The Budget Small City Garden Renovation.
Having a garden is a luxury in Brighton. Youāre lucky if you get a small concrete yard. But when I moved back to Brighton from the countryside I was finding my need for a garden, along with having a dog, were pretty much limiting my rental options to zero. So when my good friend was renting this place out and I jumped at it I had to let my imagination kick in as to what the outside space was going to end up like. Iād had some very drunken evenings, and some very hungover mornings talking over break ups, life decisions and much more in this little space before moving here so wanted to honour the old times but welcome in the new too.
When I moved into my rental there was a lot to do inside to surface modernise the interiors so all of my attention and budget went there. The outdoor space just lay a bit unused and unloved and mainly became Montyās dining room and a feeding station for the birds. But when Covid hit last March and we had that bout of good weather it was time to get cracking on it to get me through what turned out to be a lengthy lockdown.
Some of you followed along on Instagram and it was high time I got this post up. I kept thinking I would get better pictures or the plants would bed in and take shape but due to the rubbish summer weāve had theyāve not exactly thrived in this little north facing space. The good news is that apart from the more vulnerable plants that have been eaten by the hoards of snails that seem to be attracted to my garden theyāve all seemed to enjoy settling into their new home.
Before.
Now, Iām not going to cherry coat it - this garden renovation (along with poor posture working from the sofa) cost me months of suffering from a back injury (and Iām still healing). Donāt be like me, I know itās tempting as an independent soul to do all this stuff yourself but GET HELP with any heaving lifting. Ask a friend in return for a nice lunch, swap a dog walk with a strong neighbour for some lifting, hire a handy person. Anything but injure yourself like I have.
Starting Point.
Sitting in this little concrete yard listening to Monty chew his bone and struggling to muster any inspiration I knew I was going to need to hit Pinterest. I appreciate nature and know a few things about keeping plants alive but knew nothing on garden design, clever planting or even what was possible. So, armed with a big cup of tea, some cookies and a playlist I got pinning. Pinterest is always my first point of call for any interior or creative project.
Design.
Someone I was swapping voice notes with in the crazy year of 2020 was Heidi Joyce - a highly experienced garden designer based in Brighton. We both realised we could do with each others expertise so we swapped services - me photography and Heidi garden skills. Skill swaps isnāt something either of us usually do but this was a no brainer, especially in a lockdown when we could both benefit each other in outside spaces. Heidi set to work on a video I recorded of my garden (such was the way of Covid/lockdown) and we started off with the paint - Heidi cleverly suggested using a dark grey along the back wall and trellis to define the space and draw your eye from the ugly concrete studio buildings at the back.
Planting.
While I got to work painting it all, Heidi got busy with the planting plan, designing and planning some plants that would give me interest all year round and provide tiers of height and textures. On a sunny day when lockdown was all getting a bit much Heidi arrived with all the plants and planted it in.
On Heidiās advice I had previously removed the honeysuckle from next door that was making a home on the trellis and instead we made way for three evergreen Jasmine plants. I already had the olive tree and acer tree but we repotted into larger pots - for the Sussex based among you Goldcliff Garden Centre does amazing deals on pots. I was heartbroken to have lost my 22 year old cat a few weeks previously so planted his ashes below the olive tree that he used to like to sit under in the sun. Heidi had helpfully sourced some old zinc bins for the taller trees to go in which saved a massive amount of money - you can keep an eye out on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace for these bins or ask in your local Facebook groups if anyone has one gathering dust or rust.
The Floor.
This had always been the sticking point for me. Heidi had suggested painting it to marry the colours together and stay in a small budget which could have worked really well but I was keen to find a solution that was a little more practical for Monty to have a wee and slightly softer on the eye. I was having to throw clothes on and take him round the block before bed and it really wasnāt ideal. We actually left the floor as it was in the end and got a couple of these brilliant and affordable cotton (so easily washable) rugs from IKEA. They were fine to see me out the rest of 2020 but when it came round to spring 2021 when the rugs had gone green from leaving them out and I still didn't have a solution for Monty to have a wee I started to think about how I could further the garden.
The Second Phase.
The garden was much improved and I managed to enjoy some of the beautiful sunsets that can be viewed from it. But it wasnāt quite there - the floor needed addressing, the ugly storage unit took up space and bar the chair I had bought with me when I moved in there was no proper seating.
Sometime around February the wall at the back fell down, it had been pretty unstable before but it was holding up until one particularly heavy downpour. My landlady finally managed to find a builder who would sort it, such is the crazy times of 2021, who rebuilt it and secured the trellis in with concrete. It was the perfect kick up the bum for me to finally get the garden sorted and to create the inner city oasis I had been dreaming of.
The timing coincided with everything coming back out for Spring and it was great to see all the plants Heidi had put in come back with gusto.
Once the wall was finished I repainted it and the trellis with the same paint as before - Urban Slate by Cuprinol - that I foraged off Facebook groups. Then I got to work weeding and painting all other surfaces the were paintable (benches/plant pots/bricks) except the wall I share with a very grumpy neighbour who no doubt wouldn't tolerate it being painted š¬
The Dog Toilet.
I was a bit stumped as to how I was going to create an area for Monty to go to the loo. I sat with a cup of tea and looked round and then I realised that there were some paving slabs to the left that I pulled up and found earth underneath. Bingo. I lay some bricks that were hanging around to create a border and then filled the space with bark. He immediately went on it thus ending my late night trips round the block - hurrah.
A Workout Platform.
