5 Tips for Landscaping on a Budget

Landscaping on a budget takes a little finessing and a lot of planning to get the look you want. However, with a few good frugal backyard landscaping ideas, you can develop a plan to help get you started. Here we offer five landscaping ideas on a budget to help you create a beautiful outdoor space. 

1. Think “Low Maintenance” for Backyard Ideas On A Budget 

This is a good approach when trying to stay on budget. Low maintenance backyard ideas can reduce the amount of effort you put in, while also reducing ongoing costs associated with higher maintenance gardens. For example, if you only put in a few perennial plants and have to fill in the empty spots with annuals every year, this increases your costs quite a bit.  

So it is actually more cost-effective to invest in more perennials. If you choose a lower-maintenance weed reducer such as river stone over mulch, you don’t have to invest in several new bags of mulch to replenish your garden beds each spring. 

2. Shop Around for Lower Priced Items for Inexpensive Yard Ideas 

Plants vary drastically in price. So when deciding how to make your backyard beautiful on a low budget, do your research. Look for lower-cost plants and features to help spread your dollar further. As mentioned above, perennials are always a good investment as they come back year after year.  

Although they always come with a higher price tag, you get more bang for your loonie. You can slowly add more perennials, timing your purchases as the garden centers start to reduce their prices later in the season. You can also add more perennials each year, slowly filling your garden beds. 

3. Understand Ideal Planting Times 

Building on the above idea, landscape design ideas on a budget become more manageable when you understand ideal planting times. Instead of trying to tackle everything in the spring, speak to your garden center to find out what plants you can do in the fall or summer, so you are only spending money in smaller amounts a few more times a year. 

4. How to Landscaping On A Budget With Affordable Hardscaping 

Instead of focusing all your efforts on plants alone, consider investing in affordable hardscaping. By introducing hardscaping projects you reduce the number of flower beds you need to fill with expensive plants and flowers. Hardscaping is also low maintenance. Inexpensive landscaping can include a hardscaping feature such as: 

• DIY water features made with rock 
• Fire pits made with interlocking brick 
• Stones and driftwood to take up space in flower beds 
• Benches and seating made of interlocking brick 
• Stone or interlocking brick paths 

All of these ideas require some investment upfront and little attention or investment once installed. 

5. Spread Things Out 

Instead of trying to pack your budget landscape design with every centimeter of your yard covered, spread things out. There’s a lot to be said for open spaces which can be very relaxing. 

For example, instead of creating a path of interlock, spread out stepping stones to create texture and walkways. Instead of packing flowers into beds introduce more affordable containers or little statues. When landscaping on a budget you need to think small and find ways to make the most of what you’ve got. 

Now that you know how to make your yard beautiful on a budget, you can speak to our team to discuss the best materials to get started.