Creating the perfect garden is a task many homeowners dream of doing. While gardening and landscaping is certainly a way to invest in your home, that doesn’t diminish the fact that it can be expensive when you’re starting out. If you are on a budget, consider these tips to keep your costs down while increasing the beauty of your property.
Use Seeds Instead of Starts
Starts are an easy way to grow your plants, and they provide instant gratification for the work. Unfortunately, when you buy starts, you are paying for the labor and time involved to make them grow. Cut costs by taking that work on yourself. Instead, purchase seeds of your choosing. It may be more labor intensive, and you won’t have the immediate satisfaction of blooms in your yard, but you will likely save a lot of cash in the process.
Ask for a Helping Hand
Chances are, you have a few friends or family members with already envious gardens. Turn your green envy into a green thumb by asking for their advice with layouts and plant selections. This is an easy way to save money by not hiring a professional landscaper while still getting the tips and tricks you need to get started. Perennials, plants that come back year after year, often grow dense enough that they can be divided and replanted elsewhere. If you are lucky, your gardening mentor may even have a few divisions to share.
Know Your Yard
No matter how frugal you set out to be, planting without learning your climate, soil type, and your garden’s sunlight level you are bound to waste resources. Understand what kind of soil your property has.Be honest about the seasonal weather and sunlight. You may get an amazing deal on a beautiful bunch of flowering plants, but if they won’t thrive in your backyard, you will blow through your budget with nothing to show for it.
Gardening can be done on a budget. When you’re trying to beautify your yard, just remember that a little planning and patience can go a long way to creating the garden of your dreams.
