You can improve your yard without spending a dime. Just start by working with what materials you already have on hand.
Gardens can transform any outdoor space from dull to bright, but they need a lot of work to be well maintained. And even though you may want to make aesthetic improvements to your home, sometimes the cost can be discouraging. This article contains some simple ways to give your garden a face-lift without breaking the bank.
1 – Tidy up
The first thing to do before giving your garden a much-desired makeover is to tidy up. Clean your garden up by getting rid of weeds and other things that may be lying around. Fix the fence, pull weeds, and mow the lawn.
Inspect your outdoor water fittings for leaks. Plan to get plumbing companies to help you fix outdoor faucets and hoses for adequate irrigation once the money permits. You can also use a pressure washer to get rid of slime and dirt.
Doing all these will reveal your garden’s true beauty and give you ideas on what you can do to improve it.
2 – Separate your plants
One way to increase the number of plants in your garden without spending much is by separating them. This will ensure that you add more color to your garden while ensuring that your plants can grow well as they will not overgrow and impede each other.
Plants that you can divide successfully include the following:
- hardy geraniums
- asters
- Japanese anemones
- primroses
- daylilies
- rosemary
- hostas
You can easily separate your plants by digging up the clump while loosening the soil gently. Cautiously divide the plant using your hands or a trowel. Remember that for a successful transplant to occur, each separated plant needs to have enough roots attached.
To get variety and added color, have a “plant swap” with your neighbors after separating your perennials. Pooling your resources saves you tons of cash.
3 – Improve aesthetics with zones
The overall look of your garden can be improved when it seems there are clearly demarcated zones. Such a look immediately amplifies the space of the garden. If you have garden furniture, moving them to one side will make the garden look more attractive. Depending on the type of garden furniture you have, this could become a seating area or a stage of sorts.
4 – Attract some garden animals
A garden blossoms best when it has some active wildlife, and animals have a way with plants that bring out the best in them. Song birds, bees, and hedgehogs, in particular, can make your garden very attractive. To entice wildlife into your garden, you have to make sure that it is inviting. Create the optimal conditions for such wildlife to thrive in your garden.
Love birdwatching? Then invite birds to share your backyard by providing them food, water, and shelter.
For example, placing a few hollow sterns together and putting them in a wooden box can look very inviting for bees. A couple of deadwood in a shady area can quickly become a habitat for small mammals and insects.
5 – Revamp garden buildings
As mentioned earlier, you should rearrange your garden furniture, and this also goes for your garden buildings. If you store stuff in your garden buildings, consider decluttering it and sprucing it up by applying some paint leftover from previous DIY projects. You will declutter those paint cans and improve your yard’s appearance. Check and make sure they are in good condition, and carry out the necessary repairs as well.
The Takeaway on How You Can Improve Your Yard for Free
You can improve your yard by just being creative or paying more attention to the plants and simple rearrangements. Remember first to tidy your garden, then you can include anything you want, from attracting wildlife to watch to swapping for colorful plants to make a statement.
On her downtime, Shashika enjoys container gardening on her rooftop and shares her bounty with friends and neighbors.
