What thoughts go through your head when you drive by a beautifully landscaped home? It’s an image that shows pride in your home, your neighborhood while giving you a great sanctuary.
A beautiful landscape makes a wonderful impression about your home and even your personality. Good or bad, it can make a statement about you and your family.
But it can also be quite costly. National averages to hire a landscaper can go anywhere from $1,000 all the way up to $12,000. Most homeowners, according to homeadvisor.com, spend between $1,500-$4,500 if they use a landscaping company or a designer.
- Good soil: Make sure your soil is healthy. Before you plant the landscape, work the soil, have it tested and/or use compost and other organic materials. The healthier the soil the less you’ll fertilizers you’ll need and your plants won’t die on you.
- Plan: Draw out a design on paper. Make sure to consider the heights of plants as they reach maturity, the different colors and features. This sketch will help you know exactly what you need, reducing impulse items, and will work as a reference as you build your landscape.
- Plants: Write out all the plants you’re going to need based on your design. Remember to keep in mind size and care requirements. It’s also a good idea to use a mix of annuals (budget friendly and colorful) with perennials. Groundcover plants also help to cover more the area quicker and plants like coneflowers spread well on their own.
- Spread the word. Friends and family may be able to donate some plants or tools you’ll need to get going. A lot of plants can be divided – perennials, coneflowers, baptisia, hostas – and used in your landscape. Also, this is a great way to get free advice from people who have been through the process already.
- Find deals. Go to farmers markets, clearance sections in local nurseries and even college horticultural departments (if possible) to find some great deals. Keep in mind sometimes the plants might not look perfect, but once the dead branches/stems are gone and they’re in the ground, they’ll brighten up. This can also be applied to different accents for your garden – bird baths, statues, etc. – which you can often find at thrift stores.
- Bulk it up. When you buy mulch or stone or other similar materials, buy in bulk because it’s cheaper.
- Borrow or rent. Items such as rototillers, edgers, and other such items can be expensive to buy, so try to rent them or borrow them from friends and family. Some of these items are only going to be needed once or twice, so why spend a lot?
