Landscaping on a Budget

It is never too early to start thinking about your lawn. Even though it is winter now, spring will be here soon enough, and you will look at your yard with disgust because you have not maintained it for the last few years. You think to yourself that this year is the year to start the dream garden you have always wanted.

Landscaping is about patience. Secondly, it is about budget. There is such a thing as a Landscape Triangle that incorporates time, money, and knowledge. Without one, the other two are more difficult to work through in regards to having your dream garden. For example, smaller plants (which may be less expensive) take longer to establish themselves than larger plants, but if you give it time and know where and how to plant them, then you can have that fabulous garden over the long term.

First, make a design of what you would like for your garden to look like in about 5 years or even 10 years. Think long term when planning the design, buying plants, and building around the area. If you do not have this knowledge, then you might consider hiring a landscaper or at least consulting with one before you buy that first plant. A designer can provide you with information about your “dream garden” such as how fast certain plants grow, what plants might work well in your area/climate/soil, and long term care of those plants. Some do-it-yourselfers often plant too many small plants in one area, so as they mature, they crowd themselves right out of room.

One consideration when planning your design, especially when on a budget, is to figure out the cost per square feet of each plant. For example, you pass by the $20 hosta and instead pick the $4 primrose because you are on a budget. Did you save money? If a primrose ultimately fills one square foot in your garden, but the hosta covers 12 square feet, then to fill the same area, the hosta only costs about $1.67/sqft, where the primrose now costs $4/sqft. So, in dollar amounts, to fill that space in your garden, the hosta cost $20 and the primroses will cost $48. You end up not saving money at all, but spending more.

Once you do have the design of your garden in place, you can start figuring out what you want your budget to be, which helps keep your garden within your limits. The important part of the budget is just buying the best valued plants and materials possible.

Before purchasing that first plant, do an inventory of what you already have or what a friend, relative, or neighbor may give you.
• What plants to you have in your own yard that you can transplant, if necessary?
• What plants do your friends, neighbors, or relatives have that you can take a sprig and replant in your yard? But be aware that you should only take plants that are already in your plan. Otherwise, you will have to create a new design.
• Take stock of how much of your own time that you want to invest in this garden.
• Keep the Landscape Triangle in mind before, during, and after the landscaping project so you garden continues to grow year after year after year.

After you have gathered all “donated” plants and taken a look at your own yard, see what is left to get for your design. You can divide your design out into sections and plant one section at a time, or you can plan to plant all the large trees first, then all the small bushes, then flowering plants, etc. When you divide it up, then you can conquer easier, rather than trying to take on the whole garden at one time. Once you decide how to proceed, then start making your list of materials you need for each section/group and start shopping.

TIP: Keep checking your local papers for deals of the week on plants, mulch, and other needed materials.

Popularity: 7% [?]