Landscaping your yard can seem daunting, especially if money is tight. However, with some creativity and smart planning, you can transform your outdoor space without breaking the bank. Here are 10 easy money-saving ideas to help you landscape on a budget.

Choose Low-Maintenance Plants

Opt for native plants and perennials that are adapted to your climate and require minimal care. Once established, these plants thrive with little watering, fertilizing, or pruning. Some low-maintenance options include:

• Grasses like fescue, switchgrass, and maiden grass
• Perennials like coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, lavender, and salvia
• Shrubs like hydrangeas, lilacs, forsythia, and spirea
• Trees like redbud, serviceberry, crape myrtle, and Japanese maple

Stick to a simple color palette of 1-2 colors to make plant choices easier. Planning landscapes around low-maintenance plants can save hours of yardwork each year.

Buy Young Bare Root Plants

Purchasing young bare root plants, which are sold without soil around the roots, can save up to 75% compared to buying potted plants. Opt for bare roots in early spring when the plants are dormant. Some commonly available bare root options include:

• Fruit trees like apple, peach, plum, cherry
• Berries like raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry
• Flowering shrubs like lilac, rose, forsythia, hydrangea

Make sure to plant them as soon as possible after purchasing. With proper watering and care, bare root plants will establish quickly and grow vigorously.

Propagate Plants From Cuttings

Take cuttings from plants like shrubs, perennials, and houseplants to propagate more plants for free. Some plants that can be propagated from cuttings include:

• Hydrangea
• Lavender
• Coleus
• Pothos
• Philodendron
• Succulents like sedum, echeveria, and crassula

Root the cuttings in water or a growing medium like perlite, vermiculite, or potting mix. With a little patience and care, you’ll have newly rooted plants to add to your landscaping.

Shop End of Season Sales

Check garden centers and nurseries at the end of each growing season for markdowns on plants, seeds, and gardening supplies. Stock up for the next year when prices are slashed 50% or more.

Buy discounted soil, mulch, tools, hoses, and garden decor to save significantly. Store fertilizers and chemicals properly in a cool, dark space until needed.

Time purchases at the end of winter, spring, summer, and fall to take advantage of seasonal sales. Sign up for loyalty programs and email lists to receive additional coupon offers.

Start From Seeds

Growing plants from seeds can save up to 80% compared to buying starter plants. Seeds packets are just pennies each. With proper planning, you can grow dozens of plants just from a couple dollars spent on seeds.

Some easy-to-start seeds include:

• Radishes
• Lettuce
• Marigolds
• Zinnias
• Beans
• Carrots
• Peas
• Squash

Follow the planting instructions on the seed packets. Provide adequate sunlight, water, space, and care for best results.

Use Free Compost

Enrich your soil for free by composting yard trimmings and household organic waste like fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Set up a compost bin or pile in a corner of your yard to create this “black gold” for your garden beds and borders.

If you don’t want to compost at home, check to see if your city or town offers free or low-cost compost to residents. Many communities collect yard waste and make free finished compost available seasonally.

Employ No-Cost Mulch

Mulch helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and regulate soil temperature. Purchased mulch can be expensive, so take advantage of free options:

• Wood chips or bark chunks from tree services often offer them free if you collect
• Chop up leaves with your lawn mower to create leaf mulch
• Straw and hay make great mulch for vegetable gardens in summer
• Pine needles collected from your trees work beautifully in flower beds
• Cardboard and newspaper can be used as weed barriers before adding thicker mulch on top

Apply 2-4 inches of mulch around plants, avoiding direct contact with stems and crowns. Replenish annually as needed.

Water Wisely

Installing a smart irrigation system with features like drip irrigation, rain sensors, and timed watering can save countless gallons of water each year. Drip irrigation targets plant roots efficiently, reducing waste.

Other inexpensive ways to reduce water usage include:

• Mulching to reduce evaporation
• Hand watering with a hose as needed instead of sprinklers
• Watering early morning or at night to minimize evaporation
• Grouping plants by watering needs into “hydrozones”
• Using soaker hoses or micro-sprinklers for beds instead of sprinklers

Conserving water saves money while still keeping your landscape healthy.

