Top 10 Recession Chic Tips to Create a Perfect Summer Garden Oasis

Top Irish landscape designer and horticulturist Mark Grehan has the ultimate top ten tips to ensure your garden is in full bloom this summer without breaking the bank. You can create a fantastic space, no matter what the size beautifully and even get your garden to give you more than just a place to relax with economic vegetable gardens. With more and more of us choosing to entertain at home why not ensure you have a garden to be proud of this summer and truly make the most of your outside space!

Top 10 Recession tips:

1. Get out and dig that garden yourself, create flower beds and enjoy a little exercise at the same time. Cancel the gym membership you'll get plenty of exercise working in the garden and save on your wallet as well! If investing in new tools, pay that little bit more for better quality and with the right care they should last you a lifetime.
2. Test your soil before buying plants – a small plant soil kit is very inexpensive allowing you to then choose the right plants for your garden saving time and money down the line.
3. Go to flea markets or look around your home for pieces that would make interesting or unique planting pots – recycling them this way will give them a new lease of life and allow you create something special and bespoke without the huge cost
4. Grow flowers suitable for cut flowers so you can decorate your own home - plants such as Agapanthus, digitalis, Verbena, Phlox, Cana all make great long lasting flowers and are easy to grow too!
5. In the current times give back locally - support your local co op food market and buy organic home grown plants and flowers and food available throughout the city and nationwide
6. To save money and do your bit for the environment, make your own compost in a compost heap and Feed regularly to get the best value out of plants. Farm manure is also good!!
7. Have a good look around garden centres for the bargains and special offers – public holidays are always key 'offer' times at the bigger garden centres
8. Grow your own fruit and vegetables - once you get started it is so easy for beginners to start with salad crops even in a small space. Lettuce leaves are easily grown in a window box and potatoes in a large pot or compost bin!!
9. Plant a good mix of plants to give you interest all year round and mulch flower beds with bark or gravel to retain water and moisture save on watering and time during summer months
10. If you are considering a major renovation it is best to get the professionals in at the start – it will save you time and money and prices are very competitive at the minute. Most designers will even come and do a consultation which is a great starting point. Agree rate before designer comes and have your list of questions ready!

Mark Grehan, a Galway native, is a graduate of Kildalton College of Horticulture and Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. After graduating from college, he worked for a number of years at Gardenworks, Malahide, Co.Dublin. Starting to work primarily with plants his natural flair for design was evident quite early. Having studied art and having enjoyed the creative aspects of working with plants, Mark returned to college to study landscape design. He gained experience working within the industry in Sydney Australia.

In 2004 Mark setup and managed design@Gardenworks an in-house design studio for Gardenworks. In 2006 Mark established his own company Mark Grehan Designs Ltd. with a great degree of success. Since then he has designed and planted many gardens ranging from large country estates to smaller urban gardens.

Throughout his career Mark has been the as garden makeover guru for TV3's flagship show Ireland AM. Mark also worked with Diarmuid Gavin on his "lottery ball" design at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2004 and has produced wedding flower designs for RTE's bridal programme 'Weddings by Franc' as well as styling photo shoots for numerous lifestyle magazines and other publications including The Irish Times and The Irish Garden magazine. Mark is currently the resident gardener for City Channel.

His designs aim to be innovative, combining traditional and modern ideas and elements with a strong focus on plants and planting themes. He aims to create a space for clients to enjoy and likes to involve clients in throughout the design process. Last year he won Silver Gilt Medal for his design 'Inis Oirr' at Bloom 2008 and since then he has also gone on to design gardens in London.