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Frugal Landscaping Tips

September 6, 2007

Tips for saving money on landscaping supplies and plants.

Free Plants

I work around a very busy Metro area. Recently, the landscapers were replacing the spring flowers/bulbs with summer plantings. They were throwing the spring plants out! I asked them if I could have them and they said sure! Needless to say, I have enough tulips for next year and I planted the pansies in hanging baskets. It saved a lot of money by buying hanging baskets this year! So, next time you see landscapers or gardeners replacing plants at a business or business complex, be sure to ask!
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By Michelle

Call The City

I've also picked up flowers from city landscapers as they were dismantling one season's display to get ready for another. You might even be able to call city hall and get dates ahead of time so you don't have to rely on chance!

By Anna

Dig Up Saplings - Ask First

If you are in the market for trees and can identify the different varieties easily, go to a wooded area (if you have one near) and transplant some saplings into your landscaping. Most landowners won't mind if you ask them.

By Mark Calvin

Use Freecycle

Post on your local Freecycle group. Every spring/summer, I offer the things I have and invite people to share what they have. I've received some great plants and made some new garden friends.

Rescue Plants!

Definitely recycle plants! I have rescued a lot of potted/bedding plants and nursed them back to health, it's fun to see them responding. You can also get cuttings of plants like spider plants or mint which are really invasive.
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By pam munro

Grow Roses From Cuttings

My mom, who REALLY had a green thumb used to plant roses by just planting the bloom. I have never tried this, but have seen it work in her yard. Cut a rose branch with a bloom and five leaf fronds. Dig a hole and submerge three leaf fronds under and two on top, pinch off the bloom and cover with a jar until the rose "catches". I would guess maybe month. She worked for the OSU botany department as a secretary an learned lots of neat stuff... she is gone now. I wish I had listened closer.

By Margie

Frugal Landscaping Tips

We made a soaker hose out of an old hose that had two small holes in it by just adding over a hundred more holes to the hose. It was great fun for our older kids to stab the hose with an ice pick. It was a good family time and we saved $30.00.
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Use discarded items you find as unique planters... tires, rims, boots, wicker chairs, hard hats or buckets.

Recycle your yard waste and veggie scraps to create your compost pile. Add coffee grinds, egg shells, veggie scraps, leaves, and yard waste into a pile and stir every week. It is great exercise and in one year you will have saved money for not paying a gym for a good work out and for not having to purchase fertilizer/top soil for your new plants.

Also when you buy fresh foods at the farmers market save your seeds. Dry them on wax paper then store them in an envelope an freeze till next year and plant. Some will grow and not produce fruit but have pretty blooms others will prosper and give lots of produce, so either way it is free plants and possibly free food! Hey, who doesn't like that idea! I have five kids, what do you expect!?

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Visit your rural mill or seed store, not a Lowe's or a nursery but a dirt on the floor, bags of horse feed stacked to the ceiling, cat sleeping on the counter kind of mill. Place a wanted ad on their board and you will be surprised at how many local farmers have plants or seeds they are willing to share or sell for a reasonable price. We got several mature raspberry plants for $4.00 total, normally a start costs $5.00 each at Lowe's.

The best thing we ever did to save money was to go to a home and garden show and take lots of pictures of all the expensive things we were wanting. Then we went home and with mostly scrap wood, fencing, iron, and whatnots, we were able to spend less than $75 and created an enchanted patio space instead of hiring the work out and spending $2000. Now that kind of saving is worth forfeiting a Saturday and working up a little sweat.

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By Hoffmann House Network

 
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5 More Solutions

This page contains the following solutions.

Kelly Ann Butterbaugh
February 19, 2010

Landscaping can take a huge chunk out of a household's budget, but an untidy yard can really pull the entire look and value of a home down.

Less Costly Landscaping

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 858 Posts
January 8, 2009

A big landscaping project can be a budget buster, but with a little creative planning it doesn't have to be. Here are some tips for creating a beautiful landscape without breaking the bank.

Landscaping on a Budget

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September 28, 2005

My family landscaped for many years and I want to give you some hints. Never plant a tree in front of your house as it makes the front yard look short.

 
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Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

June 26, 2017

Any ideas for low-cost, low-maintenance yard treatment for senior mobile home park residence? Wood chips are old and ugly. It must be affordable. We are two seniors, neither good at yard work. We are thinking pavers (for step-out at curb), artificial grass, river rock, and such, but have a pittance to spend, and because of physical limitations, will need to hire or borrow someone to get it done.

All ideas considered, including sources.

Answers


Gold Post Medal for All Time! 677 Posts
June 27, 20170 found this helpful

Go around the neighborhood. Many people will share cuttings with you. Perennials will be your best bet, as they keep coming back.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 141 Feedbacks
July 13, 20171 found this helpful

I think you are on the right track with pavers and you also can get red bricks for cheap. Putting down pavers gives you a nice opportunity for a container garden on top of it. Find low maintenance plants for your containers and you can create a really nice natural space.

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Planters and sometimes even plants can be found cheaply at garage sales.

Weed prevention is going to be important if you down rock. If you can't afford weed cloth, cardboard or newspaper can provide some protection.

 
October 15, 20170 found this helpful

Remove the chip, spray weeds with spot treatment only to existing bed with a lite herbicide to kill off unwanted weeds. Place garden weed cloth and cover the cloth with a nice mixture of #2 river rock. Now get some Large urns and fill them with potting soil and plants of choice. Preferably Perennials that come back year after year. In three weeks, lightly fertilize these plants as their roots should have taken to the new environment by then. Place the urns on the river rock beds as desired. This will provide you with an aesthetic look you can enjoy while maintaining a low maintenance garden for your enjoyment. When weeds start to appear in rock bed, spray the greenery with another dose of herbicide and in about 14 days, remove the dead foliage.

 
Anonymous
May 2, 20230 found this helpful

Old jeans work under rocks in small areas

 
Answer this Question

August 23, 2022

Does anyone know where I can pick up free pavers or stone?

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