Top 10 DIY Landscaping Projects 

 

 

As any experienced landscaper or gardener will tell you, the landscape of a home is more than just a few haphazardly planted trees and shrubs. It requires careful thought, planning, and research, not to mention hard work. Not only can well-designed landscaping improve the enjoyment you enjoy in your home, it can raise the appeal if you need to sell your home. Unfortunately, beautiful landscaping usually doesn't come cheap. But with a little preparation, you can get a beautiful outdoor environment with just a small upfront cost.

 

​

Beautiful and Inexpensive Landscaping Ideas:

 

Mix Soil With Homemade Compost

If you put in a few flowers or plants, it's tempting to fill your shopping cart with bags of pricey potting soil. Sure, it's important to give your plants the nutrients they need, but you don't have to do it alone with the soil. By making the most of your family's remaining organic scraps, you will slash your soil costs by half. Mix a potting soil bag with equal parts of the backyard compost for a nutrient-dense mixture that your plants can enjoy. Unfortunately , many people do not have the time or resources to build and maintain a compost pile. Alternatively, you can still mix in discards such as coffee grounds and clay-like or mud-like dirt in your backyard to get more bang for your buck. It is also possible to add mulch, which is nutritious for plants and slightly less costly than the potting soil.

 

Bark Up the Right Tree

Whether a tree has been cut down or destroyed by a storm, you will be left stumped on what to do with the remains of that ill-fated tree. Know that costly or time-consuming removal of the stump is not the only solution to the problem. Inspired by this unconventional garden, you can repurpose a forgotten tree stump into a one-of-a-kind planter. As long as the rot isn't set in, you can hollow the center of the stump with a jigsaw and a chisel, fill the hollow core with dirt, then drop into your favorite flowers to create a natural flair for the yard.

 

Make Homemade Stepping Stones

Stepping stones are a pleasant addition to any landscape design, since they link the components of your lawn with an easy-to-walk path. Unfortunately, however, store-bought walking stones can cost anywhere between $20 and $50 each, which can set you back a few hundred dollars for even a short garden route. Build beautifully homemade paths instead of buying step stones. You will need a 40-pound bag of quick-set cement (less than $8), a shovel or hand-shovel for mixing ($5 to $15), a paint bucket ($3), a ruler ($1), a bag of decorative marbles or shells ($5) and many shallow cardboard boxes. Mix the cement with three pints of water in your paint bucket – you can vary the amount of cement and water, but the general rule is six pints per 80-pound bag (check the instructions on your bag). When combined, pour the cement into a square-shaped cardboard box to create a form.

 

Spill the Style Secret

After this spilled trash can in the yard, there's no need to clean up — it's by design! You can replicate the perfect "oops" moment at home by laying a metal bucket on its side, then anchoring it by adding soil or rocks to the inside, and planting a dense cluster of flowers right next to the can for a landscaping illusion.

 

Divide and Conquer

Perennials are a perfect way to "divide and conquer" the landscape. Whenever you plant a perennial, you can count on it to rise in size for a few years. Instead of buying new flowers each year, simply uproot and transfer the new flowers that sprouted from the perennials of the last year. You can turn a $10 perennial into $40 savings if you divide its flowers and replant them in four different portions of your garden each year.

 

Bloom Where You're Planted

Ten minutes with a trowel can transform a strictly functional feature, such as a mailbox, into an extension of your landscape. The turf at the base of this ordinary metal mailbox was cut off to create a small garden bed, which was then filled with flowers for a colorful boost in the curb appeal.

 

Create Clusters of Planters

Bring visual appeal to your garden by grouping clusters of planters together to bring height and width. Simple terracotta planters are classically gorgeous and cost between $5 and $20 depending on their size. Group three planters of different sizes in the corner of your yard, and set up flowers and creeping plants to give the appearance of a foliage waterfall as the flowers spill over the edge and into the main yard.

 

Put Down Roots

Although it will take years for the sapling to mature into an existing tree, in the afternoon you may plant a tree. The trick is to wait until the end of the season for a tree to be purchased and planted, when there are deep discounts to be charged at nurseries. Today, a small investment in a tree will pay for itself several times over in the future in the form of lower energy costs and higher property prices.

 

Make A Splash

Why splurge on the costly store-purchased garden fountain when you can DIY this beauty for a bargain with a few garden essentials already lying around the yard. Consisting of a stack of two plant pots held in place with a cinder block, this fountain flows through a vinyl tube connected to a submersible pump within the lower pot. Large stones and pea gravel resting within the pots give the garden an accent of tranquility.

 

Live On The Edge

With all the rustic charm of wicker, this woven garden border lends a handmade finish to your humble garden. Recreate this cheap landscaping idea at home by placing bamboo posts in the dirt 12 to 18 inches apart, then interlacing raspberry canes through the posts to create a whimsical pattern. For a professional look, finish the project by gently hammering the tops of the bamboo supports up to level with each other.

​