'Reuse everything!' Expert's 10 tips to fill your garden for free
As the cost of living hits harder, preparing your garden for spring can seem prohibitively expensive.
But fear not: a new book from Anya Lautenbach is packed with tips and tricks to save you money.
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And she shared with Sun Gardening how she cut the costs of creating a beautiful garden for free.
Mother-of-two Anya, 46, who has a million followers on social media, grew up in Poland – where there were no garden centres.
“Everything was turned into something useful,” she said. “We were self-sufficient out of necessity.
“When I came to the UK I was surprised at how much equipment people think you need, with garden gadgets for everything.
“It scares people off, it's not good for the environment and you just don't need it.
“We all get a dopamine hit when we get a bargain at a garden center, but I'm challenging myself to recreate that buzz by growing for free from my own garden. There's nothing like this.
After a terrible family tragedy, Anya, who has ADHD, found that digging in the garden and growing new cuttings helped give her purpose and return her to her Polish roots.
Now she posts regularly from her home in Buckinghamshire, as @anya_thegarden_fairy about her neurodiversity, upcycling, reproduction and how you can create a dream garden on a small budget.
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She told Sun Gardening: “When you get back from the supermarket, use containers such as tall pots for cream or yoghurt to plant peas and seedlings in.
“Heat a nail over the stove and use it to make drainage holes in the bottom. Use the mushroom or grape trays for seedlings.
“When you prune branches, use them to support the plant. When you mow the lawn, use the clippings as mulch.
“Collect nettles and comfrey to make plant food.
“Use old toilet rolls to plant peas and plant them directly in the garden and make your own compost if you have space.”
She added; “Instead of paying for new bedding plants, dig up self-sown seedlings and plant them in pots for beautiful displays.
“It's about changing the mentality that gardens create waste, and instead using everything you already have to create a beautiful garden without spending a lot of money.”
The £16.99 Money Saving Gardener, published by DK Gardeningis out now.
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KEW BLIMEY!
KEW's annual orchid festival is now open to the public and I can't recommend it enough.
This year it's inspired by the island of Madagascar – and features an incredible array of some of the most stunning orchids in a natural setting.
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Around 5,000 orchids were used to create the beautiful floral display at the Princes of Wales Conservatory, aided by Master Florist and Kew Ambassador Henck Röling.
Solène Dequiret from Kew said: “It's wonderful to be able to draw inspiration from the incredible plant and animal life of Madagascar, an ecosystem unlike anywhere else on earth.”
In addition to the impressive floral sculptures, the team recreated some of the island's most iconic wildlife.
For more photos, top tips for keeping orchids alive at home and exclusive video content, visit
FLOWER POWER
IT'S almost Valentine's Day! And our friends at Blossoming Gifts are offering Sun Gardening readers 40 percent off their Valentine's Day bouquets!
Then use the code SUNV40 before February 13, 2024.
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General terms and conditions: Excluding delivery costs and extra gifts. Cannot be used in conjunction with other offers. Only valid on full-priced bouquets. Excluding subscriptions.
Visit for my overview of the best flower subscriptions currently available
BLOOMING BEAUTIFULLY!
A RARE flower that blooms only once a year – for just twelve hours – has finally blossomed.
The Amazon cactus, known as moonflower, or Strophopacactus Wittii, came to life Cambridge University Botanical Garden on Friday last week.
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TOP TIP!
Birds still need help finding food in February – and they love grated hard cheese! So leave out breadcrumbs, hard cheese, leftover mashed potatoes and peanuts.
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THIS WEEK'S VACANCY!
Time to think about pruning deciduous ornamental grasses, such as Miscanthus, Calamagrostis or Pennisetum, back to the base before fresh green shoots appear.
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TO RESCUE!
Bring all the birds to the garden with this chic £34.99 squirrel-proof feeder from stray game or go cheap with this Homebase version for £5.
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TO WIN!
Soon our feathered friends will start nesting – and what better way to see them than this Robert Dyas Green Feathers Wifi Birdbox Camera Bundle, worth £194.99!
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To enter, visit www.thesun.co.uk/BIRDBOXCOMP
Or write to Sun Birdbox Competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP.
Please include your name, age, email address or telephone number. UK residents 18+ only. Ends at 23:59 GMT 24/02/24. Only one winner.
General terms and conditions can be found HERE
TO LEARN!
Q. A bamboo that was dug up and removed from my garden is still sending up stems in my lawn. How can I remove them? Mrs E Bell, Isle of Man
a. Bamboo is an absolute nightmare and unfortunately there is no quick fix. The invasive version sends out underground rhizomes that spread like wildfire through gardens.
Try to dig them all out with a very sharp hand trowel – following the rhizomes and pulling them up as you go.
You can try a concentrated glyphosate weed killer such as Roundup Ultra, but it is expensive and can damage your lawn.
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