THERE'S nothing quite like soaking up the summer sun from your very own garden, but you don't need to spend a fortune to get it looking lush.

We've acquired help from a couple of green-thumbed experts who have revealed the fuss-free things every garden needs – and don't worry, your space will look amazing in no time with very minimal effort.

You won't have to spend your days plucking and pruning your plants either, becausethese easy cheap additions to your garden are mostly self-maintaned

Solar lights

Gardening expert John Dempsey, from Housetastic reckons fairy lights that are powered by solar panels are a great addition to a garden as they cost absolutely nothing to run, which means they won’t be a drain on your electricity bill.

"They work simply by leaving the solar panel, found at the end of the lights, to charge in bright sunshine, and typically offer up to eight hours of power," he told `Fabulous.

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"Depending on the size and type, solar panel fairy lights cost anywhere between £15 to £50 but once this is spent, you won’t need to worry about paying anything extra."

Rock gardens

"Not only do rock gardens look interesting but they are self-sufficient and help make your garden incredibly low maintenance," John said.

"Place a variety of rock sizes over soil, to limit the amount of weeding and watering you need to do.

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"All types of rocks and pebbles can be purchased inexpensively, although this is dependent on factors such as colour, sizes and amount you need."

John suggests checking on sites such as Facebook Marketplace or Freecycle, where you could get second hand rocks and pebbles, instead of buying new. 

Artificial lawns

Real grass requires a lot of upkeep – from frequent mowing in the summer, to ensuring they get enough water and repatching dead areas.

"The easiest way to avoid this entirely is to opt for an artificial lawn covering, which requires zero maintenance and can withstand colder weather.," John says.

"Artificial lawns can be installed yourself, however it is advisable to use a professional to lay the artificial grass for you instead."

Depending on the size of your garden, and the finish you are looking for, this can cost anywhere from £200 (for a smaller garden of 20m²) to £2,000 (for a much larger garden of around 100m².)

A clean patio

If you're lucky enough to have a patio, the good news is, it's not too difficult to keep it clean – and doing so will reinvigorate your garden and make a big difference in how it looks.

"Start by sweeping up any windfall debris such as leaves and twigs, then clean away dirt and grime using a specialised patio cleaner that’s suitable for the material," Cass Heaphy from Paving Direct says.

You can pick up patio cleaner for as little as £20, and by adopting the 'little and often' approach, you won't be left it loads of work.

BBQ

With barbecue season approaching, we all know the chore of cleaning and maintaining the grill, however there are barbecues that require much less elbow grease than others.

John says gas grills are much easier to clean than charcoal barbecues, as ash is a lot trickier to deal with.

"However gas barbecues will cost more, so are more of an investment," he warns.

"Barbecues with a porcelain coated grill are also much easier to clean, however they are normally found on more expensive and higher-end barbecue models."

"A cheaper alternative is a stainless steel grill, which is much more cost-efficient, costing on average of £30-£100, depending on the size," he explains, however this type of grill is more likely to rust over time, so be wary of this. 

Choose hardy plants

If gardening is not for you then the worst thing you can do is plant beautiful and extremely high maintenance plants.

"Instead, seek hardy plants which require minimal watering but provide a pop of colour and help attract wildlife into your garden,"John from Houstastic said.

Samantha Richards from Gazeboshop told Fabulous said: "Knowing how to look after your garden on a budget is all about making careful choices."

And the right choices could have significant returns on your home and leave it looking busy all year round.

Here are the garden plants you should opt for:

Lavender – Easy to care for and attract bees and pollinators into your garden.

Geraniums – Extremely hard to kill and can bloom for months, without a need to deadhead.

Yucca – An evergreen, hardy exotic plant, a yucca has a thick stem and requires little watering and deadheading, instead it just needs the odd stray leaf picked up.

Wildflowers – Wildflowers are grown with the intention of looking wild, so won’t require any pruning or cutting back.

They grow easily, usually just from a scattered seed packet, and their bright flowers help encourage pollinators into your garden.

False indigo plants -You can plant and forget about these beauties as they take roughly a year to pop up.

Theyare both pest and disease-free, meaning they will bloom from late spring to early summer every year, and require little attention.

Butterfly bush – Suitable year round, the butterfly bush is guaranteed to wow guests with the shrubs attracting winged butterflies to gardens as they bloom.

They can require annual pruning to keep them in shape for the next year, but these summer lilacs are worth the little maintenance they require.

Hydrangeas – If your garden sees less sun, hydrangeas are perfect as they can live up to 50 years and prefer partial sun.

They are ideal for new gardeners since they can tolerate almost any soil, meaning you won't have to go out and purchase anything new to plant them. 

Violas – To fill out your garden in the cooler months, opt for violas which are primarily cool-season bloomers.

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They have a particularly long flowering period, making them ideal to have a big impact on your garden for little effort.

Daphne – Reaching around 3ft in height and width, Daphne is a shrub that doesn’t require frequent watering or pruning, it simply needs a spot where the roots are shaded from the sun.

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