Save Time and Money with These Proven Tips
Creating a well-designed garden can really spruce up your surroundings while adding value to your property and though this may be good news thought should go into the desired end. When seeking to install a garden there are many ways to go about this because there are so many garden types in which to choose.
But from the start what we want is a garden that we are pleased with and easy to maintain, many homeowners have installed gardens, though beautiful is considered to be high maintenance where a lot of time is spent along with monies just to maintain those gardens that have been a strain on their wallets.
I believe even though we may seek to beautify our surroundings we must also take into account the cause of maintaining those gardens. If we have the time to do it ourselves then that may help even though we may spend quite a bit of time keeping it well-manicured. On the other hand, if we don’t have the time and must hire professional service then expect to dig deep which can be pretty costly.
However, we will be discussing how to garden smartly from the beginning along with how to turn that high maintenance garden into a garden that is much easier to manage to save a few extra bucks.
Garden lawns
A well-maintained lawn looks so beautiful and can give that, wow but what I have discovered over the years is that unless you have a budget to take good care of your lawn it can become an eyesore. There is so much that is involved which includes watering, fertilizing, treating lawn pests, diseases, and grooming.
Many years ago I worked for a five-star resort in the garden section, the lawns of this resort was so beautiful but what management had discovered was that though different parts of the property had nice beautiful lawns it was eating into their budget trying to maintain these areas so what they did was remove the lawns out of some of those areas and replace those areas with garden plants.
Now I understand that garden lawns have their place in the landscape because besides beautifying it can suppress weeds but if your lawn is costing you too much to maintain then why not remove the lawn completely or at least a portion of it and add garden plants.
Garden Plants
Garden plants can really add to the overall design of your landscape but one thing to keep in mind is though many of these plants are beautiful are considered to be high maintenance. Why not use garden plants that are easy to maintain, plants such as bromeliads, There is believed to, be some 2,700 in this family of plants which is so much to chose from.
What I love about these plants besides requiring little water and having low pests issues, many of them have colorful leaves which means your garden can be colorful year-round.
Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses make a good choice once establish these grasses are basically drought tolerant with little pests issues. There are so many to choose from. For more on these grasses refer to the category section.
Desert Plants
Plants such as cactus, ZZ plants, etc.. can go a long time without water and should be considered, there are many cactus that have thorns. The ideal ones should be thornless especially if children and pets are around.
Low maintenance plants have fewer garden pests and disease issues and you can save monies because of the small amounts of water these plants use, with plants like these you can have a garden with all sorts of beautiful colors that’s a winner.
River Rocks
The use of river rocks in your garden will cut costs, think of designing certain parts of your garden area with these rocks will cut down on the number of plants to be used which will save both time and money. There are many types of river rocks that can be costly, if that’s the case then you can go the cheaper way.
Gravels
Go the cheaper route by installing gravels, gravels can also give that clean polish professional look and will give you saving by using them in parts of your garden instead of plant material.
Mulches
Mulches are a great way to cut costs by making good use of them in garden plant beds and smaller areas that may not need plants. Mulches also have so many benefits such as suppressing weeds, retaining moisture for garden plants, keeping the soil temperature cool, adding nutrients to the soil as it decomposes, may also help to influence the adjustment of the soil ph and mulches are also used for beautification.
Plant Use
The more plants you have means giving each one of them attention, why not cut down on the number of plants and try choosing plants that will grow at a certain size during maturity to cover wide areas.
A leaky faucet
A leaky garden faucet can rack up those bills so ensure that your faucet is in good repair that will help in savings.
Broken Pipes
Ensure there are no broken pipes which can also cause water loss increasing your water bill.
The use of garden furniture
Adding garden furniture will help to cover bear spots eliminating the use of garden plants. This furniture will spruce up that area bringing that much-needed favor.
Fake Grass
The use of fake or synthetic grass will help in giving you savings, I believe however that these grasses should be used in smaller areas vs large areas which I think won’t look as good.
Drip Irrigation
Installing a drip irrigation system will help to cut that water bill, these systems disperse water in micro- amounts (small) which I believe is a great investment.
The use of plant pots
Growing garden plants in containers have their advantages, by growing plants from containers will fill in that extra space and can cut back on the number of plants if installed directly into the soil.
Slow Growers
Choosing plants that grow slowly will help to cut the maintenance cost, garden plants such as succulents, green island ficus, cacti azaleas, shadbush, etc…
Go Natural
The use of boulders and tree logs cut up in nice sizable pieces will help your garden to look all-natural while filling in empty spaces.
Installing stepping stones
Installing stepping stones is a great way to close in space while giving your garden area a clean polish look and providing a path to walk.
Synthetic Mulches
Synthetic mulches will not only beautify that empty space but these mulches will last for a very long time. Consider using this mulch type to cut costs.
Use native plants
The use of native plants is easier to maintain vs plants that are not native to your climate so install native plants that can save you both time and money in maintaining them.
Install a deck
Installing a deck may be somewhat pricy but once install can take up lots of space-saving money in the long run besides a deck can be used to relax or entertain family and friends. A deck will also increase your property’s value while giving that professional clean polish look.
The final word
These tips are so effective and will save you a ton of money over time, don’t get frustrated about the amount of money that’s been spent on a monthly basis which can be a strain but follow these simple steps so you can enjoy the garden you always wanted. This way of gardening is smart gardening and is a win-win which I think is so great how about you?
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Hi Norman! I enjoy your articles on gardening, I practice most of those tips you give and there are indeed helpful for me.
My favorite amongst these tips you’ve given here is the use of Mulches as it helps increase the soil fertility as they decomposed and also seedlings can work their way through a thin layer.
Thanks!
You are so welcome, I am glad to help. Have a good day.
Having just finished landscaping my garden after moving house last year, it was great to read your article and see some new ideas that I can still incorporate overtime. We have a large lawn and our fake grass looks wonderful all year round with very little maintenance. I will definitely be bookmarking this article for when we tackle our rear garden this year. Thanks for the tips.
Hello, Martin congratulations so happy to hear that, I am so happy to help and keep up the good work working the soil. Wishing you all the best, have a good day.