How to make a garden look expensive on a budget: 9 easy ideas to try

When looking to unlock the potential of making a garden look expensive on a budget you don't have to spend big to make a dramatic difference, sometimes it's the finer details and small changes that prove most transformative. 

Make your outdoor living space feel more luxurious for entertaining this summer by adopting a few simple style rules, many of which derive from the principles of making a home look expensive on a budget.

From introducing thoughtful lighting and soft furnishings to coordinating planting schemes with the latest garden trends, our experts explain how a few simple ideas can go a long way to creating a more luxurious outdoor space.

How to make a garden look expensive on a budget: 9 expert ideas 

From adding unexpected soft furnishings to updating your existing planting scheme, these are the key style elements to welcome a touch of 'quiet luxury' to your garden this summer to give your best outdoor furniture the luxe backdrop it deserves. 

1. Tidy and declutter

The best place to start when trying to improve the look and feel of any space (indoor or outdoor) is to carry out a thorough declutter, tidy and clean. It's amazing how transformative decluttering your home can be, it's therefore no surprise that it helps to clear your garden for a more appealing appearance.

You can apply professional decluttering methods for your garden to remove any items you don't need on show to help create a cleaner eyeliner. Conceal these items in outbuildings or sheds to ensure the garden is clutter-free. 

Clean patio slabs, decking and your garden furniture to leave surfaces gleaming. Consider also that plant maintenance is a key part of this process. 

"Attention to detail is key in achieving a high-end look," says Georgina O'Grady, managing director at Evergreen Direct. An expert in the field of garden maintenance, landscaping specialist Georgina knows how to make a garden look more expensive and luxurious.

"Paying close attention to grooming, maintenance, and overall presentation can significantly impact the perceived value of a garden. Investing in professional landscaping services or regular upkeep will ensure that your outdoor space remains consistently polished and refined. 

Your end goal should be to project an air of lushness and abundance through your exterior landscaping practices."

2. Be more considered when planting

"If you are trying to make your garden look more luxurious and expensive, there are some plants you should consider including to help you get this look," says Craig Morley, a gardening expert from Budget Seeds. 

"For example, evergreen plants, such as daphne shrubs or privet trees, are a great choice as they will remain green all year round and prevent your garden from looking bare in the winter. Flowers such as roses and peonies are timeless classics, and these will also add colour to the garden." Top tip: master how to prune roses to maximise blooms.

Careful consideration of how you are planting can also contribute greatly to your garden looking more luxurious. 

"For flower beds, consider filling them with summer perennials and accentuating them with topiary bushes for an elegant look, although this can be quite high maintenance in terms of taking care of. 

"You can also use a range of sculptural and tropical plants like palms, as these will help to make the garden look lush with green leaves, and their large branches can make your garden feel almost like a hideaway."

Craig adds: "If you are on a tight budget, buying younger plants is a lot cheaper than buying their mature counterparts, even though these will take longer to grow in and create the area that you want. Filling flower beds can be done fairly cheaply by using bedding plants to add colour and make your space feel more interesting to the eye."

3. Create zones

A curated garden with a sense of purpose and structure will always look like a more expensive plot because consideration and thought have been invested into how the space is used. 

There are many ways you can create zones, each one varying in the price, to keep it low-budget you could merely place furniture to signify the intended use. If you are willing to spend more you can use hard landscaping to build walls and paths that are more permanent. 

You can use privacy screens to close off areas - say you want to conceal a kid's play area from a Zen area made to switch off. 

Strategic planting schemes also play a crucial role in zoning outdoor spaces. Look to use the best privacy plants to make your planting more purposeful, integrate plant species of varying heights and textures, and emphasise plants like sculptural topiaries and evergreen trees to create lush green walls.

However you choose to divide the space, creating dedicated zones is an easy way to transform your garden instantly.

4. Add accent lighting

We understand the importance of lighting indoors, but the same principles apply to your garden. Similar to making a bedroom look expensive elements of accent light are the key to making a garden feel expensive because it enables you to highlight areas of interest and bring them alive once the daylight fades.

Be it solar-powered stake lights to illuminate a pathway or wired-in downlights along a fence to enhance the framework, the right lighting goes a long way to make a garden feel more considered.

“Look beyond the practicality of your outdoor lighting and explore how it can be used to visually take your garden to the next level in terms of design and style," says Marlena Kaminska, designer at ValueLights. 

"A more considered garden lighting scheme can be incredibly effective in creating an inviting and luxurious atmosphere and can even alter the perceived size of your space, making your garden feel bigger.

“Be sure to use a range of lighting to create various, dispersed clusters of light, from bollard lights for highlighting walkways to string lights for adorning your fences. Layering lighting in this way will not only help to define the different zones in your garden but will also give the illusion of dimension by creating multiple points of interest to explore.”

