13 Garden Design Ideas for Under $1,000

These clever, easy ideas allow you to spend less on your garden but add real impact.

By: Lori Johnston

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Photo By: Photo courtesy of Carex Design Group

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Home & Garden Design/Danna Cain

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Carex Design Group

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Eric Champlin

Photo By: Photo courtesy of River Root Gardens

Photo By: Photo courtesy of the National Garden Bureau

Photo By: Landscape Plans Plus

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Lisa Hill

Photo By: Danna Cain

Photo By: Photo courtesy of Lisa Hill

Photo By: Photo courtesy of the National Garden Bureau

Pull Together a Plan

With a $1,000 budget, consider hiring an expert to help you create a landscape plan to determine the garden design, key features, and which plants will work best with your climate, soil and color preferences. You can start to put that plan into action, such as adding plants, then refer to it as your budget increases. You can create a landscape plan on your own, with resources such as expert guides on HGTVGardens.com.

Splurge on a Gorgeous Planter

A glazed ceramic pot filled with annuals can be a wise and beautiful investment for your doorway. A decorative planter of this size and weight - it took three people to carry it onto the porch and position it with Pot Pads underneath for protection - can cost a few hundred dollars. A matching container on the other side of the door helped create a new focal point for the entryway.

Freshen Up Your Curb Appeal

Consider using your $1,000 budget to update beds with the best curb appeal. Spruce up the landscape beds in front of your home with plants, mulch, and large and small stones, suggests Bob Graves, owner of Carex Design Group in Knoxville, Tenn. When redoing a bed, also think about what plants have and have not worked for you in the past.

Lighten Up

Insert low-voltage landscape lighting into a retaining wall, to make pathways more safe and to bring a glow to your outdoor space. It can be a DIY project, using a landscape lighting kit, or you can work with an expert, such as a landscape designer or lighting company.

Do a Lot with a Little

Make the most of a small space at a townhome entryway with these key elements: a bench, stone pavers, a few containers including urns at the doorway and a small bed for annuals and perennials.

Invest in Unique Pieces

Add seating that fits your garden style. The organic nature of this chair, ottoman and round end table, made of Latin American tree roots, is appealing, and the set retails for less than $1,000.

Freshen Up With Favorite Flowers

Bring an elegant flower, such as a deep rose ivy geranium into your garden in a stately urn and freshen up a surrounding bed with slate chips.

Add a Basic Structure

Adding a wood arch or a pergola can be an affordable way to draw interest to your garden.

Plan Out Your Planters

Don't purchase planters on a whim, especially when making an investment in high-quality pots. Select containers that match the home's architecture, as seen in the trio of planters in front of an 1920 Italian Renaissance-style home in Atlanta.

Backyard Sandbox

Add a play feature, such as a sandbox and a mulched play area with a swing set, for kids.

Consider the Colors

These extensive gardens wrap around the home, but the use of peonies show how you can grace a section of lawn with flowers that attract immediate attention. It's an idea for refreshing your beds, even with a $1,000 budget.