A "glamour gardener" saves £300-a-year buying dying plants from the yellow sticker aisle - and brings them back to life."

Lucie Nicola, 41, spends hours every day tending to her garden in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire.

She has spent £6,000 on her garden - but says she saves £300-a-year by buying dying flowers from the yellow sticker aisle.

Lucie also suggests taking cuttings and re-planting flowers to save money and keep your garden growing.

Lucie, who runs a mobile soft-play business and is a published model, said: "The reduced plants are my thing - it's always good to get a bargain."

"I'll dead head old plants, water it, nurture and bring it back to life."

"I think when you grab a bargain, it's more rewarding than paying full price. Within the plants world, if I see anything reduced I'm automatically attracted to it."

"I'm sometimes walking out with a twig but I know what the potential is."

Lucie's love for gardening began when she was just seven years old, wanting her own garden to look like her neighbours.

She said: "My neighbour had an immaculate garden - I thought I couldn't wait to do it. That's where the passion comes from."

"But it's trial and error - it's all self-taught. "

"Not everything has been successful, but that's the beauty of gardening; it doesn't matter if plants don't take or they die because they're all different - no two gardens are the same."

Lucie shared her tips to keep your garden looking Instagram ready - without the cost.

She said: "If you're in a garden centre, always go to reduction sale rail. "

"I love a yellow sticker. "

"A bit of dead-heading, watering, and TLC, and you can bring it back to life."

"Also buy perennials, which means they come back year after year. "

"They are things that you plant, last the season, and then re-bloom. "

"You can take cuttings from them and re-plant so you get multiple plants out of the one plant. "

"Lavender is a great choice; hot lip salvia is beautiful, too."

"Know what you're planting, always look at instructions on plants and suss out how long you're getting out of it."

Lucie also wants to see the stigma of gardening "being for old people" removed."

She said: "The stigma of gardening is that it's for old people and it's not fun and trendy, but I really disagree with that and try to twist that - I'm so passionate about it."

"Gardening needs to be more fun and quirky - bring the fun into it! "

"Take Nigella Lawson with cooking and make it sexy - that's my spin on gardening."

"I like to feel as beautiful as I can in my garden. "

"People go to the gym in gym wear as it makes them feel better, so I apply the same philosophy to gardening."

"I lounge around the house in old clothes, but not in the garden; it's like a night out in my garden."

Lucie has now got her husband, Andy, 47, involved too after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005.

She said: "Where his illness has restricted him, gardening has given him some freedom. "

"It's so lovely to see - someone said we're the Barbie and Ken of the gardening world because I'm glammed up and he's topless!"

Lucie's gardening tips:
- Use the reduction aisle
- Tidying and weeding the garden ahead of summer
- Buy perennials
- Take cuttings and re-plant flowers
- Prepare furniture and deck areas ahead of summer

Follow Lucy on Instagram @lucielou.official