Everyone knows what it feels like to have to tighten their belts. This doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate the beautiful aesthetics of yard designs or that we don’t dream of walking amongst our own perfectly placed petunias. But not all landscaping designs necessarily need to cost you an arm and a leg. Here are a few handy money saving yard design tips that will have you walking through your own landscaping wonderland in no time.
1. Start studying
Doing proper research is absolutely crucial in the Miami landscaping designing process. Designing your dream yard isn’t quite as simple as planting a bunch of your favorite plants together, Plants are like people; they are all different and some can be even more stubborn and temperamental than any homo sapiens. Some plants need more sun, others need more shade, some need more water, and others barely need any to survive. Some plants will only grow in very specific soil and others will only grow in certain geographical locations. So, before you spend a lot of money on plants that turn out to be costly mistakes, do your research first. You can find all the info and answers you need in gardening books and magazines where they are written by the experts. Horticulturists at your local university are also always happy to share some free advice over a nice cup of coffee.
2. Suppress those impulses
Whether we want to believe it or not, women and men all have the same urges to make impulse purchases. It might not always be the same retail objects of affection, but in the case of gardening, there is a lot of overlapping. You went to the nursery with a well thought-out design plan, so stick to it. No matter how badly you want to justify that sudden purchase of a tree or a shrub, or a family of garden gnomes, it will inevitably take away from the design, change the focal point and might even turn your classy landscaping design into something you don’t like. All these impulse buys cannot only have a negative impact on your design, but no matter how insignificant the price tag might seem – all expenses add up. And you might end up with an expensive array of plants and landscaping accessories you will never use.
3. Get a Miami landscaping gardening team together
You might not be the only person within your friend or family circle contemplating or actively pursuing a better landscaping design for their gardens. Find out who else is also interested and build a little DIY team. Buying things in bulk can save you a lot of money, especially when it comes to renting equipment. You can all split the costs. It’s also clever to combine mail-order purchases. There is often a discount on bigger purchases and you will be saving a lot on shipping costs. Besides, if two heads are better than one, just think of the benefits an entire group of like minded landscapers can have.
4. New isn’t always better
There are plenty of great second hand finds out there that have rarely ever been used, that will cost you a third of its original retail price. You can find some of these great deals on equipment and plants via internet forums and newspaper ads, garage sales as well as auctions.
5. Watch out for weeds
Everyone knows that weeds don’t belong in a garden. What people don’t know is how quickly they can completely take over. Weeds are parasites; the only goal they have in life is to survive no matter the cost. They grow at alarmingly fast rates and take any/all water or nutrients intended for your plants. They even use the fertilizer. Keep a watchful eye on those pesky weeds and try to remove them as soon as you see one sprouting. If left untamed, weeds can literally kill your entire garden that you’ve so lovingly and attentively cared for, which can lead to an enormous financial loss – not to mention the money it will take to get your garden up and running again.
6. Create your own compost
Did you know that you don’t need to pay top dollar for bags full of compost and fertilizer? You can easily create your own. By simply chucking all your organic garden and kitchen scraps into humus, you will soon have more than enough compost which will improve your soils quality, aeration, PH levels as well as water-holding capacity. If you wish to take it even one more step further; get yourself some earthworms. These critters will help by turning your garden and kitchen rubbish into compost in absolutely no time.
7. Not too short
Everyone likes a neat looking cut lawn when it comes to Miami landscaping. Unfortunately most go entirely overboard. Lawns that thrive are those who are allowed to grow between 2 – 2 ½ inches tall. The higher your grass grows, the deeper its roots are. This might not sound like such a big deal, but it actually means that you don’t have to water your lawn as often, thereby saving a lot of money on irrigation. The taller your grass grows; it also shades out the weeds. This allows you to save a lot of expenses on herbicides.
8. Store and save
There is no need for you to purchase entire new packets of seeds every season. Various flower seeds stay as fresh as the day you first bought them when stored properly. It’s very rare that we plant an entire packet of seeds at a time. Instead of accepting it as an inevitable loss, you can store them in a cool, dry place and plant the rest in the new year. They will still be as good as new and you would’ve saved yourself an unnecessary outing with unnecessary costs.