Gardening expert who’s ‘always pressed for time’ reveals budget-friendly tips – with a clever way to use an old boot
AN eye-catching garden full of flourishing flowers can be achieved on a budget, revealed an expert.
She shared her cost-effective tips for revamping a tired-looking outdoor space.
Rebecca Pow MP is the UK’s Minister for Nature and a recipient of the Green Heart Hero Award from The Climate Coalition.
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, she shared a selection of must-try gardening hacks.
SPECTACULAR SEEDS
Pow said there are many plants you can grow for the “cost of a packet of seeds” that will thrive for months.
She shared planting advice while also recommending to read instructions on the packet.
“You can grow initially by sowing into a seed tray or pot - use a shallow one, filled with potting compost or soil but as I’m always pressed for time I sow as much as I can directly into the soil,” she said.
Cut-and-come-again salad leaves, radishes, carrots, sugar snaps, and coriander are among her favorites.
“It is such a relief to know that I can pop outside and pick something good to eat without having to head to the shops," she said.
“You can also grow some stunning annual flowers such as cosmos and sunflowers.”
She said containers including a tin can or old walking boot can be used to grow plants with limited space.
“Fill with soil, either sow seeds or buy a few bedding plants such as marigolds, aubretia, geraniums, and even some herbs such as parsley and marjoram,” she said.
“Remember to water.”
LUSCIOUS LAWN
Pow said lawns of any size can be used to create “definition and contrast” in the garden.
She recommended allowing sections to grow while mowing paths between.
“It looks effective and with a mix of grasses, daisies, buttercups, and dandelions also provides a valuable habitat for insects, especially bees, moths, and butterflies, it’s a larder full of nectar for them,” she said.
“Also if you have young children they love to race around the paths and hide.”
CRAFTY COMPOST
Pow recommended using old planks or wooden pallets to make boxes for a compost system.
“Add clippings from the garden don’t use anything diseased, mix in twigs, some leaves, tea leaves, veg peelings, even some torn-up cardboard,” she said.
Painting a feature bench, side table, or fence a bright shade can make a statement.
Rebecca Pow
“Cover over to allow to rot down, mix around after several months, and divide off the well-rotted material and put in one of the compost boxes and let the rest continue to decompose in the other and add to it.
“Hey presto you have nutritious free compost to spread around the beds and borders and also to use a valuable mulch to suppress weeds and keep the moisture in.”
FAB FEATURES
Pow said DIY-savvy homeowners can overhaul their backyards with colorful features.
“Painting a feature bench, side table, or fence a bright shade can make a statement,” she said.
“Either go bold with purple or orange or use a muted sage green or blue-gray.
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“Sand the item down first and give it a couple of coats.
“You might be able to pick up an item at a car boot sale and give it a makeover that will really cheer up the garden.”
