Landscaping and gardening not only offers you the chance to enhance your home’s exterior appearance and potentially add to its value, but also gives you the opportunity to help the environment. If you’re thinking to yourself that gardening has to be an expensive hobby, you may be surprised to learn that you can beautify your yard without wasting your monetary (or ecological) resources. Here’s how.
Using Plants as Shields
Trees can add a striking element to your yard, while also providing several benefits. Plant trees between five and ten feet away from your largest windows. As they grow, they’ll provide shade in summer, decreasing how much heat your home retains and reducing your energy bill. As an added bonus, when placed in front of your windows, they provide privacy from anyone passing by even when your shades are up.
Deciduous trees, including hickory, maple, and oak, and bushes also provide several advantages when you opt to plant them near your home’s walls. For example, they can hide ugly siding that has seen better days.
Most importantly, they provide insulation during the cold winter months by creating a windbreak against cold, strong winds and snow that may pile up against your walls. You may want to plant a line of thick evergreens around your lawn’s edge to make a windbreak for the entire yard and give your home an added sense of privacy and safety.
Water Management
While a lush green yard is gorgeous, it can be time consuming and expensive to achieve. It also wastes quite a bit of water. Instead, use plants that are native to your area. They will easily grow without much effort on your part and flourish without requiring too much water. This ensures you are not wasting precious resources or your money.
If you live in an arid climate, you may want to opt for landscaping gravel, rocks, and native plants, including desert shrubs or cacti, to achieve your gorgeous yard. If you insist on having exotic plants to set your yard apart, stick to just a few so that you have the chance to really nurture them without using a ton of water.
The Truth About Organic Supplies
You may not realize that organic supplies actually can save you money. Instead of purchasing chemical sprays that are both harsh and expensive to clear out weed, pour boiling water mixed with organic dish soap and vinegar to kill them all the way down to the roots. There are plenty of other homemade remedies you can use. Just search the internet to see what you can find.
Take Advantage of Veggies
Gardening is a great way to beautify your yard and save money on fresh vegetables. You may want to consider planting a garden in painted troughs or boxes that give your yard a burst of color. At the same time, tall veggies, such as tomato cages and pole beans, can add a bit of visual appeal to the garden. Don’t be afraid to mix things up and use different types of planters to make your yard even more aesthetically pleasing.
Don’t be Afraid to Go Natural
It’s true that a well-manicured yard can enhance your property’s overall value. However, you don’t have to spend a ton of money and effort to get a yard that turns heads. Regardless of where you live, native plants will look amazing, even when left to grow on their own. For example, anyone living on the Louisiana bayou should take advantage of the Roseau cane that grows around the water for a naturally stunning shore.
Of course, homeowners in Michigan can utilize a small thatch of wild grass to add a bit of charm to their home. Allowing nature to do its own thing in parts of your yard will greatly decrease the amount of time you have to spend working on it, as well as the costs of the supplies needed to maintain it.
The Beauty of Wildlife
Some gardeners are more concerned about wildlife in their yards than others. I’m not one of them. I enjoy glancing out the window and seeing butterflies, birds, and even the occasional rabbit or deer. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you encourage the presence of wildlife in your yard, but be aware you can do this economically and without harming the environment.
For example, I appreciate bees and the hard work they do as pollinators, so I’ve planted lavender throughout my yard to encourage them to take up residence. I’m also a fan of some bugs, such as lady beetles because they decrease the occurrence of aphids and other harmful pests in my yard.
I hope that you have found these gardening and landscaping tips helpful. Not only will these tips help you enhance your yard’s appearance and the value of your property, but the exercise involved is sure to be good for you. As an added bonus, being outside ensures you get plenty of much needed vitamin D. By using these environmentally friendly and economical tips, you can get the yard of your dreams.
Loves home. I am here to provide how to make your home a much better place. 🙂 Blogging about HomeDecor, Home Improvements and more.
