Sneaky Ways to Save Money with Landscaping
I’ll come right out and say it, landscaping can be expensive, especially when you’re starting out.
By the time you buy the tools, soil, fertilizers, weed killer, watering cans, hoses, sod, and decorative mulch, is there even any money left over to buy plants?
But even though it sounds like you’ll be throwing your life’s savings away on landscaping your yard, I’m quickly learning that it’s still possible to create a great landscape while keeping cost in mind.
Initial Planning & Working With What You Have
If you hired an interior designer to assist you with a renovation, the first thing they would do is try to understand how you want to use your space. A professional landscape architect would do the same. So before you start landscaping, take some time to really think about how you see you and your family using your yard.
Are you going to want to plant a vegetable garden? Then you’ll want to make sure you reserve the sunniest corner of your yard for it.
Do you have a dog that relieves himself in your back yard and it’s ruining the grass? Perhaps you could section off an area of your lawn to fill with rock mulch so he has somewhere to go that won’t impact the rest of your yard.
Did you just purchase an older home? Take a look to see if the previous owners left anything behind that you could re-purpose.
Or maybe you see yourself hosting a lot of outdoor gatherings with family and friends.
Taking some time to think through your space will help give you some direction on how to move forward and will prevent re-work from poor planning or a lack of research.
Shop Around
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that one of my big projects this summer is bringing some life back to our front yard. It’s something I’ve been working on since April, and after about a month of clean up, I was finally ready to head to the greenhouse to pick out some new trees and shrubs for our yard. It was a moment I’d been waiting for since taking possession of our home last summer.
A few weeks later I popped into Canadian Tire to pick up a bag of lawn soil, and while I was walking through the Garden Center I quickly realized that not only do they have a great selection of easy to care for shrubs, their shrubs are bigger and cost about 2/3 of what I paid at the greenhouse. Oops.
Moral of the story is if you’re trying to landscape on a budget, it’s important to shop around. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a huge fan of greenhouses. The staff are super knowledgeable and greenhouses tend to have a larger selection of healthier plants then what you’d find at a hardware store’s garden center. But you can also learn a lot online, including how to identify and care for unhealthy plants.
Some of my favorite stores to buy plants that aren’t greenhouses:
Canadian Tire
Home Depot
Lowes
Costco
Look for Drought Tolerate Plants
Think about it. Drought tolerate = less water needed.
Less water usage = lower monthly spending on utilities.
If you’re looking to create a beautiful yard without breaking the back, seeking out drought tolerant plants is a great place to start and you don’t have to live in a arid climate to find them. Here in Alberta there are still tons of great drought tolerate options including Bur Oak trees, Russian Sage, Juniper, and Barberry.
Perennials Over Annuals
As much as I’ve enjoyed working in my yard, I’ve decided to adopt a “set it and forget it” mentality when it comes to my trees and shrubs. Obviously there is going to be ongoing maintenance throughout the growing season, but I don’t want to be starting from scratch every spring.
So rather then filling up my front yard with flowers that won’t survive the winter, I’ve opted for hardy perennials that are rated for Edmonton’s Hardiness Zone (zone 4a). My hope is that while I’ve made a few trips to greenhouses and garden centers this year, I shouldn’t have to go back to them next year. And with the right about of care, my yard should continue to thrive with only the minimal required upkeep.
Raised Garden Beds
There are actually so many reasons why raised beds are a good idea. First, did you know that raised beds actually keep weeds at bay? And less weeds means less money spent on weed killer. Not only that, raised beds are perfect for growing vegetables, which can help cut costs on the weekly grocery runs.
The raised beds themselves can get pricy if you’re looking to buy them pre-made, but there are tons of great DIY options out there that will be a fraction of the cost. Here are a few of my favorites:
Plant a Herb Garden
Speaking of saving money on groceries, a herb garden is a great way to do just that. During the summer months I always find myself craving pastas, pizzas, and salads that are loaded with fresh veggies and herbs. Obviously I could go to a farmers market to seek out the freshest ingredients, but I always found myself hesitating when it came to buying fresh herbs. They seem so expensive for what you get and I often only need a fraction of what’s in the container.
Enter the herb garden.
It took me a few years to figure it out but eventually I realized that a small herb plant costs about 5$, and when taken care of, lasts from May until September. Compare that to a small container of fresh herbs from the grocery store which costs roughly the same but only lasts about a week. So rather then buy my herbs from the store, I buy a few established herbs in the spring and I plant them in a large planter in a sunny location. After that point they require minimal attention but reliably produce more then I need throughout the summer and into the fall.
Repurpose Old Items Into Planters
I’ll be honest, there is a part of me that gets really excited when I discover a new use for an old item that was just lying around the house. So before you run out to the store to buy some planters (because those can get pricy quick), take a look around and see if there is anything you can re-purpose instead. Don’t be afraid to get creative here, the options are truly endless. Just ask yourself, can you put dirt in it? If so, you might have yourself a planter.
Or DIY A New Planter
Or if you’re feeling ambitious and are looking for a weekend project, there are a million DIY planter box ideas out there ranging in cost and difficulty. I love these ideas:
Looking for more landscaping ideas? Check out these posts:
BY EMILY RADKIE
