Times are tough and one of the first items to have a belt tightened is landscape. Here are some ideas to lessen your financial load and maximize your landscape outcomes:
1. Design it right the first time
Having a design stops you driving blind, it’s the map that get’s you there. Sure there maybe some delightful unexpected detours along the way, that’s great. And as the saying goes, it’s the journey not the destination that matters.
You can map your yard using a grid, or take an image off Google Earth and design over this. However a professional design should incorporate all of your design requirements and lay it out in a digitally scaled format. Having a plan makes it easier to estimate costs and hand over work to contractors.
A professional design will save you time and money. As a professional designer of 20 years I’ve found people’s design considerations are the overall look, the mix of open to closed areas, formal/informal, the end users (kids, dogs, wildlife), and probably most importantly, future maintenance requirements.
Some clients have very specific issues (drainage is a big one!), or they just don’t know where to start. Other people know what plants they like, but may not have the requisite knowledge to create the conditions for them to thrive be that light, soil depth or water requirements.
While the DIY approach may work for you, if you are struggling, getting a professional designer to assist can be of great advantage at this stage. Not only should they be able to translate your ideas into practical reality, they can also help with the technicalities such as vegetative screening of neighbours and drainage.
2. Materials- buy plants in smaller sizes and save bigtime.
Here’s a big secret- you can save thousands by using the plant size down from what you need and letting the plants grow in place. Given, you may not have a fully formed garden from day one, however your plants will grow into their spaces quickly while establishing their roots better and saving you money. Having a professional assisting you with plant selection and being able to access wholesale prices opens up even more value for money options.
3. Design out the work!
A garden should be something you enjoy, not dread every time you look outside on the weekend. Whether it’s your gardens or lawn, choosing the right materials and design should change the dial on your future workload. In the garden, properly selected mulch will suppress weeds and protect your garden from drying out. If it’s mowing you hate, there are some amazing low mow lawn types that will free you up while they look great.
4. Irrigation- no wasted time or money
Irrigation has come a long way with simple, effective drip systems now available for the home gardener to install. Not only are they ridiculously simple to install, they are inexpensive and more water wise than most other ‘sprinkler’ type products. You can even rig them to a tap and timer, or have a click on hose connection. No solenoids, fancy designs or wasted water.
5. Quality Garden Edging lasts and works
Sharp looking edges enhance the delineation between garden beds and lawn areas. Edges should be continuous without gaps that let in weeds, can be curved and have longevity. Corten steel is a great material that ticks all these boxes.
6. Maintain it less with the right design
Having a well designed garden should mean less maintenance or at least better results for the same maintenance effort. All gardens need a bit of follow up maintenance, whether it is mowing or weeding, however, the maintenance needs of a well designed garden with adequate mulch, good plant selection and irrigation should be drastically reduced from an ad hoc yard. Again it may come down to having a professional designer on board.
Lowndes Landscapes offer professional garden designs from as little as $550 GST inclusive.
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