Money-saving Tips for Landscaping

There are many ways to save money when creating a functional and beautiful landscape. You do not have to spend a lot of money to make your yard look lovely. A money-saving landscape does not have to look cheap. In fact, it can look quite expensive.
First, create an edible landscape. Simply put, use vegetables to create an eye-pleasing landscape that is functional and tasty. Depending on your climate, there are many different vegetables and colors of vegetables that will make your landscape pop. From orange, red and green peppers to yellow sweet corn and tomatoes, you can add color and vibrancy as well as have some savory food for family and friends. Adding fruit trees can also help add color and functionality to your landscape.

MONEY-SAVING TIP: Look for good deals at farmers' markets and your local home improvement store on fruit trees and vegetable seeds. Farmers' markets may be the best place for organic seeds and if you want to go that route.

Next, use a water well or rain barrel for your water source. This can create a nice visual element as well as help you conserve water. If you live in an area where it rains a lot, catching the rain in the barrel and then using it to water your lawn and gardens is an excellent way to save money and conserve water. You can easily install drip tubing or irrigation pipe inside the barrel.

VISUAL EFFECT TIP: Paint your barrel a bright color like red or orange. For a more rustic look, distress the barrel with white paint and sand out certain areas to make it look older. Shop at yard and estate sales for older barrels at good prices.

Third, use a drip irrigation system for your garden areas and shrubs and trees. Drip watering helps conserve water and you can easily create a water drip system in a few hours for very little money. You can easily convert a sprinkler zone on your underground sprinkler system or install the micro irrigation system on a hose faucet or from a well or rain barrel.
INSTALLATION TIP: Use a drip  kit rather than buying parts separately. You can get an entire drip system in a box with instructions for simple set-up and operation.
Last, xeriscape your yard with drought-resistant plants. The word "xeriscape" comes from the Greek word "xeros" which means dry. Xeriscaping uses plants that needs very little water to create aesthetically pleasing elements. Plants such as Greek yarrow and white-flowered poppymallow are ideal. Grasses like Kentucky blue and shrubs such as oleander are also drought-tolerant.

PLANTING TIP: Plant your drought-resistant flowers and plants with other xeriscape plants that have similar watering needs. This will allow you to save even more water when maintaining your plants.

You can create a functional and beautiful landscape that will be the envy of the neighborhood without spending a lot of money. It takes very little time and money to create a budget-friendly landscape that will take even less energy to maintain.