After much deliberation I decided I was going to use either chippings or gravel for the floor. But as Iād mainly used the space as a workout area thus far I needed to take that into account. So using the slabs I had pulled up I created a little workout platform by cementing them to the concrete underneath. Itās a lot easier than you think to do this - you can buy a small bag from Wickes and keeping a little aside (will explain in a mo) just add water to a fairly thick consistency and using a spirit level just secure in place with a trowel and a good stand on it will do the job! Because I was adding aggregate after it didnāt matter about clearing up any excess bulging out the sides. Then you can cement inbetween the slabs using a process called pointing (which is surprisingly quick and easy) - check out this simple YouTube video.
I then created three stepping slabs towards the platform being as I am bare foot most of the time. The slabs arenāt the prettiest but hey, they were free!
The Floor (final phase).
It took me weeks to reach a decision about the floor. I had thought about Cotswold Stone or some other chippings but as my garden is north facing I was worried about them going green and needing lots of washing. Also it would have driven up my costs a lot. I only had a few hundred pounds to spend having had some AirBNB guests in for the first time in a year and being a rental I decided to go for some basic gravel. At Ā£2.50 a bag this pea gravel would provide a cheap and easy to care for solution - I went for the 10mm gravel although was warned cats might use it as a litter tray (they havenāt so far despite a strong cat community in Hanover!).
It took about 25 bags in the end that were fine to load in the van from Wickes but did have to be carried into the house in stages (I did around 5 bags a day). Each bag weighs 25kg and as my garden is upstairs from my basement flat they had to be bought downstairs and upstairs again. Literally back breaking work! Remember folks - donāt be like me! What I would suggest is using a bucket or wheelbarrow and decant half the bag in and carry one of those at a time.
When it was down it looked a bit dull and dusty but once there was some rainfall and it sunk all the sand to under the stones it looked much fresher so donāt panic!
The Water Feature.
Iām going to be doing a separate post on this (please feel free to let me know if I forget to link to it here!) but this little tub has now moved house with me a few times over the years because the eco system in it is established. Itās just a simple, cheap plastic tub but plastic means you donāt have to line and make water tight. Iāve had solar fountains over the years but they were having to be replaced a lot which was getting costly so in the end I went for a plugged pump and I trail an extension lead out of the now defunct cat flap (but it is a quick job to drill a hole for a wire to go through in a window frame - just make sure you do it well away from the glass).
I was delighted last year to find a frog in the garden and this year I have a resident toad. Finding these amazing creatures is good news - it means you have a great, healthy environment in your garden and they will reward you for the home by taking care of pests like slugs and mosquito larvae.
The Seating.
I am so proud my little pallet furniture corner! It didnāt cost me anything and itās a beautiful little spot to watch the sunset. Since itās been there Iāve chewed the fat with friends, read numerous books, typed up blog posts and brain stormed ideas in that little corner.
I started off by getting rid of the ugly storage box by having a ruthless clear out and creating a little shelving space by my back door to store garden tools, bird feed and any other garden related stuff.
Then I got on Facebook Marketplace and found a job lot of pallets going from a building site. I canāt say as a 5 ft 2 larger woman that I was relishing the idea of turning up on a building site due to past experiences but I was lucky to get a good bunch of guys who left me to it and didnāt question my ability to load the van up. The pallets werenāt the best and very dusty but because of Brexit and a shortage of wood pallets are quite hard to come by at the moment so beggars canāt be choosers!
Once I got them home I took a saw to them to cut them to size (this is a pretty easy job if you have a good all purpose hand saw) and sanded them down (I have a little sander I bought from Lidl) to remove any splinter risks. I did try and use a powered dropsaw but it wasnāt possible to get the pallets in the right position easily so it ended up being easier by hand.
I layered them up, screwing them together to secure them as I went and then painted them.
Further Planting.
Having moved everything around slightly there were a few gaps from the planting plan the year before and the alpines had died from my Grandadās old sink. So I planted some more alpines and put in some Lavender in the small bed infront of the Dogwood Heidi had planted. Lavender is my fave - I love the silvery foliage and enjoy seeing the bees arrive on it when itās in bloom. Out of the alpine/succulents I planted pretty much the only one that survived (the snails munched down on most of them) and thrived is this gorgeous Sedum (stonecrop) which is surprising seeing as that spot gets zero sun but Iāll roll with it.
I also had some spare pots over so popped in a few cheap grasses and some diversion plants for the snails so they would leave my herbs alone.
Finishing Touches.
I searched and searched for the right seat cushions for the pallet furniture. Having very little budget for them I just couldnāt find anything I liked until I found these childrenās floor cushions on Vertbaudet. They were exactly the right size, a complimentary colour and a good price.
Realising I had ton a bit too far with the cool and dark cloud palette I realised I needed some warm accessories to dot about. First, I bought a few lovely lanterns from the end of season sale from my local garden centre which I must remember to bring in for winter so they donāt get ruined. Often autumn is a great time to visit a garden centre because there are lot of bargains to be had and plants to be saved from landfill. Finally I lit one of my favourite 3 wick SevenSeventeen candles - these candles really pack a punch scent wise and as much as I love them Monty isnāt sure when I burn them indoors so I enjoy with my book in the garden instead!
Summary.
So there we have it - the low budget rental garden renovation! All in all I think it cost me around Ā£300 but it would have been more if I hadnāt skill swapped for some design and plants. Iām really looking forward to Spring 2022 to see how it matures and will no doubt be updating the blog with some year on images. Would love to known your thoughts or if you have any questions - just drop a comment below the after gallery.
