5 Tips for Landscaping on a Budget

An overwhelming majority of Americans prefer living in homes that are surrounded by beautiful yards and gardens. The sheer beauty of lawns as the summer season sets in is a sight 90% of Americans would prefer to wake up to daily

Any family can landscape on a budget and still have a beautiful lawn. Using a combination of patios, plants, waterscapes and window boxes, you can design a yard worthy of the neighbors’ envy without breaking the bank. Here are 5 tips for landscaping on a budget.

1. Plant trees

A tree sprouting from under your well-manicured lawn could take the beauty of your home to another level altogether. When placed in a strategic area of your lawn, the tree sapling you plant today could grow into a massive tree. Within no time, you could have hundreds of trees growing on your lawn, of course, depending on how large it is.

This should be your contribution to increasing the tree cover in the USA, which, according to the U.S. Forest Service, increased by 119 percent hardwood trees in 2007 over the 1953 statistics for the same. This is a 2.00 growth-to-removal ratio.

If you decide to later sell your home, this could be the one thing most buyers would find irresistible, and that can only be good for the value of your house. And the good thing is that tree saplings are not expensive. You can get one for half to a dollar-and-a-half.

2. Introduce edging to bring order to your lawn

You do not have to be overly worried about where to get money to landscape your lawn. Use those rocks you collected from your rockhounding excursions to edge your lawn.

Edging tells your lawn how far to go, giving it a patterned look that is simply beautiful. The key is to use what you have to enhance your lawn, and if you look around keenly, there are enough materials you can put to great use. These include ballast, logs, concrete, recyclable items, concrete, wood and bricks. You could also add edging to keep the mulch where it’s supposed to be (in your flower, shrubs and tree beds) and to prevent erosion besides making your lawn stand out.

3. Add string lights to your backyard

Your yard may look beautiful during the day as the sun’s rays cast their bright hues onto it. It could look even more breathtaking at night with string lights that you can buy cheaply. Let the soft, ambient glow of these lights turn your deck into a beautiful summer hangout.

Depending on your budget, you can choose between white twinkle lights that retail at around six dollars per strand or the clear globe light that costs about $9. The latter is more durable than twinkle lights. They give your patio a modern look that’s hard to ignore.

4. Providing ventilation for enclosed sunroom, porch or deck

Consider using vinyl-glazed window enclosures to add character to your deck or porch, or even the sunroom. For adequate ventilation in at least 75% of your enclosures, use vertical four-track or side slider horizontal panels that could provide ventilation to between 50% and 100% of your enclosures.

5. Contract a landscaping professional

If you are not a fan of DIY projects, consider hiring a landscaping professional who does this type of work on a regular basis. Landscaping requires meticulous planning and keen attention to detail.

While you can easily carry out some landscaping tasks by yourself, or with a little help from family, hiring a professional removes the guesswork, especially for more complex landscaping projects. The good thing is that there are budget-friendly landscaping professionals you can hire, even on a shoestring budget.

You do not have to raid your bank account to landscape your garden or lawn. Even with a limited budget, you can have a lawn that people would marvel at. Just a bit of ingenuity and creativity here and there will bring your lawn or garden to life, even at night when string lights literally light up your lawn. Or perhaps you should leave the entire task to a budget landscaping professional. You will be surprised how far what you think is too little can go.