The status quo for landscaping points to 10% of the value of your home as a budget for landscaping. This can amount to easily tens of thousands of dollars on the low end. However, if you’re smart about it and put in a little extra work, it can be done for as little as a fraction of that.
Get the biggest effect for the lowest amount of money
Most landscape design consultants will urge you to improve soil quality and adding trees. No matter how many plants you add to your yard, they’re not going to grow well or at all in poor soil conditions. With that being said:
Compost appropriate garbage as well as fall leaves
Soil can cost as much as 27 dollars per yard on average, without taking into account delivery charges.
Look beyond home improvement stores for bricks and stones
Demolition sites, abandoned buildings, and construction excess may yield hundreds to thousands of dollars in free pavers and other functional and decorative pieces. Make sure you do it in a safe fashion with permission, however.
Trade cutting and seeds with neighbors
This is a great way to diversify and increase the size of your garden and plant arrangements. Cuttings dipped in cloning gel (buy it at any nursery) can turn into fully mature plants much faster than seedlings, and free seeds can easily be germinated and sprouted within weeks.
Avoid expensive mistakes
Think in the long term when you’re going to plant. Is the noise of a water feature going to bother you? Is a pond dangerous for your children? Is a tree going to grow too close to your house and disrupt it? Simply brainstorming about the possible consequences of every decision will help avoid frustrating pitfalls.
Work for yourself
Try your best to set aside time to do the planting yourself. Hiring a professional landscaper to plant will oftentimes triple the cost of adding the plant to your garden or yard. You’ll typically save 20 dollars per hour of labor you do yourself
Buy smaller plants
Smaller plants can double or triple in size in months, and oftentimes cost 50-80% less than larger varieties. In many cases, it makes much more sense to buy 5 small plants for the price of 1 larger plant that simply has a head start.
Protect driveways and foundations
To avoid a costly or aesthetic error, plant trees 30 feet away from driveways or sensitive foundations. Roots can easily cause upheaval and will lead to a major headache down the road.
Consider drought-resistant plants
Yards and gardens can account for 20% or more of your water usage. Using plants that don’t require an excess amount of water can save you big on your water bill every month
A good way to finance the cost of your landscaping project
A good way to offset a significant portion of landscape costs with a few minutes of effort daily is to fill out surveys online. Big corporations need input from consumers and they’re willing to pay for it - each relatively quick survey pays between 5-75 dollars.
My two favorites:
Vindale Research - Share your unique opinion and get paid for it! Product Developers are willing to pay reviewers between $5 and $75 per completed survey.
Your Free Surveys - Join YourFreeSurveys and get $4 just for registering. Get paid up to $50 for taking online Surveys.