Are you searching ‘ideas for backyard landscaping on a budget’? Then look no further, read this article to know the best inexpensive ideas, which will transform your backyard into a beautiful and serene place for you and your family to enjoy.
For landscaping the backyard on a budget, all you need are some good ideas, and selection of inexpensive stuff, suitable for landscaping. If you have a small backyard, do not clutter it with too many things. The important things one should have in a backyard, is a place to sit and relax, a stone or brick path, a comfortable chair and colorful and beautiful plants. Here, are some of the backyard landscaping ideas with pictures that will help you get started.
Ideas for Inexpensive Landscaping
Plants
For backyard landscape design, plant colorful plants in medium-sized pots or in the ground. There is no need to spend on large-sized plants, as the medium-sized plants will cost you less and as time passes by these plants will grow big. Buy inexpensive and colorful plants like day lilies, viburnum, nikko blue, calendula, delphinium, clematis, alyssum, etc. for backyard decorating. If you are avid gardener then you consider growing plants right from seeds. Seeds are more affordable than buying plants and you can choose some fast-growing flower plant seeds to grow beautiful plants.
Stone Paths
By creating a stone path, the backyard will look more beautiful and organized. Stone paths are a great idea for small backyard designs. Plan out the route of the stone path. Clean the route, and dig it to a depth of 5 inches with a spade, moisten the soil on the path and tamp it down. Place the landscape fabric and then put two inches of sand on the path and again tamp the sand. Finally, lay the rocks and fill the gaps with sand, and again tamp it down.
Furniture
To create a sitting area in the backyard, where you can relax, create a canopy. Place some furniture for dining under the canopy. Use beach furniture like chairs or recliners, where you can sit and enjoy reading a book or listening to some music. If you have space you can create beautiful wooden or metallic arcs, and grow creepers on it. To create a romantic place, install a bench under a tree and plant flowering plants around it. You can also enjoy the summer breeze by hanging a hammock from a tree. If you have children, you can hang a swing for them.
Water Body
A swimming pool is way too expensive when you are on a budget. If you can build a pond, it will add a nice touch to your inexpensive landscaping backyard program. It is a good idea to have some sort of water body, in your backyard, as it will enhance the natural beauty of your backyard. You can build a waterfall. If you think even this is expensive, keep big sized bowls and put floating lilies or lotuses in it, and put some guppy fish. The fish will keep the water clean and make the bowl look even more colorful. You can also consider installing bird bath or a small water fountain.
Lighting
For landscape lighting, add some hanging lights or place candles, in your backyard. Use cheap citronella candles as they will look pretty and keep the bugs away. If you are having dinner in your backyard with your family or friends, keep a bunch of citronella candles, and make the evening more beautiful. You can hang some cheap lamps in the backyard to enhance the lighting. You can also use your old lamps which are not being used, fix new bulbs in it and use old colorful scarves on them as lampshades. This will help you create a great ambiance in the backyard.
Useful Tips
- When giving your backyard a makeover, try to do most of the work yourself. This will save the money of hiring professional help.
- Always, visit more than two plant nurseries, before you buy the plants for inexpensive landscaping. You can always bargain with the shopkeeper, to lower the prices.
- Visit other people’s backyards, to get more ideas. You can always ask for ideas or ask them about cheap places to buy landscaping materials.
- Visit libraries, and check out books on backyard landscaping. Look for plants, landscaping material, landscape designs, etc. to get a better idea
- Instead of buying gravel from a store, buy it from a quarry where you will get it cheaper.
- Check within your city or county for free mulch sites, you can use this mulch for your trees and plants.
- Look out for garage sales, many times they have gardening tools in good condition.
- You don’t have to do all the work involving backyard renovations in a month. Spread out your renovations over 6 months or a year. This way you don’t have to invest all the money at the same time.
- You can use an old drum or an old washer drum to create a fire pit, and enjoy roasting marshmallows on it during colder seasons.
For backyard landscaping on a tight budget, try to have a ‘colorful mix’ things theme. You can ask your friends and relatives for things which they don’t use, for example, look for furniture or lamps or anything attractive you think you can reuse to decorate your backyard. Look for things in your house and garage that you do not use anymore, like furniture, colorful old cloth pieces, cushions, lamps, pots, glass bottles, etc. Use these things along with the above ideas, and you will have a lovely backyard!