‘Repurposed containers make a great statement’

Frances Tophill is a gardening TV presenter and author

However tempting they look, don’t buy spring bulbs. With the exception of snowdrops, which actually do need to be bought in a pot with compost, spring bulbs are best bought and planted in late summer or autumn when they are dried. If you buy flowering bulbs in a pot you will pay over the odds.

Bulbs from Poundland can be a great bargain, but don’t be duped into buying spring bulbs now. Only late-flowering plants, such as nerine, amaryllis or colchicums, should be planted at this time of year.

When you look for plants in a garden centre, never look for flowers. If a plant has a nice healthy clump at the base then there is nothing stopping you from dividing it. Spring is the perfect time to do this. Just break up the plant you’ve bought, making sure each clump has some roots, and plant them. By next year you’ll have two or three healthy plants for the price of one.

Keep on trend and on budget by cultivating succulents – I really like crassula and haworthia. Rather than buying individual plants, buy a bigger pot crammed full of plants and split them up. You can pot them in almost anything – an old picture frame, little terracotta pots, broken mugs. Just make sure the plants are in plenty of gravel and get lots of light.

While anything can be used for bringing on seedlings or cuttings, if you are planning more aesthetic features, upcycle things you may have lying around. Old boots, tin cans, suitcases, dustbins, buckets and basically anything else you can think of. Repurposed containers make a great statement as well as being completely free.

Reuse spent compost from seeds and put it on your veg beds. It all helps.

Buy cleverly. If you see an amazing specimen plant with a price tag to match, look into cheaper alternatives. Acers can be hugely expensive, for example. But you can get the same effect with a cherry, cotinus or amelanchier for much less money – usually £20 less.

If you’re in the lucky position of having some money spare, I recommend either getting the landscaping done professionally (you’ll get a better result that will stand the test of time) or buying one lovely, large specimen. A big shrub or tree will, conversely, make a small garden appear bigger. Tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) are my favourite at the moment and should cost in the region of £150 for a largish specimen or £250 for something that is a metre tall.

• The Container Gardener by Frances Tophill (Kyle Books) is out now.

‘Save your cash and just use a little imagination’

Jane Perrone is gardening editor at the Guardian

A lack of money need not be a barrier to having a blooming garden or an abundant veg patch. With a bit of effort and imagination, it is amazing what some gardeners produce while spending almost nothing.

Supermarkets often sell cheaply (five for 99p is about the going rate), or even give away, large plastic ‘flower buckets’ – just make some holes in the bottom and you have ideal pots for growing chillies and the like. Builders’ buckets or plastic kitchen bins are ideal for growing potatoes (something you can get on with this weekend), or you can use old compost sacks – again, make sure you add drainage holes.

For starting seeds off, I recommend the plastic trays that supermarket meats come in (add a drainage hole if necessary), while yoghurt pots are ideal for sunflowers and beans. If you’re short of space, why not grow salads in the banana boxes that you often see at fruit and veg markets?

Whether you are looking for plants, seeds, tools or even a shed, it’s worth checking local recycling/swapping groups such as Freegle, Freecycle or Facebook. Some people will happily give away an unwanted shed or greenhouse if you are prepared to dismantle it and take it away. Dumped pallets make great compost bins and scaffolding planks can be put to use in raised beds and, if looks are less of an issue, scaffold debris netting is excellent for keeping pests off brassicas and the like.

It does make sense to spend a bit more on tools, because quality tools will last. Bulldog and De Wit make good wooden-handled tools, and although I have various forks and spades I usually find myself using my DeWit border fork, which is a cross between the two. If you can’t afford to buy new, check out junk shops and auctions where gardening tools often go cheaply.

I recommend buying seeds from respected online sellers where packets start at 50p – and the range of available varieties is huge. At the garden centre you need an iron discipline. They are full of summer bedding plants, but don’t buy them yet. Petunias, lobelias and the like are tender and will die if put outside now. Hang on and buy them in mid-May so you can plant them straight out.

For a cheap alternative you can sow nasturtium seeds directly where you want them to flower – in a hanging basket, a pot or in the ground. They are easy to grow and the leaves and flowers are edible.

Fancy seed tins, kneelers and new trugs are lovely but unnecessary. An old cake tin, a cushion and a replacement bucket will be just as good.

For those lacking outdoor space, the cheapest and fastest route to homegrown greens is a box of dried peas for about 50p. Sow them in a tray of seed compost, water occasionally and, after a few weeks, snip off the young shoots as salad ingredients. Buy bulk bags of coriander, dill, fennel and fenugreek seed (roughly £1 per 100g) from the supermarket or corner store and sow in the same way for flavourful microgreens. Repeat sow fortnightly for a succession of leaves.

Cheap houseplants are available at the DIY sheds, supermarkets, Ikea and Wilko, but make sure you buy fresh stock as these plants aren’t given a lot of love once on the shelf. Market stalls may be an economical way of buying plants, but beware they often die quickly as they are exposed to all weathers while waiting to be sold.

• Jane’s podcast about indoor gardening, On The Ledge, is at janeperrone.com.

‘Plants in flower have a significant premium’

Diarmuid Gavin is a garden designer and TV presenter

“Gardening can appear to be full of baffling terms and requiring endlessly deep pockets. But if you’re on a tight budget it’s good to remember that, at heart, it is an easy craft, and the more time that you put into it the greater the rewards.

