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page 2 Ten Ways to Save Money When Installing Your New Garden Landscape Continued from page 1 4.) Limit Expensive Plants That Have Special Upkeep Requirements By eliminating high maintenance plant materials such as rose’s or large areas of annual plantings, you can considerably reduce not only the costs associated with purchasing these types of garden plants, but reduce the maintenance associated with adding such high-maintenance plantings. One of the benefits of having a design professional put together your plan is the added benefit of his or her knowledge in plants growth habits and qualities. For example, if the designer knew that you had very little time to maintain a new garden landscape he or she should take that information into consideration as they select plants for your garden. Selecting plant materials that require low maintenance would be first on the list of plant materials to be used in your garden. 5.) Micro Irrigation vs. Standard PopupIf your desire is to step up from dragging the hose across the yard, but can't afford dropping the big bucks for an in ground automatic watering system, there is hope. It's called micro-irrigation and is a great 'do-it-yourself' inexpensive irrigation system that connects directly on any standard hose spicket. You can even add I timer to the system which can fully automate your garden's watering needs. In addition, there is little digging necessary except to cover the small inconspicuous black tubing. While this system may not last as long as it's more expensive in ground pop up irrigation system, it's a great way to step into an automated irrigation system with the heavy price. |
6.) Seed Lawn or Plug vs. Sod While having an instant lawn may be the dream for most, if you have the time, perhaps a year, then you may want to consider seeding your yard as an alternative to complete sod. Purchasing bags of seed for broadcast across your yard may not be the fastest way to achieve a green lawn but is the most cost effective. Prepare the yard by first grading, clearing debris and carefully broadcast seed across the yard. Then by maintaining optimum watering needs you can have a complete grass filled yard within a couple of years, for a fraction of the price. Planting sod plugs evenly across your yard at regular intervals can also be a cost effective way to achieve a complete long within a year or two depending on the growth habit of the grass and the local climate where it’s planted. |
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