How best could one spend $200 to make changes in a "blah" looking yard/landscape to make it look better?

Question

My husband and I would like to make our yard and the area around our front porch look nicer, but neither of us know much at all about landscaping and need the advice of good "green thumbers." We would like to spend an upcoming weekend making simple improvements that make a big difference in the overall look, and want to see how much we could do with $200 as a budget. A little more info: we have a LOT of mulched areas with NO "ground cover" (I think that's what you call it) and so weeds can get out of control (there is no "edging" either). Any recommended plants that would look nice and be easy to maintain? Or can we somehow make grass there? Any good flowers that would be durable? Our front yard has a good amount of sun during the day. Any help and ideas about spending the $200 to make a NICE improvement are GREATLY appreciated! :o)

Answer 1

remove the mulch yourself-$0
border the yard with used bricks ( if u are lucky you will get it for free sometimes)-$0
get soil or dirt from home depot or lowes -$25( $5 each).
go to your nursery and tell them ur light and wheather conditions they will suggest you some plants.Good thing is you get sun. Marigolds, and other seeds can make a very inexpensive garden.($10 max)
You are a little late for bulbs but u can plant them in fall by then you garden will be well prepared for them.

Ferns , palms are very less maintainnace (ferns -$5each, palms need lot of research if u want to save money ).Impatients, pansies, begonias are shade loving plants and less maintiance.since you get sun you should be fine with any plant.However your challenge will be leveling, making the soil ready to plant.Good luck you can do a lot in $200 spent wisely and with patience.Dont hurry take your time.

Answer 2

Your mulched areas are a great thing - lots of potential for beautiful color and plant shapes! By "ground cover" did you mean "weed barrier" - the fabric that people try to sell you to keep out weeds? it's actually good that you don't have any of that. It can keep your perennials, once you plant them, from spreading to their potential.

You don't need edging, but a bit of work making a natural edge (ie a 3" trench) around the bed will give it a nice finished look.

Your $200 will probably buy you a couple flats of groundcover (nice spreading, low-growing perennial plants), 3 ornamental grasses, and 7-10 perennials.

You always have the option of starting some plants from seed, too. You can purchase cans of mixed seeds for $5 to $10, that you can sprinkle in the area you want to fill. For less maintenance later, be sure to get a mixture that contains mostly perennial plants, not annuals.

Also keep in mind that some vegetable plants and herbs, like tomatoes and basil, can be planted near your front entrance. Get creative with this one - you can get an inviting look, convenient veggie and an inviting aroma this way!

For weed control, you have a couple of choices.1: Take your handy-dandy bottle of roundup after the weeds start, wet them a little and wait a few days for them to croak. 2: Put some newspaper under the mulch, 2-3 sheets thick, laid out flat. It's quite a bit of work, but much better than the fabric "weed barriers." Don't use it in places you'll be seeding, though!

To keep costs down, you can purchase plants online. Perennials, grasses and shrubs can be shipped to you without soil on their roots. It becomes a fairly inexpensive way to get more plants in your landscape.

Lastly, for local advice talk to your Extension agency. Most states have one associated with their major university.

Good luck!

Answer 3

If you are anything like most people you want to get as much as possible for your money, that means sweat equity.....The other best thing is
Decide do you want flowers or shrubs?
Do you want landscape stones?
You certainly want perennials!
.................MOST OF ALL.................
>>>>>>>>>>Shop the Sales<<<<<<<
I always buy at the end of the season
that way I save a whole bunch of money.
Organization prior to your project.
"Plan your work and work your plan."
If you aren't caring about instant gratification. Then take your time!
Good Luck, it's hard work but worth it.

P.S. A good starter flower is the daylilly they multiply so you get more for your money and then you can transplant thru out the yard every year.
They are low maintenance
Stella D'Oro blooms all summer long.

Hostas do as well I bought 2 and the next year made 12. Now I have to thin and give away . They come in a variety of leaf size and colors as well as pretty spike flowers. They like only morning sun though

Answer 4

Try going to hgtv.com. They have all the gardening & landscape shows from cable. Lots of designs, videos, pics, tips & info on plants & gardens. They can help you figure out how to improve your yard on a budget, & what's best to use in your area.

Answer 5

You could actually contact a local gardener or landscaper and they would put together some visuals on paper for your spending limit. You could choose one of those or edit one of them yourself.
That's how I'd do it. You can get advice here, but not visual pics. Probably, most definetly web sites on it too for ideas!!

Answer 6

i would get some , impatiens's , and marigolds, and dianthus, and some hostes,sorry my spelling of plants sucks. contact me and i will get the right spellings and give some more information on them. [e-mail]