structural work by defining the space and adding texture and pattern. Add one, and the shift from “patio” to “outdoor room” happens almost immediately.

Step Two: Add Furniture That Works

The next ‘layer’ when designing a space is to look back at what you want the function to be, so you can pick furniture that makes the most sense.

As I wanted a coffee area, a Bistro set was the ideal choice. It would be small enough to feel good for myself when sitting alone there, but gives 2 seats if someone were to join me – and of course – adds a nice place to put my coffee!

Alongside the function being right – there are a few other ticks that I wanted this outdoor furniture to have:

• To be as weatherproof as possible.
• To be easy to wipe down – I’m in the UK – there WILL be Spring showers!.
• And lastly – it needs to be comfortable enough that you’ll actually sit in it for more than ten minutes as well.

Lastly – it should definitely fit the aesthetic you want, and be the right size for the space.

The green bistro set I found on Very (where there’s a huge range of garden furniture to choose from) was the ideal choice.

It was easy to put together, and wipes clean in seconds. The colour was perfect too because it picks up the greenery from the plants around it and feels properly spring-like while fitting in with my aesthetic really well. Most importantly, the scale is exactly right for this tucked-away corner.

Placing the furniture on the rug immediately started to make the room feel right.

Then after that it was easy to place things because the furniture served as an anchor for everything else.

Step Three: Add Lighting

I chose to add solar lights along the back wall, and a solar lamp on the table – as these were the right aesthetic alongside being inexpensive.

Plus the big bonus is that they cost nothing to run once they’re up. No wiring, no electrician – just warm ambient light that appears every evening without you having to think about it.

For my shaded corner, they were perfect.

TIP: Warm white bulbs will give a cosy light, whereas bright white give a more modern feel – so pick what ambience you’re wanting for the best results.

The lamp on the bistro table also adds more of a living room vibe which I love. Cosy, warm, genuinely lovely to look at even from inside the house on evenings when it’s a bit too chilly to sit out.

The running costs of this lighting setup is almost nothing, but the impact? Enormous.

Step Four: Bring in the Plants.

As it’s Spring, adding in a few pots with plants in was a must. These also serve to link the main garden area to the patio and makes the space feel more alive.

I like to have a mix of evergreen and flowering plants to give you the best value for money: something that looks good all year, and something that brings that specific seasonal energy – so that the space changes throughout the year and looks nice in different ways.

TIP: You don’t need a lot of plants to create impact. Using groups of 2 or 3 pots in a couple of places is ideal.

Step Five: Add the Finishing Touches

Lastly, I love adding in a few carefully curated accessories – because this is what truly adds in the feel of it being a room.

I’d already used a lamp, but just added in 2 more things that are simple but effective:

1 – An outdoor cushion (water resistant) adds a cosy touch to the chairs and make me want to sit in them even more!

2 – Art on the wall adds that extra ‘room’ feel. I had this on another wall in the garden already so it was ‘free’ – but you can get lots of outdoor art in the shops – so it’s a way to add in your own character and feel on whatever budget you want.

3 – The star I made with my Dad a while ago looks great leaning against the pink wall so this was an easy win as well

TIP: Shop your house / garden for things and repurpose to give them a new lease of life.

TIP: For garden décor ideas, you want to look at what you like indoors already, and shop around for some touches like that that are suitable for outside. That’s where you’re going to get a look you really love.

Other garden items I would look at adding over time would be:

• Candles (citronella are perfect when Summer arrives, to keep bugs away)
• A garden mirror – maybe this would be nice to reflect some of the garden when I’m sitting there – to give another angle and viewpoint.
• A throw – to add cosiness in the evening or for a colder bright morning.

The After…

What was a forgotten corner is now one of my favourite spots! It really does invite you to sit and enjoy it.

It’s ticked all the boxes I wanted for it – and I can’t wait to use it every day.

I honestly love it!

Plus the added bonus is that it didn’t take as much to do as I thought – physically or financially – always a good thing!

Love Spring? You’ll want to head to the Spring hub next, for lots more ideas.