Creating A Beautiful Landscape On A Budget

Creating a beautiful landscape can be a challenge and it's expensive.....

Right?????      It doesn't have to be!

Of course, if you have a grand, gorgeous and outlandish landscape design in mind and you plan to hire an architect to design it and have it installed..... it can be expensive. That's for sure.

However, there are a number of ways to create a beautiful landscape that may rival the best of 'em, even on a budget, if you're willing to get a little creative, do a little research and to invest a little sweat equity of your own!

Creating a beautiful landscape involves creativity and, often times, some really hard work.

If you're willing and able to do some, most or all of the work yourself or as a family project, though, you'll definitely save considerably on labor costs which can be the most expensive part of the landscape project.

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Spring Has Sprung And It's Time To Replace Bark Again.....

Many homeowners, businesses, stores, governement and public agencies face a common dilemma every spring ( and often in the fall again) when it comes time to replace the faded, worn out bark in their borders, flowerbeds and in their landscapes in general.

We all know that replacing bark can take quite a bit of time, a whole lot of hard work and it's increasingly expensive to purchase.

Why?  Because bark supplies are dwindling fast.

The cost of bark has sky-rocketed lately due to the high demand and short supply.  And, with lumber mills shutting down or scaling back due to the slumping economy, the situation only promises to get worse.  That's the bad news.

The good news ~ actually fantastic news ~ is that there's finally a new and incredible alternative to bark groundcovers called WoodStone groundcover.

WoodStone is anatural shale (stone) groundcover product that won't fade or deteriorate and it never needs to be replaced.  It looks similar to bark groundcover yet it's a one-of-a-kind permanent groundcover solution.

Install WoodStone once in your borders and landscape and then enjoy your landscape for years to come without having to replace the groundcover.

Because it's a stone groundcover product, WoodStone can also be used in many other ways in the landscape, including in pathways and on steep banks.  Unlike other round stone groundcovers, WoodStone won't roll easily and it won't wash away easily, either, like bark groundcovers tend to on a slope.

WoodStone is gorgeous used in streams, ponds and other water features.  When wet, WoodStone's multi-color earthtone-blue slate color combination deepens, creating a one-of-a-kind natural look.

WoodStone is definitely in a class all it's own when it comes to versatility in the landscape!

Put Your Landscape Borders On Auto Pilot For Years By Making A Few Simple….. But Key Changes To Your Landscape Design

For years I fought an endless battle with weeds and faded bark in my landscape borders and flowerbeds, especially in the spring and fall. To keep them looking beautiful, I invested hours upon hours weeding. And I usually replaced the bark in my borders every spring to get that finished natural look (that I loved and wanted) back. It was time consuming hard work, expensive and….. come to find out, totally unnecessary!

Little did I know at the time, but I didn’t have be a slave to my landscape borders to have an attractive landscape.

By making a few key changes to my landscape design, I’m no longer a slave to never ending weeding and the constant work and maintenance involved in maintaining beautiful borders. Not to mention, I no longer have unsightly, faded and rotten groundcover every spring to replace. And I save a whole lot of time, work and money every year because my new landscape design is a permanent and low-maintenance design.

You can almost put your landscape borders on auto pilot for years by making a few simple but key changes to your landscape design and, most importantly, by simply using a permanent stone groundcover alternative to bark groundcover.

New Permanent Stone Groundcover That Looks Like Bark But Never Needs To Be Replaced

For instance, did you know that there is a low maintenance, cost effective alternative to using landscape bark, wood chips or mulch in your landscape borders and raised flowerbeds that looks very similar to bark? It’s a stone groundcover that’s as beautiful and natural as newly installed bark, only it’s permanent. In fact, I use this stone groundcover as an alternative to or replacement for bark in all of my landscape projects now to save time, work and money.

In addition to saving time, work and money, using a permanent stone groundcover as an alternative is much more environmentally friendly, too. Why? Simply because it’s permanent. It reduces natural resource consumption and water usage, as well. On top of that, it reduces the costs of both.

My Recipe Or Guideline For Low-Maintenance Borders

Now that I’ve discovered what a difference it makes, to create a maintenance free landscape border, I always use a good quality weed barrier over high nutrient, weed free soil and underneath a low maintenance permanent stone groundcover.

And to make your border even more maintenance free, consider installing a simple timed drip water system. A timed drip water system positioned to water only the plants or shrubs in your border not only cuts down on maintenance and labor involved in hand watering, it also cuts down on water usage by concentrating the water used on the plants or shrubs that need it without wasting water where it isn’t needed.

Preferably, choose plants and shrubs to use in your border that are acclimatized for your area and drought resistant to reduce the need to water. Using larger scale plants or shrubs is also a good idea. Doing so allows you to space them farther apart for less future maintenance, as well. Using larger but fewer plants or shrubs reduces time and work spent trimming and dead-heading

A border edging is also key in keeping unwanted grass or weeds out of your borders and flowerbeds. An edging prevents unwanted roots from creeping into areas where you definitely don’t want grass or weeds to grow. There are many kinds of edgings available but the important thing is to install one to help reduce maintenance work for years to come.

Putting Together A Smart, Well Designed Landscape Design Now Can Pay Big In The Long Run

You can easily install or have your low-maintenance design installed wisely and properly for years of low maintenance beauty. In fact, it takes no more time to install a smart landscape design than it does to install a landscape design that isn’t well planned out for future maintenance.

My best advice for your next landscape project is to be sure to take the time to put together a thoughtful, well designed landscape plan that takes maintenance issues into consideration from the start. For the very best low-maintenance outcome, I highly recommend that you use a border edging, drought resistant shrubs or plants, a timed drip water system, a quality weed barrier, weed free nutrient rich soil and, above all, a permanent stone groundcover that never needs to be replaced. Following this simple guideline (a guideline that makes a few key changes) to reduce the time, work and money you spend on the maintenance of your landscape borders over the years, insures your beautiful landscape borders will last indefinitely with minimal maintenance and effort.

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