Lately I’ve been dreaming of a new landscape design, imagining pools, winding pathways, pergolas, and fire pits decorating my backyard.
Then I opened my eyes and found myself in the real world with a tight budget! But that doesn’t mean I can’t give my outdoors the makeover it desperately needs.
If that’s something you can relate with, here are some steps you can take to make your outdoors more inviting without exceeding the budget!
Can You Really Transform Your Garden On A Limited Budget?
Yes, you definitely can upgrade your landscape on a tight budget.
And sometimes, this means saving on things you’d never imagine. You can use alternatives for lawn grasses, such as microclover, and create a low-maintenance landscape you rarely have to mow or fertilize.
Train yourself to think in an unconventional way. Use old tires, wheelbarrows, bottles, and bowls to make creative DIY projects that would be the focus of your yard.
Visit yard sales, thrift stores, and rummage through your garage or shed to find interesting shapes and vessels you can use.
Therefore, you can give your landscape the makeover of its life without mortgaging your house. And some things are even free!
Here’s How
If you want to give your yard a makeover on a low budget or for free, you only need one thing – a will to get your hands dirty.
Once you find this and clad yourself in patience and determination, you can do pretty much anything.
The first you’ll need to do is focus on one project at a time. When I look at my yard, I see numerous things that I need to change or fix. Thinking you have to do it all in one day is overwhelming and can lower your drive.
That’s why you should make a list. Put the easiest tasks at the very top and deal with them first. After you finish all of them, tackle some big projects that require more time and effort, but bring the most appeal.
Here are some low-budget and free ideas you can implement!
Add An Affordable Seating Area
A rustic outdoor seating area looks amazing, is affordable, and all you need are tree stumps from your backyard.
If you have just one, you can turn it into a table or carve it to create back and arm-rests, and place a cushion to make it comfortable.
And if you have large logs, you can put them in line, cover them with a flat piece of wood, and create a bench or shape them in a circle around your tree-stump table.
Another idea utilizes milk crates and cushions. You already see where I’m going with this. Staple the waterproof cushions to the milk crates, and you have portable outdoor seats.
And if you have planks just lying around and you feel particularly crafty, you can make a tree bench yourself. The trunk is a natural back support, but you can fasten some planks if you want it more comfortable.
It doesn’t cost much to make a tree bench, and you’ll have a shaded spot for spending summer nights with close friends.
Build A Budget-Friendly Fire Pit
Another way to beautify your garden is by adding a fire pit. One thing that most landscapers struggle with is its price.
Sometimes, you have to spend hundreds of dollars on something that looks nice, and if you want to buy something cheaper it looks just like that – cheap.
Luckily, you can DIY fire pits, too. Simply layer a couple of bricks, cinder blocks, or stones in a shape you like.
Or you can make one using ready-mix cement. This material is affordable and easy to use. Mix it in a large bowl and place a smaller one in the middle to get a bowl-shaped fire pit, and let it dry.
There are many ways to make affordable fire pits, and here’s another idea:
Upcycle Old Materials
Recycling and zero dollar garden tricks are great for your pocket; and they help nature, too.
Here are just a couple of ideas:
• Plant flowers in an old wheelbarrow or a bike basket and make it a centerpiece of your garden.
• Make a bird feeder with old teacups and saucers and hang it on a tree or place it on your windowsill.
• If you have colored glass plates, turn them into unique garden art. You can turn them into all sorts of flowers if you place a glass in the middle to act as a flower center.
• Repaint old chairs, add comfortable cushions, and place them where you can enjoy your entire garden.
Use Recycled Tires
When you have a low budget, you must immediately start thinking out of the box. This may mean turning an old bicycle into a planter or using pallets as borders for flower beds and pathways.
Reusing old tires is another way of bringing more creativity to your backyard. And if you don’t have any lying idle around your yard, you can always purchase some for cheap or even get them for free.
(I mean, all people do is try to get rid of them.)
Automobile junkyards and recycling plants are a great way to start looking for these things, and you can always let your friends, family, and coworkers know you’re on the hunt.
Use old tires for crawling plants that will cover them up once they mature or stack them up to get a scaffolding effect.
Turn large truck and tractor tires into unique ponds and water features for your garden.
You can turn tires into a functional seating or dining area for your garden. For instance, stack a couple of them, cover them with a cloth, screw a piece of flat wood on top, and you’ve got yourself a unique outdoor table.
Start A Club
This idea may seem extreme, but it can get your juices flowing in a blink of an eye. Start a gardening club with your neighbors and turn to brainstorming.
They usually face similar gardening and landscaping troubles as you do, whether it’s soil quality or the weather.
You can even lower the cost of materials if you’re in a club. Many gardening centers offer lower prices when buying in bulk, and a gardening club can help you save a lot of money.
Another benefit is combining various experiences. Perhaps you have a horticulturist as a neighbor who knows all the ins and outs of plants. The other one may love carpentry and be able to help you with your tree bench. And there’ll always be someone who has a thing for landscaping.
Talking with them will bring you many ideas and you’ll enjoy your time with like-minded people. They can even help you with big projects – and you can help them, too.
Finally, being friendly with your neighbors means you may get some plants for free. Perhaps they need to divide their perennials in spring and decide to give you a plant or two. Or you can ask them for some plants you can easily grow from cuttings or seeds.
Costs Of Backyard Transformation
Hard-work and recycled materials are great, but sometimes there’s no getting around some larger investments, especially if you want a statement piece in your backyard.
According to Home Advisor, the current national average landscaping cost is $3,417, although the numbers keep rising. They claim that homeowners spend $200 on the lower end and up to $13,300 on the high end.
Therefore, even if you don’t want to have a lot of work done, it can still cost you thousands of dollars to give your backyard a makeover.
Luckily, hiring professionals isn’t the only option, and you can do much of the work yourself as we’ve already discussed.
You Need Patience, Hard-Work, And Creativity
“How can I make my garden beautiful on a low budget?” is a question I hope you won’t have to ask yourself again after reading this article.
These ideas can inspire you to take matters into your own hands, and all you need for that is patience, hard-work, and creativity.
Think outside the box, and you’ll quickly find many ideas you can use to decorate your yard. Brainstorm with your friends and neighbors, and you’ll see that money isn’t a restriction when it comes to beautifying your landscape.
All you need is creativity, patience, and the willingness to work.