Greek Gardening Style on the Cheap

Greek Gardening Style on the Cheap

Recently I was reading an article about 2023 gardening style trends. It referenced a current resurgence of passion for the Greek Garden. That sent me down a rabbit hole of beautiful fascinating looks at Greek-inspired gardens. However, so many of them are so pricy. So, I am curious about what we can do to enjoy this trend at a cheaper cost.

What Is Greek Gardening?

The initial article that I read about gardening trends describes Greek gardens using some of the following images:

  • The use of stone all throughout the garden, but particularly stone walls
  • Accented, of course, with marble, particularly marble columns
  • Mediterranean fruit trees, of course – Cyprus and pomegranate
  • As well as herbs and flowers that are great at handling drought, for wetter winters and drier summers – lavender, cysts, thyme
  • And olives, of course, grow olives
  • Create seating areas that are surrounded by arches that have climbing plants and tall trees around them
  • Create different levels for the effect of Greece’s hills – raised beds, elevated patios, etc.

All of this makes a lot of sense to me. I haven’t been to Greece, but I’ve been to Mediterranean locations nearby, and this all resonates with what I’ve seen. Moreover, it makes sense for California gardens to adopt some Greek gardening ideas, since our climates have a lot of similarities.

Other Greek Gardening Details

Exploring a variety of other blogs and articles about Greek Gardens, here are some additional features I find listed:

  • More fruit trees – lemons, limes, tangerines
  • More herbs – rosemary, sage, oregano
  • Succulents, add succulents
  • Add just a splash of colorful red or pink with flowers like pelargoniums or bougainvillea
  • Decorating with white and blue, those classic color that conjure up a Greek island
  • Incorporate Greek tiles in the walkway, again think white and blue
  • Add some terracotta pots
  • Use stones to create intriguing lines and curves that give a geometric design to the landscape
  • Put a table in the garden for outdoor dining

10 Tips for a Frugal Approach to a Greek Garden

In thinking about creating this type of garden, here’s what comes to mind about doing so frugally:

1. Start With Small Changes

The biggest mistake that you can make in terms of frugal gardening is to change everything all at once. Believe me, I get it – the urge to create the garden of your dreams in one fell swoop. However, you already have your garden, and even if it’s nothing like the Greek Garden that you want to create, it’s valuable exactly as it is. Therefore, don’t ruin what you’ve already got. Start small. Incorporate a little bit of stone here and there. Add some olive trees. Paint an exterior wall white with blue trim.

2. Get Creative with Stone

Stone is such a big features of Greek Gardens. And yet, stonework can be very pricy. While we would all love to enjoy fancy marble and exquisite stone arches, that’s not a frugal approach to enhancing our garden. So, instead, consider ways to more frugally incorporate the essence of this. Add a gravel walkway, for example. Look for some of the cheapest rocks – pea gravel, crushed granite, and river rocks are all good choices. They may not be exactly the Greek Gods of garden stone, but they help add that flavor and create beauty in your space.

3. Wait For Discounts For The Better Stuff

If you really want a stunning pergola or a marble arch, find ways to reduce the cost of adding such a feature to your garden. Check Craigslist and Freecycle and Facebook Marketplace and all of those types of spots for reduced cost items like this that people are eager to give away. Put the word out among your network that this is what you’re seeking and see if it finds its way to you.

4. Barter For What You Want, Especially Trees

Ready to add some of those great citrus trees to your garden? Instead of investing in them at full price, see if you can locate someone who already has some in their garden that they want to trade. What do you have in your garden that you can trade for the plants that you want? You can slowly add the Greek-inspired trees and herbs while slowly reducing the other plants in your garden just by making savvy trades.

5. Think Rustic

There are many different approaches to Greek gardens. Of course, you’re going to see a lot of Instagram-worthy perfection. However, rustic is absolutely another way to go that is authentically Greek. If you want to add an al fresco dining table to your Greek Garden, for example, think rustic in design. And think cheap. Yard sales and flea markets and online “free” messages are a great place to find the table as well as the seating and settings for it.

