Want to create a beautiful DIY no cost flower bed garden? I did and I’m going to share my secrets on how to start your first flower garden for practically free!
Gardening needn’t be expensive. It is totally possible to start a flower or vegetable garden from scratch for practically nothing. If you’re dreaming of having a lovely flower garden bed this summer, you can!
In a hurry? Pin for later!
- How to create a flower bed from scratch with no money?
- Ways to do landscaping of flower beds for FREE!
- The lasagna gardening method also works when preparing a flower bed.
- Budget friendly ways to grow and improve your flower bed.
- Where to find flowers for your flower bed garden for FREE?
- What types of flowering perennials that self propagate and requiring cutting back?
- Free mulch: Flower bed gardening for beginners, how to have less weeds!
- Get your FREE Garden Planting Guide (Includes some flowers.)
- FREE Planting Guide
- Check out more on gardening:
How to create a flower bed from scratch with no money?
If you want to know how to start a flower bed from scratch on a budget with no money or for super cheap, but looks expensive these are the best tips!
We were very broke one summer, had recently moved to a new place with no flowerbeds. I really wanted to make things look beautiful that summer, but had a zero dollar budget for flowers. Somehow food and electricity are more important than flowers.
However, I didn’t let my no money budget for a flower garden stop me. I decided to DIY a beautiful flower garden anyways!
I only had determination and the willingness to look around a bit and ask some neighbours a few questions.
Here’s how I started our first flower garden from scratch with no money and you can too!
Ways to do landscaping of flower beds for FREE!
First you will need to either dig up the soil where you wish to have a flower bed. Taking out all those pesky weed roots. A bit of hard work is good for us! Just take it in bite size chunks over a few days.
Make sure the flower bed be getting enough light and has access to water (rain or hand watering from a rain barrel, outdoor tap).
The lasagna gardening method also works when preparing a flower bed.
Simply put down cardboard, moisten it. This helps suppress any weeds. Then place down FREE compost or dirt on top of that. Check out this post where I talk all about how to make a raised bed garden. You can use these principals for your DIY no cost flower bed garden, only leave out the weed cloth (less expensive and not necessary for a flower bed).
1. Edging flower gardens with Rocks or Bricks
Edging with rocks or bricks is a beautiful way to landscape a flowerbed for free.
Don’t have rocks in your yard? If not drive out into the country and ask. Likely they have a rock pile already, I’m sure they’d be happy to let you take whatever you’d like.
Try looking for bricks on marketplace or your local community buy and trade.
2. Wooden Edging for flower bed gardens
Old wood or boards make a lovely edging for a flower bed. I’ve even used straighter smaller fallen tree branches (small logs) successfully.
Again, if you don’t have this lying around start asking around, someone will. Especially if their yard is the one that just looks like there’s stuff piled in it.
Try looking on marketplace, it’s amazing what people are hoping someone will just come take off their hands for free.
3. Best old fashioned flower bed edging
This is tried and true. It keeps pesky quack grass from sneaking in and is how all our grandmas or great grandmas edged their beautiful flower beds.
Basically you dig straight down past the grass roots to create a bit of a gap, then mound up the dirt on the bed. It’s almost like making an air mote for your flower bed castle. Then the grass roots aren’t able to easily spread into your flower bed.
This edging will take maintenance, but what flower bed edging doesn’t?
So if you have no rocks or wood at your disposal, try edging your flower bed how grandma did.
Budget friendly ways to grow and improve your flower bed.
Looking for low cost ways to get and start flowers for your DIY flower bed? These are 5 things I did and you you can too, to grow a beautiful flower bed garden for free!
- Ask neighbours family and friends for a part of their flowering perennial plant, root and all. (See the list below).
- Be on the lookout for plant swaps, be it marketplace or a local community events.
- Shop for plants in the off season, focus on perennials as they come back each year.
- Ask to save seed from family, friends or neighbour’s flowers (perennials or annuals).
- Start seeds yourself, use what you have. (If you have flaxseed in your kitchen try planting some, it’s a beautiful blue flower. Seed started perennials thrive from winter sowing.)
Where to find flowers for your flower bed garden for FREE?
DIY no cost flower bed gardens are most successful when you are in community with other gardeners! What better way to start your own tribe than by asking neighbours for some of their beautiful plants. Such a compliment and most gardeners are happy to share!
Perennial flowers come back yearly, they are the ones you’ll want to focus on primarily as you build your flower bed. Though you can still save seeds from annual flowering plants like petunias, pansies, zinnias or cosmos and regrow beautiful flowers every year.
Look for neighbours and friends with lovely flower beds and gardens. They often have some kind of plant they are needing to cut back from spreading so it doesn’t take over. Most gardeners love to share, so don’t be afraid to ask, really!
Most perennials can be propagated from cuttings (though this will take a bit more effort on your part).
Some flower gardeners will have shoots of bush like plants popping up they need to get rid of. Such as lilac bushes. Though these will take a few years to bloom, it’s still a free lilac bush!
Most flower gardeners are happy to share and have to cut back spreading perennial plants anyways.
What types of flowering perennials that self propagate and requiring cutting back?
Many flowering perennials self-propagate by either seeds or spreading, requiring cutting back to manage the spread, promote re-blooming, and tidy up. These are the kinds to ask for, but your gardening friend will know what they have that needs to be cut back.
Don’t be afraid to just ask, most gardeners will know what to share and want to help you create your own flower bed garden!
The list below includes hardy, low-maintenance plants that often produce new seedlings annually and or benefit from cutting back after blooming or in fall.
- Irises
- Daisies
- Delphiniums
- Lupins
- Daylillies
- Hollyhock
- Lungwort
- Garden Phlox
- Columbine
- Bee Balm
- Yarrow
- Mints
- Oregano (Yes herbs are beautiful and also flower!)
- Creeping Thyme
- Valerian
- Lady’s Mantel
- Blue Bugloss
- Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)
When planning your flowerbed out, make sure to put the taller plants in the back.
However, don’t leave out the easy to grow annual flowers like zinnias, cosmos, snapdragons, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies and petunias. These flowers are easy to grow from seed, and some are beautiful cut flowers to enjoy on your kitchen table all summer long.
Free mulch: Flower bed gardening for beginners, how to have less weeds!
Try using old dried leaves as mulch or a thin layer of lawn clippings. Likely you have these and not only will they help keep weeds down they will also help retain moisture if you’re in a dryer area.
Wood chips are more ideal aesthetically, but likely you don’t have any. If you really want them, you can try to source them from a local arborist or tree cutting service in your area. Sometimes they will bring a dump for free if they are working in your local area. Just make sure the trees or bushes were not sprayed as this could sterilize your flower bed soil.
I can’t wait for you to stand back mid summer and admire your hard work of your beautiful no cost flower bed garden!
Happy growing and blooming!
Get your FREE Garden Planting Guide (Includes some flowers.)
Before you go I have one more free thing for you.
Want to know when to plant what? Download my free planting guide today which is based on your frost dates.
Check out more on gardening:
- How to Make a Raised Bed Garden For Cheap
- When to Plant What – Planting Guide for Beginners
- How to Find Your Frost Dates & Growing Zone
Pin for later to your gardening board!
I’d love to hear how you’ve saved money on your own budget friendly flower bed garden! Let me know in the comments below.
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