Sprucing Up Your Yard For Under $100

As summer temperatures lure us out into our yards, it’s hard not to notice all those landscaping tasks we let languish all spring. When hiring a gardener is not in the budget, or when there is no gardening budget at all, here are some simple and inexpensive tasks garden experts recommend.

Michael Podlesny, of Mike the Gardener Enterprises, says hay is a great mulch for your vegetable garden.

“A $5 bale of hay works wonders for the way the vegetable garden looks,” he says. “Put this down and it not only makes the garden look nicer but also serves a great purpose to keep weeds to a minimum and holds in moisture.”

Louise Reilly Sacco, co-producer of The Frugal Yankees, takes this approach with perennials, annuals and seeds:

• Perennials: “Look around your neighborhood and see who has overcrowded peonies, huge clumps of irises, or some other perennial begging to be divided,” she says. “Offer to dig it up and separate if you can have a couple of pieces.”
• Annuals: “When frost threatens, snip off impatiens and simper florens begonias (the small ones you buy in flats),” she says. “Stick them in a vase or cup with water. A few weeks later, when they’ve developed roots, pot them up in good soil. Put them in a sunny winter (spot), trim if they get leggy, and in the spring, you’ll have a good supply ready to plant.”
• Seeds: “It’s easy to collect seeds from marigolds, bachelor buttons, dianthus, and many other flowers,” she says. “Put them in a enveloped labeled with the flower and color. Store in a cool cellar or even in the refrigerator. Start them early next spring, 6-8 weeks before the last frost in your area. (BONUS tip: Start seeds in flats or pots in a tray on top of the refrigerator. The gentle heat is good for germination. Be sure to cover the tray so the soil doesn’t dry out.) “

Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can re-use old pots, move shrubs in pots this year into the garden for next year and fill in with inexpensive filler plants from your local gardening center.

Discount shopping: check out these six garden shopping tips:

• Go digging: There are a lot of unique inexpensive items like pots and garden accents that can be found at thrift stores, estate and yard sales. Without getting too carried away with tacky lawn decorations, a few different colored pots or accents like a wooden ladder or garden bench can make a big difference in sprucing up your garden and making it your own.
• Think long term: Incorporate plants and flowers that come up year after year like perennials or roses. They may be a bit more of an initial investment but they will save a ton of money in the long run.
• Plant local: A good tip for being eco-friendly and saving money is to plant what is native to your area. These plants and flowers are often cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain.
• Buy on sales: When purchasing your plants and flowers, look for sales. Garden stores always have sales so make sure to take advantage of these. The garden doesn’t need to happen all at once. It can grow organically as you find the right items to add at the right price.
• Start with seeds: Using seeds to start a garden is much cheaper than starting with plants that are already growing. You can barter with friends, neighbors and family; you bake them cookies, they give you seedlings or cuttings in exchange.
• Light it up: A beautiful garden should be seen in the day and at night. It’s amazing the value that lights add to your home. Solar lights are an excellent option for keeping costs low. As they’re powered by the sun, they are a one-time investment that will keep your energy bill low and truly add glam to your garden.

via walletpop.com | photo credit