5. Adopt a coordinated colour scheme

Cohesive colour is always a winner for making a space feel effortless chic – just look at the quiet luxury trend for a triumphant tonal success story.

Ali Wooldridge, Co-founder of luxury garden furniture company, Gardenesque, comments on how to make your garden feel more luxurious with colour: “Neutral colours, such as whites, creams, greys, and blacks are universally attractive and extremely versatile."

"Their timeless elegance can make any garden, big or small, feel more expensive and luxurious. Whilst colour and dopamine decor is all the rage this year, opting for a neutral garden will create a clean, seamless scheme."

"Look to incorporate neutrals through your garden furniture and plants, whether that be using one block colour or pairing complementary tones together, especially through your flower beds. If you are looking to incorporate colour, sage greens or pastel yellows still create a luxe feel as they lean more towards the neutral palette.”

6. Add a splash of paint

Sticking with the colour theme, now we move on to the idea of embracing paint to enhance a garden. In exactly the same way we use the latest interior paint colours to transform our indoor spaces, exterior paints can hold much weight when looking to upgrade fences, walls and outbuildings.

Whether ethereal white, popular brooding dark charcoal or one of the latest Cuprinol paint shades for summer introducing a uniformed paint colour for all your outdoor surfaces is an easy way to rejuvenate the scheme. 

Top tip: Using stronger paint colours is a great tip for small gardens to make the greenery pop and help surfaces feel less encroaching when it's dark, while white will stand out and highlight the presence of borders and raised beds.

7. Invite layers of soft furnishings

An easy way to make a garden feel luxurious is to add layers of soft furnishings to create an outdoor living room vibe. Cushions, throws and outdoor rugs are all great ways to invite colour and pattern to furnish gardens with a little more finesse. 

"We shouldn’t have to compromise when using fabrics outside. Long gone are the days of slippery nylon cushions and covers. Now there is a whole host of luxurious and well-designed fabrics that can be used," explains David Harris, design director at Andrew Martin. 

"Outdoor weaves and eco digital prints all perform incredibly well against light and fading, so there’s no need to compromise on style outdoors." Just be sure you know how to clean outdoor cushions and clean outdoor rugs to ensure they stay looking luxe rather than weather-beaten.

8. Maintain a manicured lawn

Keeping a Wimbledon-worthy lawn is a must for a more expensive-looking plot because it signifies the time and effort spent ensuring it's well-kept. Just ensure you avoid common lawn care mistakes to get the best results.

“There are several simple but effective ways to maintain a gloriously green lawn all year round," says Peter Chaloner, managing director of lawn care manufacturer Cobra. "A couple of times a year, apply lawn feed to replenish the nutrients in the soil, which will help the grass stay vibrant for a longer period."

"It is also important to regularly reseed any dull or bare patches on the lawn after heavy foot traffic to keep a bright, even distribution of grass growth.

Aerating the lawn is another method that can be used to improve the overall health of the lawn. This involves creating small holes in the soil to relieve compaction and increase the circulation of vital elements like air and water, which can help reduce the risk of diseases. Aeration can be done manually, but it can also be done quickly and easily with a power machine such as the Cobra SA32E electric scarifier."

Peter adds: “Remember to keep pets off the grass as their urine is rich in nitrogen, which can easily scorch lawns when undiluted."

9. Introduce topiary

To really add an air of luxury why not try your hand at topiary? Whether in patio planters are integrated into beds and borders, these shapely trees are the epitome of elegance.

“Topiary has long been a hallmark of historical English gardens, adorning the grand grounds of country homes and heritage estates with a touch of quintessential yet showstopping charm for centuries," explains Andy Bourke, a topiary expert at power tool experts Henchman. 

"From simple, geometric shapes to larger, ornate designs – creating topiary, also known as hedge sculpture or hedge art, is not only an exciting and rewarding project, but it is also a surefire way to impress the neighbours."

"Many might think you have to be a professional gardener to create an impressive topiary display, but that simply isn’t the case," says Andy. "Anyone can give it a go – all you need is the right type of plant, a pair of sharp shears, and some sturdy ladders.

“If you’re not sure where to start, try a topiary ball. Start by cutting away dead branches and leaves. Next, break down the ball into three sections – top, middle and bottom – and cut a band around the middle of the ball to give you an idea of the width.

Then start to round off from the middle to the bottom, working around to check the curve you are creating is symmetrical from different angles."

Trim and prune your plants regularly to keep your garden looking pristine and don't forget to keep on top of weeding. General maintenance will ensure your efforts are upheld to make your garden look well-presented and luxe, similar to how your efforts are rewarded when taking the time to make your house look expensive from the outside too.