Where I live, nice spring weather is finally here (not such a great prediction this year Mr. Groundhog). With it brings the responsibilities of one of my least favorite things. That is landscaping and maintaining the yard. I like to think that I am past belly aching over most tasks involved with homeownership, but when I was young I whined the most during yard work and still wonder when the tasks required will be over as soon as I start them.
That said, I am always conscious of the value of my home and what steps I can take to keep it where it is or improve it, as well as stand out within the neighborhood. My last house needed a lot of work on the inside and by the time I completed it, I had to move. Although the outside was not completely terrible, it did leave a lot to be desired and it did hurt as far as bringing in prospective buyers.
Over the years, my landscaping philosophy continues developing. Another thing that is foreign to me is that lawn care is like keeping up with the Jones’ (which I don’t really subscribe to in any other facet) because it is something that everyone can see. I’m finding the middle ground between a well-kept lawn that requires as little maintenance as possible that also does not cost a lot. Here are some of my tips.
It is all about the grass. What makes up most of all yards? It is, of course, the grass. To me, nothing separates a good-looking yard from a bad one is less bare spots, brown areas, and weeds. With my DIY attitude, I used to spread the grass seed, spray weed killer, and treat the lawn on my own. I never had very good results and those materials are expensive. In most cases, you can hire a lawn service that is very comparable in price to the DIY route, with better results and less effort. Be prepared, however, to cut your grass a lot more. My yard seems to grow at nearly double the rate it did before using a professional service. I also recommend going with a local company if possible. Two more tips that came from my service:
- Keep your mower at the highest setting – it keeps the grass looking greener, the roots are deeper, and it can retain more water during the dry summer months
- Do not bag your grass clippings when mowing – the nutrients in the treatment are still on those clippings and they act as a base for the grass to feed from. Just make sure you are cutting regularly so you don’t end up with huge clumps of grass.
Put down fresh mulch every year. This is one thing that I may go a little overboard with; as I know that some people will try to make it last for a couple of seasons. In my experience, no matter what you do to make the mulch look fresh, it never looks as good as a fresh layer.
Keep the flowers, trees, and shrubs simple. My method is a couple of large bushes in the back of a mulch bed, some grasses or small shrubs next, and then flowers in front. It fills up the space, but does not look cluttered. I avoid a lot of bushes because I think that they can very quickly start to look overgrown and cluttered. Plus, if you have to install new, they are pretty pricey. I really try to keep up with the bushes because, next to the lawn, I think that overgrown bushes are the next thing that attracts the eye in a poorly kept yard.
Tricks to Save Money Landscaping
The Tools
- Lawn mower – I stick with a basic walk-behind mower that does not have a self-propelled mechanism and no bag. It is cheaper and I get more exercise. I would only upgrade to a larger mower if it takes more than an hour to cut.
- Trimmer – I use a battery charged trimmer. It is lighter, cheaper, uses no gas and I don’t have to bother with a pull string.
- Hedge Trimmer – I use an electric one for all the reasons above. I could use a manual one to save money, but this saves a lot of time.
- Square shovel – Just a basic shovel. You will need it to edge the mulch beds and plant larger shrubs.
- Spade – Use it to plant flowers.
- Wheel barrow – Needed to move mulch into beds.
- Garden rake – For spreading mulch in beds.
Tricks for saving money
- Opt for more lawn than more mulch beds. I find it is less money and less maintenance time.
- Consider using whatever landscaping was left by the previous owner of the house.
- Buy mostly perennials for flowers so they will come back each year. Use annuals only as accents and sparingly, since you will have to buy them every year.
- Be conservative in watering the lawn by focusing on problem areas and paying close attention to how moist the ground is day over day. Don’t just water because it is a scheduled day.
- Water in the very early morning or late at night. It evaporates too quickly if you water during the day, so get the most out of it.
- Keep up with your yard. I find it is less costly to keep up with the yard maintenance rather than do a large overhaul at a given time.
That is how I handle keeping my yard looking nice while maintaining the budget. Since it is not an activity that I particularly enjoy, it is very hard for me to stay motivated in keeping up with the yard. For me, I just think back to putting my last house on the market and dealing with a potential lack of curb appeal and that keeps me going with my current yard.
How about you? Do you like working on your yard? Any tips for keeping it looking good while keeping the cost down?