6. Don’t Shy Away From Terracotta Pots

Of course, very authentic high quality terracotta is going to cost you some money. But all of us can pretty easily get our hands on the cheaper alternatives. And they’re going to give you that same effect of a Greek Garden look. So, embrace them. When it’s time to do some repotting in your garden, think terracotta.

7. Incorporate Symmetry Into Your Redesign

Gardenista recommends using symmetry in your garden to help get the Greek effect. As you begin to make changes, adding and removing features, remember this. Mirror-image beds are one example. Look around your garden for key features spots and then ask yourself how you might create symmetry there.

8. Add a Statue or Two

While not all Greek Gardens incorporate these, many do. Moreover, you can easily give nod to the culture with statues and urns. Obviously, look for these at places like flea markets where you can get them at a bargain.

9. Emphasize Low Cost Herbs That Don’t Require Extensive Watering

This is such a key features of Greek Gardens. Moreover, it’s a really great way to grow the size and design of your garden without spending a lot of money. Oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender … these are all great options to build out your garden. Plus, you can use them in your kitchen, saving you money that way as well.

10. Use Recycled or Upcycled Materials for Creating Garden Levels

If you want to incorporate the idea of raised beds and slight terraces, then you can look for recycled materials to help you do so. Get your hands on some bricks or palettes that someone is giving away for free or cheap and put in the labor to make them look beautiful.

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5 Cheap Ways to Self Water Plants

Cheap Ways to Self Water Plants

Some people love the ritual of watering their plants each day. However, many of us like to simplify our schedules by setting up systems whereby plants can self water. Moreover, there might be times when you need plants to water themselves, such as when you go on vacation. It’s good to know some cheap ways to self water plants. Here are five ideas.

1. Upside Down Wine Bottle

Instead of putting your next empty wine bottle into the recycling bin, use it as a self-water device for your indoor plants. The Garden Glove explains that you:

  • Rinse the wine bottle thoroughly.
  • Fill it with water.
  • Re-cork it or put the screw cap back on.
  • Drill a hole in the center of the cork / cap.
  • Turn the bottle upside down.
  • Press it several inches down into the soil as close to the center of the pot as you can get.

That’s all; it will self water over the next several days. This is a great tip especially if you’re going away for a long weekend and just want the plants to be properly watered while you’re gone.

2. Two Liter Soda Bottle

The Garden Glove also offers this option, which is one of the cheap ways to self water plants that are outside or indoors in larger containers. Here’s what you do:

  • Thoroughly rinse a 2 liter bottle.
  • Cut the bottom off of the bottle.
  • Punch holes randomly around the entire body of the bottle.
  • Dig a hole near the plant’s root system that’s big enough to complete cover the bottle.
  • Bury the bottle in this hole, with the neck side up. You should surround the entire bottle with soil except for the top of it.
  • Pour water into the top (which is the cut bottom, remember) until the vessel is full.
  • It will now self-water.

3. Bathtub Plants

If you’re looking for cheap ways to self water plants while you’re on vacation, consider putting them in the bathtub. ProFlowers explains:

  • Fill the bathtub with several inches of water.
  • Lay a towel down in the water.
  • Place plants, in their pots, on top of the towel in the water.

That’s it. The plants should soak up the water while you’re away.

4. String/ Rope Wicks

Many of the DIY methods of self watering use some variation on this. The idea is that you have a vessel of water near the plant. You insert string or rope into the water. The other end of the string or rope goes into the soil near the plant. The plant will then drink what it needs through the straw of the string.

5. Plastic Bag Bubble

ProFlowers also suggests this one. Here’s how it works:

  • Put wooden stacks in the corners of the plant’s container, tucked into the soil.
  • Water your plant as normal.
  • Wrap a plastic bag around the four stakes. The bag should be slightly bigger than the plant itself. It should not touch the plant’s leaves.
  • Move the plant so that it’s not in direct sunlight.

This should work like a tiny greenhouse.

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