Landscaping your garden on a budget

By Fran Sorin

One of the first questions clients ask me when discussing how to landscape their property is: 'How much is this going to cost me?' I always respond, 'Don't think about that now. Concentrate on what you want and need. And whatever you tell me the budget is, I promise we will not go over that amount.' This is the same piece of advice that I offer to you.

Developing or creating your own landscape (with or without the assistance of a professional) is simply a matter of brainstorming, prioritising and then problem-solving.

Brainstorming
Now, brainstorming might not save you money, but it is an important process by which you let all of your ideas - from the sublime to the grandiose - come to life on a piece of paper. If you censor yourself in advance and only think in logical terms, you may miss out on a concept that could help to make your garden a very special haven.

Make two lists
In your brainstorming process, make two lists: a 'want' list and a 'need' list. What do you want? Is it a cutting garden, a cottage garden or groupings of perennial grasses lining your property? Do you want a water garden? How about a stone patio? When I started my garden I knew I wanted it to have an English look with sweeping rows of perennials, full grasses and trellises covered in roses.

What do you need?
The other important question to ask yourself is: What do you need? An area for a basketball hoop, a place for a swing set, grass for your children to play in? Do you need more privacy between yourself and your neighbour? What about a fence? Once you're done with the want and need lists, number them in order of importance. Be honest with yourself, because this is how you can start the landscaping process without spending a fortune.

Create a sketch for yourself
Finally, make a rudimentary sketch of your property and begin to sketch in the landscape elements on the sheet of paper to see how and where they would fit on your property. This sketch is strictly for you so that you can begin to imagine the most effective way of designing your landscape.

Give yourself time and patience at this problem-solving stage. You may end up doing half a dozen sketches before you get a sense that you are on the right track. Don't try to do it all in one sitting. If you get frustrated with your lack of progress, leave this piece of the project alone and come back to it at some later point.

Always have a master plan from which to work. If your budget doesn't allow, do the landscaping in stages. You may only be able to afford landscaping the front of your house; the back might have to wait another year. In order to cut costs, use smaller plant material (even with evergreens) selectively (particularly when it is a fast growing specimen, such as Leyland cypress). Make sure to comparison shop. Take into consideration the quality of the plant, the size and the reputation of the store from which you are purchasing it. Do they stand by their plant material and do they offer a warranty? Make sure that you have good, thick, topsoil on your property so that you can grow healthy, long-lasting grass. If you are digging beds, add plenty of organic matter and rototill it in to soil as deeply as possible. Don't be disheartened when you finish landscaping your property. The first season, your garden and flower beds will most probably still feel somewhat bare and you might even think to yourself: 'Will these plants ever grow?' Yes, they will grow more quickly than you can imagine. Continue to work from your master plan over the coming years; making amendments when necessary. If you keep on adding new elements to your property each season (even on a limited budget), you will be surprised at how quickly your property will evolve from a somewhat sparse space to an lush outdoor space.

Nationally known gardening expert, and author of Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening, Fran Sorin is interested in helping women understand themselves in relation to their gardens.

Fran is a CBS Radio News Contributor, the GardenSmart contributor to USA Weekend Magazine, a contributing editor of Radius Magazine and is the Gardening Expert for DIY's 'Home Made Easy' and Comcast's 'Your Morning' Show. Fran has made appearances on 'Regis and Kelly', 'The Today Show', CNN, HGTV and The Discovery Channel.

For more information on Fran, go to her website at: www.fransorin.com