One of the great things about landscaping is that it can be a huge investment in your home’s value. It vastly increases your curb appeal, and you can work in your personal style into your landscaping.
Strategic landscaping can actually help your home’s energy savings. During the summer, shade trees planted around your home and air conditioning unit can help reduce your cooling expenses.
Landscaping or yard maintenance can seem like a huge financial drain, but there are some DIY ways for making your yard look beautiful, even on a budget.
HARDSCAPES
Home additions like patios, gazebos, and arbors can eat into your budget, and they’re almost always more expensive than you think. Hardscapes, however, can add a unique flare to your home. Not to mention the photo opportunities.
If you decide on incorporating hardscapes into your landscaping, look for recycled materials. Recycled wood, bricks, and even concrete can be an inexpensive alternative to buying these materials new. If you’d prefer to have a professional give you an estimate and install something like this, give us a call or visit our home additions page.
LANDSCAPING
TRICKS AND CLIPS
When it comes to landscaping from scratch, there are a few tricks we wanted to recommend prior to you driving off to the garden section of your local home improvement store.
- Look around your neighborhood and see what type of plants they have. If they have some you like, ask what they are and for any insight they may be able to share about that type of plant. If you’re comfortable, you can ask for clippings.
- If you have friends who are garden or landscaping enthusiasts, ask them for cuttings and shoots from their gardens, too.
To learn how to grow a plant from a clipping, check this out.
It’s likely you can get boulders for free from a construction site, and these can step up your landscape game if used sparingly.
Some city governments will give away mulch or wood chips for free.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE SEASON
Timing is important when it comes to planting, and it helps out when you’re working with a tight budget.
Never buy plants at the beginning of the growing season (spring or summer).
Fall is the best time to plant, and nurseries will have discounted plants. Same for tools and supplies.
Focus on the health of plant roots instead of the condition of the leaves, and your plants will flourish in the next spring.
When buying plants, you may run into the problem of rootbound plants. Check out this blog on how to see if your plants are rootbound and how to fix them if they are.
BUY IN BULK
There are a few supplies you’re going to need when landscaping. Depending on what plants you buy, you may need various types of fertilizer, pest repellant, plant food, and much more.
Buying in bulk is likely to pay off, especially considering you’re often paying for packaging. It’s tempting to pick up a bag of fertilizer as you need it, but you can save money in the long run if you buy it all at once.
With this in mind, it might not hurt to grab a nice garden supply deck box. Hayneedle has some great deck boxes, and some of them double as a bench.
BUY SEEDS ONLINE
Seeds can be more challenging to maintain than buying already-grown plants. However, if you have a green thumb, or open to the task, and want to buy seeds, check online costs before buying them from retail stores.
You can also go to a store and speak with the employees about plant types and which ones flourish in your area. It’s a great way to get an idea of what they recommend prior to buying your seeds.
PLANT TYPES
TREES
When it comes to your landscaping, start with the trees. Invest in good trees, like maples, oaks, or sycamores. These may take longer to root and grow, but they’ll be worth it in the long run.
Other trees, like birches, elms, and poplars, will grow quickly but could also die quickly depending on the climate or season.
PERENNIALS
Those giant groupings of beautiful, colorful flowers are, of course, attractive. Keep in mind, though, they will be costly to replace year after year. Be sure to do your research on the types of perennials you want and how they react to the season changes in your area.
Perennials may be slightly more expensive, but their investment will pay off as they get bigger and more attractive each year.
PLANTING TIPS
CHOOSE NATIVE PLANTS
Adding exotic plants can be tempting, but using plants that are native to your area are more likely to thrive in your yard. They save you money by cutting your costs on things like water and pesticides, and you’ll save lots of time on maintenance, as they’ll grow naturally.
PLANT IN GROUPS
You’ve probably heard you should plant in threes, but it will save you valuable maintenance time if you plant in higher groupings, like 10s or 20s, instead. Planting in groups is also a great way to use those bulk purchases.
PLANT CLOSELY
You don’t want it to take years for your landscape to fill in, so plant several inches apart. Divide large plants into divisions and spread them out.
It’s possible to have a beautiful yard on a budget. Do you have any other landscaping tips? Share them with us below.
STAY ORGANIZED
GARDEN MAP
Before you start digging and dropping seeds, it may help to build a garden map. This is especially true if you’re thinking of growing any kind of fruits, vegetables, or herbs.
POTTING TABLES
If wouldn’t hurt to have to a nice area to house your watering cans, trowels, extra pots, gloves, and so on. Consider investing a bit in a nice one that adds to your landscaping aesthetics.
This is also a great table to grow seedlings before transferring to your overall landscaping.