GETTING your garden ready for summer can be expensive, especially if you are adding extra fencing or panels.
One green-fingered enthusiast has transformed their outdoor space, just by using a few old twigs they found.
Though it seems too good to be true, the gardening whizz later showed off the impressive result on Reddit – with the post going semi-viral.
Sharing their handiwork under the username @ohhomelygirl, the amateur garden revealed how they’d created a fence without expensive wood panels.
Keen to separate the al fresco dining area and the rest of their outdoor space, they instead used old wooden posts they had to break up the space.
Whilst these were in keeping with the rest of the painted wood in the garden, this still left a large gap in the makeshift fence.
It was then that they thought of a way to use branches in their garden and showed just how effective they were are decoration.
Using some nails and some old willow branches, the Reddit wove them together to fill the gap in the DIY border.
Unsurprisingly, they were amazed by the results and gushed about the DIY in the r/gardening reddit.
They told the group: “DIY Rustic Fence made with old fence posts and Willow Branches. Cost = £0.”
For anyone tempted to try out this cost-free gardening tip, you can usually find willow trees close to river banks or lakes.
These trees are instantly recognisable because of their large overhanging branches, which often lean over the water.
While we don’t recommend you get too close to the water’s edge, you can find branches that have broken off close to the trunk of the tree – especially in winter.
Alternatively, you may be able to purchase similar looking birch branches from your local florists for just a few pounds.
The Fabulous team even found a large bundle of natural birch twigs online for just £14.99.
Even better, the remaining branches can be used for decoration around the home.
This isn’t the only low-cost gardening DIY we are obsessed with right now.
In fact, one clever gardener revealed how to make a raised flower bed using cardboard boxes and a little leftover soil.
Taking to TikTok, content creator Jon shared the easy hack which involved using old cardboard to mark out the flower beds.
Once this was done, he was then able to take a shovel and cover the area with a little top soil to quickly create the flowerbed.
While it might seem strange, the old boxes will break down over the coming months and add carbon, along with other nutrients, to the soil.
It’s a great way to start your raised flower bed, as your plants will have extra minerals to help them thrive over the dry summer months.
We can certainly dig these clever gardening hacks.
The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to crack on with in May.
GARDEN growth can go from nought to ninety in May, depending on the weather. The last UK frosts are generally seen at the beginning of the month, so all of a sudden there’s so much more to do and grow.
Plant out dahlia tubers
It’s a joy to finally plant out your dahlia tubers. Remember how big they can get – and space accordingly – anything up to half a metre apart.
It’s a good idea to put your support stakes in now instead of trying to work around them.
And make sure you include lots of well rotted manure or decent compost to feed it and then mulch to keep it moist and suppress weeds. They generally start blooming in July.
Final feed to Spring flowers
You can give a cheeky feed to all your remaining tulips and daffodils.
Although the majority of bulbs aren’t guaranteed to come back year after year any more, as long as you’ve left them to die back naturally there’s a good chance they’ll have stored enough energy to come back again. Tomato feed is fine.
Tie up climbers
Your clematis, honeysuckle and rambling roses should be well on their way by now – try to use plastic free string to tie them back into their support, or tuck them round each other to make sure they don’t sprout off in crazy directions.
Feed the lawn
It’s not too late to give your lawn a good feed.
Whether you use granular or liquid, it can give it a good boost to see it through the harsher summer months.
While mowing, don’t go too low with your cut length yet and never take more than a third off the grass height.
Get creative
It’s also time to get creative with hanging baskets and pots.
Trailing pelargoniums, which a lot of people call geraniums, and Begonias are a good, low cost way of getting lovely returning blooms throughout the summer in your baskets.
And pots can be planted with spring bulbs.
Don’t forget the greenhouse!
Give your greenhouse a good tidy and clean the glass inside and out.
The improved light will help plants grow quicker inside and tidying is good for the soul.
You can just use a household white wine vinegar and water solution – or even neat if you’re feeling spendy – which gives a really good shine.