Packets of annual seeds bought now and sown directly into the ground will be in flower by summer – and they cost just over a quid for a few square metres.

If you are starting out, visit your local allotment and chat up the old hands. They will soon show you that nothing ever needs to be wasted.

Similarly, befriend a local landscape gardener. Disposing of garden waste and other materials can be a real problem for them, meaning pots and other useful things will soon start coming your way. I’m a big fan of making your own compost as it not only saves money, but also the hassle of lugging it home.

When buying plants etc, my top tip is buy local. Try to develop a relationship with independent garden stores. They will get to know your likes and dislikes and will be more likely to offer good free advice.

Look out for local plant sales, at the church hall or WI group. They can be a great source of interesting plants.

For trees, check out the local forestry commission which will often undercut the big garden centres and sell native species by the score during the dormant season, again costing pence.

If money is tight buy everything small. Small trees can be particular bargains when compared to much costlier larger ones, and they establish strongly without the need for supporting stakes or ties.

In garden centres remember that plants in flower always command a significant price premium over those that are yet to bloom. And, if you can, buy perennials at the end of season when the discounted prices start to appear.

A shed, meanwhile, is a great thing to have, but keep it organised.

Paving requirements should be kept as simple as possible – basic square slabs for terracing and pathways, even second-hand ones which are often dumped in skips by those upgrading gardens.

When it comes to bigger tools, shovels, spades etc, it pays to buy good quality. A quality barbecue and better garden furniture is also money well spent as they should last.

And unless you’re a careful, serious gardener, don’t buy expensive secateurs and knives because they are so easily lost in a garden – never to be seen again.

The exception is a Felco model, but invest in a holster to keep it by your side like any good gun slinger!

‘Small local nurseries are much better value’

John Wyer runs the award-winning design company Bowles & Wyer

“Many herbaceous plants, such as flag irises, get too big for their allocated place and need dividing, so share/swap with friends or use them in another part of the garden. The easiest way to divide them is generally to ease them apart with two forks, back to back. If you are starting out, ask an experienced gardener if they can donate some plants. Hardwood shrubs and trees can often be propagated by cuttings and then shared.

Small local nurseries are normally much better value than the big garden centres, and often come with great free advice. Avoid buying online – I have had so many disappointments.

When planting, always allow plenty of room for growth, especially with herbaceous perennials. These are worth planting fairly small as they grow so quickly – big ones are a waste of money.

Always mulch around newly planted items – it will up your success rates. It also reduces water loss from the soil and stifles weed growth. Start making your own compost. Use vegetable peelings, prunings, clearing out from the rabbit hutch, etc. Just try and get a good mix of soft and hard material: soft (grass clippings, leaves, etc) are high in nitrogen; hard (chopped up woody stems, torn-up cardboard and newspapers) help add carbon and increase the water-holding properties of soil. And there’s no need to buy costly compost bins – mine is made of second-hand pallets.

Another thing to swap is seeds. Parsnips, lettuces and carrots come with hundreds per packet. Others, such as courgettes, produce so much that you would really only want a couple of plants. I keep my seeds in sealed containers in the freezer. Dry (airtight), cold, dark places are best. If you do this they will keep for ages, but it is best to get them out a couple of weeks or so before you need them.

If your budget is tight, remember that summer bedding plants are expensive – better to spend the money on perennials that come up year after year. Sedum spectabile ‘Brilliant’ really delivers. If you must have bedding plants, grow your own from seed.

There is nothing wrong with bulbs from Wilko or Poundland though the choice won’t be as wide. Plant them as soon as you can.

Don’t buy cheap secateurs – get a decent pair and look after them. Good quality tools are generally worth the investment – older tools are often better quality, especially hoes.

A final tip: buy or make a cheap fire pit. They are a real gathering point and extend the enjoyment of your garden through the late summer and into the autumn.

‘Gravel gardens are the cheapest way to go’

Andy Sturgeon is a 2016 Chelsea Flower Show winning designer

Perennials are fast growing and represent the best value for money – and can give you a mature-looking garden within the first two or three years.

It’s often more economical to buy a few smaller, cheaper plants than one larger one. Shrubs are slower growing and more expensive but can be money well spent, even for those on a limited budget, as they last for many years. The best value shrubs are those that are flowering evergreens as they are doing something all year – hebes and cistus are great value options.

If you have the time and space, the best value-for-money plants come from seed – dozens, or even hundreds, for a couple of pounds – and the results are immensely satisfying. Those like nasturtiums and foxgloves are also excellent because they will self-seed and keep giving you free plants year after year.

Gravel gardens are the cheapest way to garden a large area because a few plants go a long way. It has the advantage of looking good from day one, even as you wait for the new, smaller plants to fill the space.

If you have a totally blank canvas, investing in a few larger specimens brings some sense of instant maturity. It allows you to get away with much smaller plants elsewhere. I’m a big fan of bay laurel, which will set you back around £30-£40 for a decent-sized bush.

Small trees establish better than large ones. They will often overtake the larger tree and cost a fraction to buy. Portable barbecues often produce better results than built-in ones, and can be put away out of sight.