Landscape Now

Whether all you have is a lawn or whether you have an elaborate landscape design, all projects require money and planning. Creating a landscape budget will not only help you figure out how much money you can allot for your landscape, it will also become an investment in your home that can yield great returns down the road.

Remember that the initial costs of creating a landscape often create ongoing budget items. Maintenance and other related and recurring costs that are a part of the landscape experience must be factored into your budget.

You need to take everything into account when you plan your budget. Although annoying and tedious, in the end it will help you out immensely. You won’t be surprised at how much everything costs if you have estimates on costs and if you stay within your budget parameters.

Think of each portion of the landscape as a separate project and create a budget for each one. Then total it up to see what you can or cannot afford now. You can make adjustments to various landscaping elements if you need to bring the cost down a bit, or perhaps you can postpone a feature for the time being. Or even forego it entirely.

Figure out which plants you want, and whether or not they will look good in your complete landscape design. Investigate the cost of a variety of plants, so that you have some choices. Create a budget for the type of fencing you would like. Learn what materials are needed to build an arbor, deck, or patio. Then check out the cost of the materials, and how they will fit into your budget.

Keep in mind the landscape you want when creating a budget. Do you desire special fixtures? What can you live without? Create a vision of your landscape and then alter it as needed to match your budget.

Landscape design software can help in this, as you can easily adjust your plan and your ideas to fit within your budget. Figure out the approximate costs of your landscape needs by talking to professionals or by going online to find what is needed for similar projects. If something is too expensive, or it is not in your budget at all, now is the time to make adjustments.

The main elements of most landscapes are plants. When choosing plants, consider their size and growth rate. Even though a plant may be initially cheap and fast growing, future maintenance costs may be a problem. Typically, fast growing plants cost more in maintenance because they get bigger faster. Slower growing plants may force you to adjust your initial views of spending, but they will probably save you money over the long run.

One major decision you will need to make is how much of the work you are going to do yourself. Many landscape projects can be done without professionals, and turn out very well. Remember to consider the cost of labor versus doing the labor yourself.

Look for cost cutting landscaping ideas, because you are sure at some point to start to go over budget. For example, you can construct your walkways out of flat rocks if you can’t afford to have concrete poured.

There is a lot to keep in mind when creating a landscape budget. Make a detailed list of how much money you want to spend for each project before beginning the actual work.

For each of your landscape projects, try to come in at or below budget. If something is costing more than what you’ve budgeted for, you’ll need to quickly make adjustments. Look upon your budget and your landscape design as partners in an on-going creative dance. If either misteps, disaster may result.

Many times, the home owners will encounter problems with their landscaping designs after they are "finished". Perhaps things just do not look right or the health of some plants is compromised. In either case, you should fix the problem as soon as possible so that it doesn’t ruin the design of your entire landscape.

Side Yard Problems

It can be difficult to deal with a side yard. They are usually narrow, making them hard to maintain. In such cases, they are best for passage than other uses. Keep the junk out of these areas and create a cottage garden landscape there.

Some plants that work well include perennials and ornamental grasses, which come in many colors. You can use a variety of your favorite flowers that are available in a wild garden style. Or add in a pathway made from stone to offer a simple, but beautiful look to it.

Too Much Mulch

Not only does excessive mulch look bad, but it is not good for the health of your plants.  This happens many times near driveways and along the edges of lawns. If mulch is falling out of the flower beds, it looks messy.

You should have only 2 – 4 inches of mulch on a flower bed. To help prevent this problem, put ground cover plants along the borders of the flowerbeds. This looks great and will help keep the mulch where it should be. Lowering your soil level slightly can help even out the area so that the mulch is level with the rest of the plantings.

Hide The Air Conditioner

If you have exposed air conditioners, they can be very ugly on the landscape. Exposed appliances are heated by the sun which causes them to have to work harder and therefore use more energy.

You can fix this by planting a small tree or a hedge. The appliance is screened from view and the shade helps keep the unit cooler. This can be done even where there isn’t much room. You can plant a narrow hedge of nandina or you can add a trellis with a colorful vine or climbing roses.

Weird Areas

Sometimes, there are areas in your yard that are not right for grass. For example, near an entrance, near walkways, or at the edge of a patio or deck. No matter where they are, these areas are hard to maintain.

Making use of plants in containers is a solution. One large container can be used, or make a small container garden with a variety of plants in containers of various sizes, shapes, and colors. These are also ideal locations for accent objects such as an obelisk, a stature or even topiary bushes. You can even use water features that add cooling effects to your landscape.

Think outside of the box to handle some of the harder areas of your yard when it comes to landscaping designs. When you take full advantage of all the room that you have, and let your creativity go wild, you can add even more beauty to your garden.