How to transform your garden or balcony on a budget
- Author
- Elize ·
- Date
- 4 May 2024
In Groningen there are many student houses and studios that either have a (small) garden or balcony. Often these end up being storage space for trash bags, beer crates and other unwanted waste. This is your sign to give your outdoor space a little make-over, so you can enjoy your summer to the fullest at home. In this article you can find low-budget tips for renovating or redecorating your garden or balcony.
REUSE - RECYCLE
Sometimes we have some home items lying around that could be perfect for in the
garden or on your balcony. Perhaps you have some nice candle holders, pots or
mugs you could put plants in or an old coffee table that could easily survive outside.
Even an old mirror can add more depth and space to a smaller balcony or garden.
You can even look at your waste, it is fun to repurpose items. A cute way to reuse
your trash is for example using empty wine bottles as candlestick holders. Nothing
adds more atmosphere than candlelight.
GO THRIFTING!
You guessed it, shop second-hand! Lots of thrift shops (“kringloop winkels” in Dutch)
often have many different outdoor items and decorations that might be of use. And
not only that, but you could find cabinets, chairs and other useful furniture that can
easily be put on your balcony or in the garden. Some thrift shops even sell plants
themselves. Another great way to find second-hand items is to do a quick search on
Facebook Market or Marktplaats.nl. You can sometimes even find decoration or
practical items for free! You can also check our article with tips and tricks to decorate small rooms.
GROW YOUR OWN PLANTS
Buying plants that are already full-grown can be more expensive. However, if you have the patience and enthusiasm for it, you can buy seeds. These are often lots cheaper and easy to find on the local market or at Tuinland. It is smart to buy plants/seeds that are perennial plants. This means they are plants that bloom and
grow back every year. Examples of perennial plants are lavender and peonies. Make
sure to look at how much sunlight the plants need, since the Netherlands can be quite cloudy.
COLLECT NATURE ELEMENTS
Sometimes all you need is a good scavenger hunt. Go take a nice 30 min walk and
look around the nature parts of your walk. Perhaps you can find pretty looking
stones/rocks or other nature elements you can take home for your garden or balcony.
START A HERB GARDEN
It is not difficult to start your own little herb garden and there are many videos online
showing you how to do this. Not only can it be fun, it also saves you money to no
longer buy herbs in the store. For example, it is not too difficult to grow mint, parsley
and basil.
JOIN SWAP GROUPS AND EVENTS
There are lots of Facebook groups in Groningen that either offer items for free or to
trade. This way you can trade some of your left-over tea bags for a nice new garden
item. It does not have to cost you a lot to collect new furniture or decoration items that could be perfect for your garden or balcony. Besides this, there are also events in
Groningen that will allow you to try out swapping or second-hand shopping. For
example Swappy Day. Will you try it out?