Continuing our look at trending styles in modern gardening, the upcycled craze is all the rage. This is evident from the Irish Country Magazine garden at Bloom this year, which earned a prestigious gold medal for its ingenuity and in-vogue usage of reclaimed materials. Here are two examples of what you could easily try at home. Both went down a treat at Bloom.

A neat lean-to

A place to house tender plants or start seedlings. A place to get food plants off to an early start or keep herbs over wintering – a lean-to is a neat bit of kit for every gardener to have. But if you are confined for space or just don’t fancy the exorbitant prices of kit-form products, you can make your own to fit your space and pocket.

1. Location is key – a corner that catches the sun. Being able to attach a supporting frame to a corner wall means you need less materials and is load-bearing too.

2. Collect some old windows – sash windows populate many salvage yards and can be picked up for a song. Once you have your windows, you have your roof and then you can choose sides if you wish.

3. Make a supporting ridge by battening some sturdy wood to the chosen wall.

4. Measure your window dimensions out from this and construct a holding frame that will hold the windows in place and add some vertical supports to the frame.

5. Place and secure your windows and any side frames.

6. Wood filler and silicone will waterproof any gaps

7. A lick of paint will tidy and also weatherproof further.

8. Dress with shelves, tables or plant staging and enjoy.

The four-door storage shed

Upcycling is also a cheap alternative to expensive storage solutions. Some exterior doors reclaimed from a skip or purchased from a nearby salvage yard can provide you with a tool shed, a lean-to (if glass doors) for seedlings and tender plants or even a place for bins. If you are in any way handy, this simple project could make a functional and trendy statement too.

1. Select four same-sized doors.

2. Make a U frame of three, leaving space for door number four to be hinged into the U gap.

3. Add door number four – some planing may be required to get a fit.

4. Make a roof with some batons and marine ply.

5. Wood filler, sandpaper and paint will weatherproof and provide a tidy finish.

6. On the interior, add shelving or hooks to make your shed fit for purpose.

Optional: add some rolled out sedum for a green roof or maybe add some rain catchment guttering and a water butt.