Landscaping can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Here are a few tips and secrets to save you money, written by a Registered Landscape Architect.
Landscaping can be expensive. For many homeowners, it is this reason that causes landscaping becomes an afterthought. But landscaping doesn't have to be expensive. There are a number of expensive misconceptions that can be eliminated and many cost saving tricks to save you money in the long run. So stop spending excessive amounts of money on your landscaping, and use your money wisely.
As a Registered Landscape Architect with several years of experience, I have a few tips and secrets to share with you. Not only will these save you money, but some of them are better for the environment.
Lawn Care
Most of what people know about lawn care is provided to them directly from the lawn care industry. Fertilizer companies, lawn maintenance companies and contractors all want your money. It's no coincidence that they recommend fertilization and other expensive services. First, let's start with your lawn seed. If you have an opportunity to reseed your lawn, you will save yourself a lot of cash by selecting appropriate varieties.
Generally speaking, you want to cut back on Bluegrass varieties. Bluegrass may look nice, they will brown out and die in the summer months if they do not receive ample amounts of water. Watering your lawn is not only expensive, but it is often prohibited by many local governments during drought conditions. You may even save yourself a fine. Look for fescue varieties as they will be much more drought tolerant and easier to maintain. If you're buying boxed seed, the box should indicate what seeds are within and what conditions they should be planted under.
Avoid things that require lots of water. Don't be limited to one specific type of seed. There's nothing wrong with mixing a few varieties. Especially if you have a lawn with a range of conditions (wet areas, dry areas, shady areas, etc.), you will want to get a number of types that will be appropriate for each condition. Your town may have a bulk seed supplier in the area. They may mix custom orders for you based on your needs, or they may have their own pre-mixed blends. The staff will be able to help you get exactly what you need. Using the right seed is the first step.
As for fertilization and herbicides, my recommendation is to use them sparingly. Unless you are absolutely horrified by the appearance of Dandelions, they really aren't hurting anything. You can save yourself quite a bit of money on herbicides if you can live with a few gold and white flowers each spring. But if you insist on using an herbicide, you can usually cut back on the recommended distribution rates by up to 10% and still reach the desired result. Some of the newer spray-herbicides, which hook up to your garden hose, may appear to be more expensive, but many have a larger coverage area and end up being cheaper in the long run. As for fertilizer, your lawn would do just fine without.
Here's a tip: Get your lawn aerated once per year or once every other year. Unless you have grubs or other insect problems, compaction is likely to be the real problem behind most of the bare spots in your lawn. Aeration combats this compaction by pulling plugs out of your soil and dropping them in place. The plugs will only be visible for a couple of weeks, but then your lawn will look beautiful. Especially if you have long and snowy winters, or if you have a lot of children playing games in your yard, aeration is nearly essential. Without aeration, no amount of fertilizer will help your lawn. Your local landscape maintenance company probably offers this service. It's relatively cheap, and you may find that the fertilizer isn't necessary at all.
Note that if you plan to reseed your lawn, you should seed after your lawn has been aerated. While we're speaking of fertilizers, let me beat down a long standing misconception: Lime for your lawn. It's not necessary, especially without a soil test. Lime makes your soil more alkaline which can be a problem if your soil gets too alkaline. Don't do it. And finally, the best fertilizer for your lawn is your lawn. Use your mulching attachment for your lawnmower so that the clippings are dropped in place. This provides organic matter for your soil, and it's nearly free. It also saves you the cost of garbage bags.
New Plantings
Most of the misconceptions in the landscape industry deal with new plants. Bigger is better, right? Not necessarily. If you're planning on hosting a wedding later in the year, then it might be worth buying larger plants. But if you can fight back the urge to have the "instant effect", you should be buying smaller plant material, especially trees. The problem lies in portability. Trees and shrubs growing in the wild will have a lot larger root mass than you are led to believe based on the pots you see at the nursery. A typical field-grown 2” caliper tree (about 10' tall) will have roots extending as far as 15 feet from its trunk.
