The housing market has experienced a period of growth over recent years following the pandemic and the holiday on stamp duty. However, due to the cost of living increasing and an increase in mortgage rates, it is predicted that house prices are set to reduce over the next few years.

A decline of 5% has been forecasted for housing prices in 2023, whilst it has also been forecasted that they could decline by 12% by the middle of 2024.

Given that house prices are set to decline, it could be an excellent time to perform some DIY urban gardening and upcycling your garden. Recycling and repurposing everyday items around the home to create a unique and stylish urban garden could be a low-cost way of increasing the kerb appeal of your home.

Not to mention the positive environmental implications that recycling and reusing old materials will have.

Check out the graphic below to get some inspiration for creating your own DIY urban garden.

Grow your own vegetables, save money and save Mother Earth at the same time! Recycle old “junk” from around your house and create stylish, compact garden features that are perfect for any space. Doing this could also help to add extra kerb appeal to your property which is vital with house prices set to fluctuate over the coming months.

Shutters

Hang small buckets, pots or even old shoe holders onto a shutter to create an attractive display of herbs or flowers. If you’re using a wooden shutter, try adding a light stain to help tie the finished piece together with your existing décor.

Love the look of this hanging shutter garden? These are handmade by Elizabeth Kate and can be found at her Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElizabethKateDecor

Stapling landscaping fabric to the back of a plantation-style shutter creates a customizable, visually appealing planter that accommodates herbs, lettuces, strawberries, creeping perennials, succulents, and more.

Protip – if you set up a plantation shutter planter indoors, keep an absorbent mat underneath to catch any dripping water.

Shutters for fences or garden pathways

By repurposing old shutters you could create a unique feature for your urban garden. This could help your home stand out and add extra kerb appeal to your property.

Simply break apart your old shutters to form individual shutter panels. To create a stylish garden pathway place each individual shutter panel on the floor and space them evenly apart. You should be able to create a nice path leading from the bottom of your garden to your front or back door.

To create a stylish fence gather together a few old shutters and other wooden panels you have. Place them around the perimeter of your garden and you should be able to create a stylish garden fence.

Ladders

Ladders can be transformed to create gorgeous tiered gardens. Repurpose old flower pots, watering cans, or even tin candle buckets for a quaint look!

Protip – when reusing old containers, make sure you put in drainage holes.

More Inspiration

Spruce up a boring wall with a combination of these upcycled planters.

Protip – repaint containers for a bright new look that coordinates with your current décor.

You’re limited only by your imagination. Practically anything can be upcycled into a garden! Birdcages, chairs, wine crates, boats and even licence plates – plenty of unlikely items can be new life in an upcycled garden.

Want a licence plate planter? https://erikrdavis.com can custom-make you one of these charming upcycled gardening planters.