Spring is the perfect time to get started with landscaping your yard but there are cost benefits too. A well-maintained landscaped yard can increase your home’s value by 11% and properly planted trees can reduce air conditioning costs by 25% in the summer.
Although it looks easy, before you dig in you need to have a plan. Keep these things in mind to get it right the first time!
- Set a budget. Plants, mulch, and landscape pavers add up quickly.
- List your wants and needs. How do you plan to use the area? Do you have pets, want a trampoline, or plan on planting a garden?
- Check out garage sales. You can find gardening tools, landscaping edging, plants, etc. for pennies on the dollar of what it would cost to buy at the store.
- Buy your gravel or landscaping stones from a quarry instead of a department store.
- Ask friends or family with envious gardens to give you start offs of their plants. Tenured gardeners are all too willing to share their love of the green thumb craft.
- Check with your city or county to see if they have a free mulch or compost site. Many towns have these and are glad to get rid of it.
- Lay old newspapers on the ground under the mulch for cheap and easy weed block.
- Size and scale matter! Check plant tags to see how big they’ll grow so you don’t have to pull it out the next year.
Now, get outside and enjoy this wonderful weather! How do you plan to incorporate these tips into your spring plans? Tell us in the comments.
