Garden Design for Under $100

For less than $100, you can add color, shape and vibrancy to your garden or yard. Try these tips.

By: Lori Johnston

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Photo By: Photo courtesy of Sally Lanigan with University of Florida/IFAS

Photo By: Photo courtesy of National Garden Bureau

Photo By: Photo by Angela West

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Sheri Dorn

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Sally Lanigan with University of Florida/IFAS

Photo By: Image courtesy of True Temper

Photo By: Photo courtesy of National Garden Bureau

Photo By: Photo by Lori Johnston

Find a Focus

Even if your front or backyard is large, pick one area to work on, such as the base of the driveway. Plant a combination of annuals and perennials and use the remainder of your $100 budget for soil.

Maintain What You Have

With your $100, consider hiring a professional to spend a couple of hours pruning and trimming, or to add to your maintenance efforts in the garden. Pruning can help create long-lasting, vibrant plants and add shape, color and definition to your garden. For an idea of when to prune, here's a month-by-month calendar by Walter Reeves, known as The Georgia Gardener.

Add Interest with a Planter

Splurge on a ceramic planter to add an eye-catching element to your garden or front entryway, even if the plants aren't expensive. This one is filled with dahlias.

Make Over Your Mailbox

You can pack a punch by updating the often-ignored area around your mailbox. In addition to planting new flowers and spreading mulch, it's a spot for whimsical or other design, such as turning an old wheelbarrow into a planter.

Burst of Color

Fill a corner of your yard with sunshine. Black-eyed Susan, which typically blooms from June to September, requires little maintenance and is drought and heat tolerant. Since it can grow to 3 feet, it can make a big impact.

Install a Soaker Hose

Tucking a soaker hose underneath and amid mulch can help keep soil moist with steady watering.

Choose a Containerized Tree

Invest in one signature item, such as a containerized tree. An 8- to 10-gallon tree could fit into your $100 or less budget, says Sheri Dorn, extension horticulturist, consumer ornamentals at the University of Georgia and coordinator, Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program.

Potted Lemon Tree Yields Fresh Citrus

Potted lemon trees grow well outside in the summer in a decorative container large enough to support their root growth. Make sure they stay watered and bring them indoors when the weather turns cooler.

Carve Out a Walkway

Materials such as mulch, wood chips and crushed stone can create an inexpensive pathway or offset an intimate area in your garden.

A Set of Tools

If you're new to gardening or a longtime gardener, consider investing in two key gardening tools - a set of loppers (such as the Bypass Loppers from True Temper) and a hand pruner. The pair should cost less than $100.

Windowsill Vegetable Garden

Sometimes budget and space are both tight. If you are interested in gardening, but have a $100-or-less budget and limited outdoor space, consider growing herbs and vegetables in a windowbox.

Living Wall

Vertical gardening comes in many forms - and costs - these days. Assemble a trio of wall plants to start small, but realize the sky's the limit.

Add Garden Art

A couple pieces of yard art, such as these cute signs, can create conversation in your yard and simply put a smile on your face. There are many affordable options for finding art now, through retailers, online marketplaces such as Etsy.com, antique shops and thrift stores, and arts and crafts fairs.