Backyard and Garden Makeovers by Billy Bristol - HTML preview

Making the Most of What You Have

Many persons dream of a marvelous backyard makeover but are constrained due to budget. However there are many ideas of which you may not be aware that are totally workable even within the parameters of the most frugal budget. The following article provides several types of cost-saving remedies.

Many cities offer free mulch. A great many municipalities will take homeowner’s trimmings and recycle the cuttings into mulch. Mulch that has been manufactured or recycled from organic clippings and cuttings is a cost-effective alternative to purchasing mulch by the bag. If you require a good bit of mulch you may spend far more in this area than you wish if you purchase it by the package.

So the recommendation here is to find out if your city does in fact offer the material for free. Also by using free organic mulch you’ll find you need not water your yard quite so frequently. Take the mulch and generously apply it around the root areas of plants as well as around the base areas of trees. Mulch is a very organic type of fertilizer and is an ideal nutrient for plants.

One way to acquire more plantings using what you already have available is to take your perennial flowers and separate them. It is best advised before you attempt to perform this project to check at several sites online as to the proper technique. You do not want to cause any harm to the plant when separating. Also once you replant the perennial you want to assure you achieve the desired result of a successful replanting.  This is another cost-saving measure since the more perennial flowers you have in your garden the less need there is to spend money on annuals.  Also, perennials will increase in number each year.

Set up a container or area for compost. The way you affect this is by constructing a wood frame and enclosing it with wire. Fill the bin with your grass clippings, scraps from kitchen, and leaves. Every so often:  take the contents of the bin and toss them about with a gardening fork.  You will want to do this in order to assure everything is adequately decomposing. The compost inside provides the thrifty gardener a way to fertilize his or her garden at no cost. But do not place meat scraps or bones in it.

Why seethe with jealousy at your neighbor’s gorgeous plants? One way to get around the feeling is to simply ask for a plant clipping. Once attained, you can add this plant to your own outside environment. If you engage the Internet, you will be able to find out within a brief period of time how to correctly establish clippings. Another way to keep costs minimal or free is to collect the seeds from your annual flowers. You can save the seeds and grow them in the future.

If you’d like to keep costs low when watering plants then consider the idea of a rain barrel. There are many rainwater barrels available that come already assembled. Also you can find a barrel and create your own rainwater collection container. Purchasing basic hardware such as a tap is essentially not pricey and you can install the tap using a drill.  Also you will need some caulk. Where openings exist cover with some type of tightly woven screen in order to keep insects out. Rainwater can be used for plant watering, however it should not be used for drinking purposes.