How to Save on Landscaping for Any Home?
Living well has become an art. While many people think of art as expensive, you can create a landscape that surrounds your home with living art. Your landscaping does not have to cost a lot.
Perhaps you want to learn how to reduce bills and think that landscaping will hardly help you do that, but you could surprise yourself and your wallet. That is because many landscaping items can actually reduce the wear and tear on your lawn, your patio, deck and the foundation of your home.
Do you think I am kidding?
Constructing a berm can help channel water away from your home and foundation.
Surrounding your home with a high hedge provides a natural privacy fence that can block prying eyes and provide safety.
Constructing a rock or gravel footpath can help hold topsoil in place, even in drought. That provides a useful place to walk among your flower beds.
Flower beds also help hold the topsoil in place.
That nifty list of items is only the start. Learn the many ways you can save on landscaping by reading further.
The most important item on the list of things to do to save on landscaping costs you nothing. You need a plan. I am being literal on that one. You need a landscaping plan.
Save On Landscaping: The Landscaping Plan
A landscaping plan refers to a detailed, hand-drawn or computer-aided (CAD) rendered design of the landscape idea. This includes the lawn, flowers, shrubs, trees, and hardscapes. Think of it as a blueprint for your yard.
You do not do this by yourself unless you already have some significant artistic talent. Or do you? The wonders of the “There’s an app for that.” generation have given us computer programs that let you drag and drop your own design. Sure, you will be limited to the hedges and shrubs in the app, but these suckers come pretty completely.
You can come up with a pretty nice idea of what you want. Accept that it can change because next, you consult a professional landscaper.
Save On Landscaping: A Landscape Design Consultation
How can I save money on professional landscape design, you ask. Many landscape designers offer a free consultation. If you cannot find a landscape designer that offers complimentary consultations, then consult a county extension agent or horticulturist at a nearby university. They can provide advice that saves you a lot of money and offer ideas for your plan.
Also, consult gardening and landscaping books, magazines, and websites. Whenever you meet with someone, take your design with you so you can discuss it and the designer can offer new ideas. They may offer ideas that could improve drainage in your yard or add to its beauty by creating a koi pond in a natural recessed area that typically fills with water during rain.
You Don’t Have to Accept All of Their Ideas
The professional will probably throw out a lot of ideas. You do not use them all. You choose judiciously for what would make the most attractive yard.
They will know which plants would work best for your soil type +yand in the climate in which you live.
They can also help you design for specific needs such as making garden paths accessible. l for your landscape.
You do not need to kowtow to their every suggestion. Feel free to stick to your original plan, but realize that they will probably have some very valid ideas of what would look good and work well. They also will provide ideas for hardscapes you might not have considered.
Hardscape simply means the non-plant parts of your yard like boulders, walking paths, driveway, decks, patios, etc.
If you decide to use them for the design and implementation of your yard, they will likely draw up new, more detailed plans. One will show your entire front yard landscape plan, the other the backyard landscape plan. Some larger or complex beds will also receive a close up of their design like the foundation garden example.
Plan Out Your Materials
You need more than a list of what you need. You need a list that tells you how much you need. This becomes slightly complicated when you realize that some materials get sold by weight while others go by volume. That remains true for almost every project material from sand to mulch, topsoil to rocks. Check online to learn what square footage a specific measurement covers.
If the measurement is by weight what sounds like a lot, a ton, for example, may not cover much area. While 2,000 pounds sounds like a lot, materials of a compact, dense nature like sand or soil won’t cover as much as you might think. It only covers a cubic yard or a space that is 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet deep.
Unless you have a heavy-duty work truck, you probably need to have the materials delivered. Check your towing capacity and truck specs to make sure, but most light-duty trucks cannot handle a two-ton or greater load.
Taking Good Care Of Your Finances Is Possible.
Save On Landscaping: Materials
Did you ever think you would be reading how to reduce the family budget, and you can create a retreat in your backyard and front yard? This can actually save you money since you will spend more time at home rather than going on outings.
So, what can you save money on buying?
- Plants
- Soil
- Wood
- Rocks
In the US, regionally there exists huge variation of prices and sources for plants, especially. Materials prices fluctuate seasonally and can change quickly. Lumber experiences the most frequent price changes.
Cheaper Is Not Always Better
Major home improvement stores offer low prices on common plants and hardscape materials. They cannot offer the selection and quality found at specialized stores and nurseries. You might also obtain expert advice, personal service, and warranties or guarantees.
You will not only get a better selection at specialty nurseries, but these also offer bedding, shrubs and tree guarantees. If you have your heart set on palmettos, you can have that. A specialty nursery will carry them. On the other hand, when you just need standard annuals and perennials, planters for them, mulch and pavers. Places like Lowe’s and Home Depot offer great bargains at times and you can also catch sales seasonally at Walmart.
Many items you can buy in bulk when on a super sale, then store them. If you want to create paths throughout the yard, and lay a matching driveway, but you cannot afford the masons and the materials all at once, buy the materials and store them. That leads us to the next method of saving money – design phases.
Design Phases
You buy the materials when they cost next to nothing, but services do not work that way. You buy your services in phases. Rather than try to landscape the whole property at once, you divide the project into phases. That lets you pay as you go. Perhaps you do the front yard first. A few months down the line you do the side yards. Your last phase is the backyard.
You might divide it into phases, too, such as the patio or deck in one phase, the pool or pond in another, then a final phase for the flower beds.
