If you’ve been browsing garden landscaping ideas on Pinterest or in garden magazines, you’ve probably come away with the impression that all attractive outdoor designs must be work-intensive and expensive (not to mention tooth-achingly sweet and cutesy). But there are plenty of ways to keep your outdoor space looking nice, even if you’re on a budget. Here are five easy tips to follow on creating a beautiful and low-cost landscaping plan that will serve you well for years to come:
- Use Local Plants and Materials in Your Design
By using plant, stone and wood types that are native to your region, you can save both on importing materials and on maintaining them (since they’ll need less nurturing and care to hold up well over time). Local landscapers will probably be able to advise you on the best plants that will offer low initial and ongoing costs.
- Put an Initial Investment Into Hardscaping Costs
Hardscaping costs a bit more than standard landscaping, it’s true. But it also offers more value for those costs and reduces long-term maintenance prospects. If you pay to have a flagstone patio put in, for example, not only are you more likely to get outside and enjoy that space, you’ll also have no need to hire a lawn care company down the road.
- Choose a Design With Mostly Straight Lines
It’s good to have a few curves in every landscaping plan, but going with primarily straight lines for walkways, flowerbeds and plantings can actually save money in two ways. First of all, straight lines make for easier and faster installation. And secondly, straight lines also decrease maintenance needs, since they allow for more work to be done by machine rather than with hand tools.
- Get All Your Work Done by the Same Company
When you have your entire landscaping design implemented by the same company, you’re more likely to get a break on prices. Plus, professional landscapers may have access to wholesale or industry-only pricing that you wouldn’t if you tried to go it alone or piece services together.
- Learn Efficient Maintenance Techniques
The way that you take care of your landscaping can actually have quite an impact on the cost of their upkeep. Watering early in the morning, for example, can reduce the amount of water that evaporates and keep your utility bills under control. You should also avoid over-fertilizing or cutting your lawn too short.
Do you have any more tips to share on lowering landscaping or hardscaping costs? Discuss in the comments.
