Inexpensive But Effective Backyard Landscaping Ideas
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If you are looking to add beauty to your yard, but are on a limited budget, making the most of what you already have can drastically cut your expenses. There are many backyard landscaping ideas that are easy to do while saving you money. Some can make a huge difference, even save you money, and be surprisingly thrifty.
In some cities, the tree clippings taken from trees are given away to people after they have been turned into mulch. Buying bags of this at the store can be quite expensive, and if you have a lot of areas you need to mulch, the cost can be prohibitive. Obtain it for free, and watch the water bill savings add up too. Mulch helps retain moisture in the soil around plants and trees, requiring them to be watered less often. Mulch also adds nutrients to the soil the same way fertilizer can, but without the cost.
By splitting your existing perennials, you can have double the plants with zero cost. Checking online for the proper way to do this, and in what season, can help ensure you do not damage the plant and are successful when replanting it. More perennials mean that you will need to spend less money on buying annual flowers, and perennials spread and multiply each year.
Building a simple compost bin will give you plenty of free fertilizer for your lawn, garden and flowerbeds. Make a frame with wood, enclose the sides with chicken wire, and fill with grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps. Place it in an accessible area, and turn it regularly with a garden fork to ensure even decomposition of the materials inside.
Offer to trade plant clippings and seeds with your friends and neighbors. You can even swap perennials with them when they are split, adding new and interesting plants at no cost. Host a plant and perennial swap party, and get an even wider array of new additions to your yard.
Repeatedly watering your lawn and garden can take a toll on your wallet. By putting in a rain barrel and saving rain water for future use can take a big chunk out of your monthly water bill. All you need is a large barrel, screen, drill, a tap and caulking, and you can build your own. Use the screen to cover openings to keep mosquitoes from using your barrel as a breeding area. Never use this water to drink as there may be unsafe materials on your roof that have leeched into the barrel, but it is safe for plant watering.
If you have gained permission to enter and collect bricks and rocks from a demolition site, you can build a small patio, a flowerbed border, or add other interesting elements for free. Rocks make interesting additions to flowerbeds, and are a great natural addition to any yard.
Landscaping on a budget does not mean you cannot have a beautiful yard. Planning for what you hope to accomplish, and finding ways to obtain materials inexpensively, or even free, is not difficult. Use the resources available, and this may lead to frugally creative ideas of your own.
About the Author
Want to find more landscaping ideas? Stop by Richard McIntyre's site where you can find out all about backyard landscaping ideas as well as more articles on landscaping and gardening topics.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
Word Count: 538
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