Landscaping on a Budget

A wise friend of the family once told us that when it comes to developing your yard, to have a 5-year plan and not to do everything at once. That's very true, but it has turned out my 5-year plan has turned to 10 years! I have high hopes for landscaping my yard but very little ability or, frankly, desire to do a lot of high maintenance work.

If you were to peek into my backyard right now, you would think I was only a few months into my plans instead of 7 years! There is no patio or brick walkway, little in the way of plants, and it really just looks a little blah. My backyard is basically all shade or partly shady. There is no one area that would get more than 4 hours of sun in the summer, so that limits a bit what I can do. The plants that are growing will be divided over the coming years and planted in different areas of the yard. I've started with a corner here, along the house there, but I think in another year or two, it will come together. In the meantime, there are a few things I can do inexpensively to keep my yard looking nice.

First, mow! It takes me 35 minutes to mow the entire front, back and side yards. It's good exercise, although I plan on getting DS involved this season. It's the easiest way to keep the yard looking nice and neat. Second, keep the weeds under control. Whether by using the weedwhacker or weed killer or plan hand-pulling, this again is a simple and inexpensive way to keep the yard looking nice. Third, take care of the plants that I do have, especially those I want to divide and transplant in the future. A little rainwater from my jug collection and a little fertilizer twice a month, and things will look full and healthy.I didn't plant flowers last year; I just didn't have the money for it, but if I do this year, it is much more inexpensive to buy a flat and plant them in my own baskets rather than pay for a pre-planted basket. I have plenty of hanging baskets at home, and on my last brief basement cleanup, I noticed several bags of potting soil I had forgotten about. Maybe I'll give myself a $5 challenge and see what I can do with that for flowers this year.

My biggest expense will be mulch. I think a conservative estimate will be 10 bags needed for the front and back. This I will probaby get over several weeks. If I put down a layer of newspaper under the mulch, that will help increase water retention and cut down on weeds, again making for a nicer looking plant bed. I'll do the front yard first, since that is what most people see. Then, once all the mulch is bought, I'll take about $4 in quarters and go over to the do-it-yourself car wash and use their power vacuums. Even though I will lay down a drop cloth before putting the mulch in the van, there will still be a bit that sneaks out, I'm sure, and after a long winter, it's nice to have the van vacuumed and ready for summer.

Now, if I can just convince myself that I can dig and lay a patio.....maybe it will be a good family project???? ;-)