Focus on Hardscaping

Hardscapes like patios, walkways, fences, benches, and trellises add visual interest and value without requiring much upkeep. Building hardscapes yourself utilizes DIY skills and saves on labor costs.

Inexpensive hardscaping projects include:

• Gravel or mulch pathways
• Stacked flagstone patios or walkways
• Painting concrete for patios and sidewalks
• Wooden benches from construction lumber
• fences made from wood pallets

Focus hardscaping around key areas like entries, seating spaces, and garden borders. Well-designed hardscapes can make a big impact for low cost.

Use Lawn Alternatives

Eliminating high maintenance lawn grass in favor of lawn alternatives can dramatically cut costs, water usage, mowing and more. Some easy, budget-friendly lawn alternatives include:

• Clover – fixates nitrogen, stays green with little mowing
• Thyme – soft, natural fragrance when stepped on
• Groundcovers like sedum, vinca minor, or ajuga
• Mulched planting beds
• Hardscaped patios, walkways, and decking
• Gravel and stone
• Native wildflowers and grasses

Evaluate your yard and replace lawn only where needed for play, pets, or aesthetics. Otherwise, choose lower maintenance alternatives.

Maintain Tools Properly

Keeping your garden tools clean, sharp, and in working order will save money and frustration over time. Follow these maintenance tips:

• Clean soil off tools after each use and wipe metal with an oiled cloth to prevent rust
• Sharpen blades yearly and store indoors over winter
• Replace worn handle grips to improve comfort and safety
• Oil hinges, screws, and moving parts on tools annually
• Follow all safely instructions for power tools and safety gear

With proper care, quality gardening tools and equipment can last for years, saving you from costly replacements.

Landscaping on a Budget FAQs

Landscaping and gardening on a budget require some careful planning and creativity. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about affordable landscaping ideas:

What are the best cheap landscaping ideas?

Some of the most budget-friendly landscaping ideas include using native plants, buying bare root plants, propagating your own plants, growing from seed, employing free mulch and compost, installing drip irrigation, focusing on hardscaping with inexpensive materials, and replacing lawn with low-cost alternatives.

What plants are low maintenance and inexpensive?

Some low maintenance, inexpensive landscaping plants include daylilies, Russian sage, sedum, coreopsis, rudbeckia, thrift, veronica, astilbe, gas plant, Japanese forest grass, switchgrass, rhododendron, viburnum, spirea, juniper, lilac, and boxwood. Choose perennials over annuals and native species when possible.

How much does basic landscaping cost?

For most DIY homeowners, basic landscaping of a modest yard with simple hardscaping, mulch, and sparse plantings can be done for under $2,000. If hiring a professional landscaper, costs typically range from $3,000 to $7,000 depending on yard size and desired features.

What can I use instead of grass in my yard?

Some top lawn alternatives include clover, sedum, thyme, native wildflowers and grasses, groundcovers like vinca minor, mulched planting beds, hardscaped patios/walkways, gravel, and stone. These options reduce maintenance and costs compared to standard lawn grass.

How do I save money on landscaping supplies?

Use free or cheap materials whenever possible, like compost, leaves for mulch, or cardboard for weed barriers. Shop end of season sales and buy discounted plants, seeds, tools, and materials in bulk. Borrow, rent, or buy used equipment. Propagate your own plants from cuttings. And maintain tools properly to maximize longevity.

Should I do landscaping myself or hire a pro?

If you have the time, energy, and basic skills, doing landscaping as a DIY project can save substantially on labor costs. But for complex designs or features like drainage, lighting, or hardscaping, hiring a professional landscape designer and contractor is worth the investment.

Conclusion

You don’t need an expansive budget to give your yard a fresh new look and feel. Following these creative money-saving strategies makes it possible to re-landscape your outdoor space for very little money.

The key is utilizing low-cost plants, free or discounted materials, efficient watering, sweat equity, and smart planning. Focus efforts on a few key areas like entrances, seating areas, and garden beds rather than tackling everything at once.

With some vision and frugalmethods, you can completely transform your curb appeal, outdoor enjoyment, and landscape functionality without breaking the bank. What budget-friendly landscaping project will you start first?