I swear by five tricks to glam up your garden – my £20 hack transformed my patio and a FREE tip made a huge difference

The Sun

10-05-2025

A DIY fan and savvy saver has shared five tricks to glam up your garden whilst staying on a budget.
Shelley Carline not only transformed her grubby patio for just £20, but she also swears by a free tip that makes a huge difference to your space.
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Not only this, but the gardening guru explained how you can re-use materials to create an outdoor kitchen, as well as sharing her 'go to' section in garden centres for brilliant bargains you won't want to miss.
The content creator who has 64,700 followers on TikTok and often posts interior clips and DIY tricks online, took to social media to share her five money-saving hacks - and it's left many open-mouthed.
Shelley confirmed that in 2024, she spent a lot of money on her garden cabin, pebbles and wood.
As a result, she tried to think of ways to make her ' garden look good without spending a fortune'.
Shelley shared her five simple and effective tips and tricks - and the first one involved using paint to give her path and patio a glow up.
The DIY enthusiast used black and white paint to create a checkerboard style design, which cost her just £20, as she beamed: 'Made a huge difference, was a lot cheaper and easier than laying new flagstones and it's lasted well.'
Secondly, Shelley revealed how she reused materials to create an outdoor kitchen in her garden.
She explained: 'Our outdoor kitchen was built entirely from materials we had left from other jobs. The £40 we spent was for the sink from Marrakesh!'
As well as this, also for just £20, Shelley used the same black and white paint to glam up her furniture.
She acknowledged: 'Our beanbags had faded loads so I painted them and also painted an old rocking chair and this gave them a new lease of life.'
B&M shoppers are giving their gardens a summer glow up with £12 bargain
Additionally, Shelley stressed that she always buys plants out of season or in the discounted section to save cash.
She described the discounted section as her 'first go to' when she visits a garden centre, as she confessed: 'We bought the magnolia for half price as it was after it had flowered. It's so lovely to see it flower for the first time this year.'
Garden features that add the most value to a house
A well-kept garden can add anywhere between 5-20% to the value of a property.
Sellhousefast.uk carried out a study and consulted 36 estate agents, garden designers and property professionals from across the UK.
And the experts revealed the garden feature which adds the most value to a property is a shed.
Shed - 82%
Patio or paving - 76%
Secure fencing, walls or gates - 72%
Outdoor lighting - 66%
Sturdy decking - 62%
Water features eg. fountain or pond - 58%
Modern garden furniture - 54%
Artificial lawn/grass - 40%
But that's not all, as Shelley then gave her followers an insight into the free hack she couldn't recommend enough.
Thanks to trees in her garden, Shelley used chopped up logs to create borders in her outside space.
As she demonstrated herself hammering logs into a border, she said: 'We had to remove a few trees when building the cabin - we chopped them up to create small logs which we used round our grass borders.'
Social media users beam
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ shelleycarline_design, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly amassed 87,200 views.
Not only this, but it's also racked up 2,833 likes, 38 comments and 1,135 saves.
One person said: 'Love the chopped wood edges!'
Another added: 'That's really gorgeous.'
Top 5 Spring Gardening Jobs
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Nick Grey, Gtech Inventor and CEO shared the tasks to crack on with as Spring arrives.
1. Clean your garden
Make sure to clear away all leaves, soil and plant debris from your patios and flower beds; this creates a healthier environment for new growth, especially as we get into the summer months. Gtech's Garden Safety Kit includes durable gardening gloves and safety glasses; perfect for comfortability whilst tackling those outdoor tasks.
2. Weeding
Early Spring is the best time to tackle weeds; if you can introduce some regular weeding into your routine, you can guarantee a tidy garden all year round.
3. Hedge maintenance
Spring is the ideal time to tidy up overgrown hedges and shrubs, as regular trimming ensures healthy growth and reduces pest issues. Using a tool like the Gtech Lightweight Hedge Trimmer can help to keep your greenery looking sharp and neat.
4. Composting
Starting a compost heap this spring is a pro-active, cost-effective way to harness nutritious soil for your plants and recycle organic waste that will benefit the overall health of your greenery and foliage.
5. Look after your lawn
Lawn care is hugely important in assuring your garden stays looking beautiful. Make sure to rake away any excess leaves and trim your grass routinely.
A third commented: 'The painted path is so cute.'
Whilst someone else chimed in: 'Absolutely beautiful. Love your style.'
Meanwhile, someone else asked: 'Yard is wonderful, I'm unsure on painted furniture though. How does the paint hold up on those surfaces if sitting on them?'
To this, Shelley responded and confirmed: 'It's been ok, although [it] does need a little bit of a touch up where the dog has been on it!'