Timing Is Everything
Buy your materials when they cost the least. For many regions, lumber costs least in winter. Buying late in the season lets you save on mulch, perennials, shrubs, soil, trees, and soil. New plant varieties typically cost more, so you should hold off on buying them.
Set up alerts for online stores. You can learn about their sales as soon as they happen. Also, subscribe to mail-order catalogs. Both expand your plant varieties and you can purchase rare plants. You can catch massive sales this way, but pay attention to shipping costs.
Unusual Resources
Read the newspapers for occasional items. Many arboretums and botanical centers hold plant sales. Your city may offer free mulch and compost. Construction projects may have overages of bricks and stones or you may find demolition sites that will let you have the bricks or stones.
Your next-door neighbors might have extra perennials to share. You can split the rental fee for chippers, tillers or other heavy equipment and take turns using the lawn equipment.
Save On Landscaping: The Little Things
Now that you know the big picture items that let you plan your project; you need to learn the little things that help you save on landscaping. These are the tips that can save you money in specific situations.
- Purchase only what you have planned to purchase. By avoiding impulse purchases you save money and ensure you only buy what you need.
- Purchase used equipment and tools at the estate and garage sales.
- Plan for the plant’s mature size and plant accordingly. Overplanting leads to overcrowding and that can cause plants to die.
- Collect pics of gardening inspiration online via Pinterest or on a mood or interest board on the wall of your home. Take photos of landscapes in your city you like. Note the landscaper if they have a sign present.
- Test the pH of the soil in your yard. This tells you what additives your soil needs for proper balance. This helps you choose the right plants for your soil type which helps them grow better. Some soil tests include plant recommendations by soil type.
- Once you have addressed the soil needs, add manure to your garden beds. Many local farmers will give you free manure if you will come pick it up. You should let fresh manure age. It typically has a high salt content that can harm your plants. It can also encourage weeds.
- Kill the weeds. Pull them or use weed killer so your plants have no competition with your plants for fertilizer, water, and nutrients.
- Create a compost pile to leverage this natural source of humus. Composting your kitchen and garden refuse provides you with a soil additive that improves the yard’s aeration, tilth, and water-holding capacity.
- Pick a grass that performs well year-round and does not require a lot of maintenance to look good.
- Learn when to fertilize. Fertilize a cool-season lawn in early September, late October and mid-April. Fertilize a warm-season lawn twice during summer but not in fall or winter.
- Avoid bagging grass clippings. Just leave them on the lawn so they will break down into the soil adding nutrients and organic matter.
- Do gather your leaves, chop them up and use them as mulch. You can also compost them and then use this high-quality compost on your flower beds.
- Grow the lawn from seed, not sod. It will take longer, but you save money and can add seed at various seasonal points so that you do not end up with a patchy yard.
- Use native plants. These require less maintenance and prove heartier in tough weather conditions. You reduce your watering needs and soil correction requirements.
- Save any flower seeds that you do not use this year. Flower seeds keep forever. Store the surplus in a dry, cool place.
- Choose mulch. Mulch is good. You save money with mulch. Your yard loves mulch. Mulch helps the yard’s soil hold moisture. It improves your soil quality. It helps reduce weeds. Spread mulch and save money on water, fertilizer and weed killer.
- When planting, hoe a row and sow seeds right into the ground. This saves you buying trays, potting mix, mini-pots, etc.
- Selectively plant more expensive perennials. You can mix in annuals. Choose self-seeding annuals like bachelor's button, cleome or California poppy drop seeds. This makes less work for you, too.
Why You Should Really Care About Landscaping?
While it can take some time and an investment of money, your landscape adds to your home’s value. It is much more than just curb appeal to the neighbors.
If you plan to sell your home, a landscaping upgrade can produce significant re-sale benefits. Depending on the level of landscaping, you can reap returns of up to 200 percent at re-sale. Add curb appeal to the front lawn. In the back yard, define an outdoor living area. If the back does not already have a patio, porch or deck, add one.
Save On Landscaping: Financing
Typically, you would not think of using credit cards to save money, but you can. If you wonder how you would get started in a landscaping project because you already have something you are saving for or simply have no cash to plant a new yard, keep reading.
Use a Credit Card
1. Visit the websites of the major hardware stores in your city. These are usually Ace Hardware, Lowe’s and Home Depot. Periodically, these stores offer low-interest or no-interest introductory periods to their credit cards. You could obtain a zero-interest rate for six months. This lets you buy the materials and plant the yard.
When you sell the house, you can pay the card off all at once. These cards often let you earn points you can exchange for store gift certificates, so you save even more.
The bonus is that store cards are easier to obtain than most credit cards. Like gas station cards, they typically extend credit to all.
2. Another credit card option is a cashback credit card. You can obtain these so long as you have pretty good credit. These cards let you earn back a small percentage of the money you spend on purchases. These cards may have a higher percentage for specific types of purchases like travel, perhaps three percent. All the other purchases earn one percent cashback. You can cash out the balance to make a card payment or for more landscaping.
To Sum up
You have numerous ways you can finance your landscaping project. If things are really tight, get a part-time job at a landscaping company. Ask to use the equipment. Use your employee discount to buy cheaper services. Your employer might give you leftover plants or fencing materials. You have to ask first, but hopefully, you get a yes.
Landscaping adds to the value of your home. Whether you plan to move soon or remain there for years, you can increase both the inherent and re-sale value. Therefore, it is a good idea to save for it if you haven’t started already. Saving is a good idea in general, so get yourself a savings account as soon as possible.