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Landscaping Tips On A Limited Budget

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Spending time in your garden is one of life’s simplest and most affirming pleasures. But there’s no denying that designing, implementing and maintaining a desirable outdoor space can become a financial drain. When belts need tightening as your bank account falls into the red, gardens can quickly fall to rack and ruin.

But there are a host of ways to spruce up even the most unloved yard that needn’t cost the earth. In face, many methods of improvement require little more investment than your time and patience. The more people you involve, the merrier – what better excuse to revive the rusty barbecue than a mass landscaping party?

Even the smallest changes can make a big difference, so try a few of these spendthrift suggestions and reclaim your garden during the recession.

1. Small but powerful

A sizeable garden may be a dream come true. But then again, it is also considerably more expensive than a medium-sized one. If you’re finding that maintaining a big garden is not within your budget, do the sensible and reduce the space for flowers and plants by covering some areas up with easy-to-maintain stones. This will also save you time when landscaping in the weekends. If you need advice on how to create a lovely stepping-stone path in our yard, absolutely free, take a look at this highly recommended article on gardening from financial website Dollarstretcher.

2. Bookkeeping for gardeners

Due to the financial obligations connected with it, a garden is less like a hobby, but more like a full-time project. For this reason alone, you should treat it with the seriousness it requires and deserves. Keep book of your expenses for your garden and think about opening up a separate account for them – this doesn’t have to be, or perhaps shouldn’t even be, a regular current account, but can be a basic bank account ideal for reducing one’s debt and expenditure.

3. Clear the decks

Trimming, tidying, deadheading and sweeping all need doing, and preferably before you take any other action. A clear space will allow you to accurately assess what you’re working with. Have a look at soil types and areas of light and shade and choose accordingly.

4. Make it work for you

Consider your lifestyle. Do you need a family-friendly space where children and animals can tumble around without creating chaos? Or do you desire a zen-like space you’re happy to tend for hours on end? Perhaps garden that takes care of itself when you’re busy is more your style? What you may initially think of as ‘the perfect garden’ will end up being anything but, if it’s not perfect for your needs.

5. Freely inspired

Draw inspiration from anywhere and everywhere- beautiful blogs, visits to local free-admission parks and gardens, period dramas and films, or even just poking around the gardens of people you know. When you’re raring to go, underpin your enthusiasm with expertise gleaned from garden centre factsheets, TV shows, free magazines, trustworthy online forums and the many books available at the local library.

6. Waste not

Poor quality soils will thank you for a good dose of quality compost, which you can create and maintain from the everyday food waste in your kitchen. Many local authorities provide counter-top containers you can use to ferry kitchen scraps out to your main pile, which, when rotted down, is a free treat for the garden.

7. Deck out your deck for free

Check out websites which list unwanted goods, such as local FreeCycle networks or Freegle , where you can pick up anything from garden furniture and water features to power tools and equipment for absolutely nothing, providing you can arrange a pick-up.

8. A lick of paint

Garden fences and furniture come in such a narrow spectrum of colours – so don’t fret too much over making it all match. Instead, create your own custom colour palette. Buy an industrial-sized container of white emulsion and browse household paint ranges for those diminutive tester pots in a full spectrum of colours. Even a few pots mixed into the white yields a surprisingly dynamic hue. You can go as pale or bold as budget allows, but be sure to mix enough to complete the job, as colour-matching is a tricky business.

9. Inject Colour

Staring at a flowerbed studded with bright blooms lifts the spirits like nothing else. Don’t worry too much about sourcing specific varieties here – just have fun with a few supermarket and garden centre specimens whose appearance brings you the most joy. Sow with abandon and watch duller growing spaces light up with spots of colour. Keep it cheap and, if a plant doesn’t take, it’s a minor disappointment. If it thrives, however, garden life will be that little bit brighter.

10. Buy hardy

When it comes to the crops that you’re investing more cash on, there’s nothing worse than watching them wither at the first sign of a frost. Research notoriously robust, hardy varieties and use these to form a solid foundation for your space, rather than more fickle specimens which would leave the garden looking barren should they fail.

11. Get green fingered with sad specimens

Don’t bypass those sagging seedlings if they’re being sold off at a serious knock-down price. Take a really good look and consider whether they might be ripe for salvaging. With some careful tending, a good drink of water and a nourishing soil, many ailing plants can spring back to life.

12. Grow to eat

Growing edible crops is a canny move, helping you cut your food spend as you improve your garden. Choose fruit and veg varieties practically – olive trees may look fetching, but will provide little sustenance. Potatoes, pumpkins, lettuces and root veggies, on the other hand, are low maintenance and high yield. Be sure to pick things you won’t mind feasting on in times of glut- tomatoes, French beans and soft fruits are all good options that also look great.

These suggestions are, naturally, merely a point of departure. For further reference, gardening magazine Better Homes and Gardens offers plenty of useful ideas on how to stun your guests while remaining in the black.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://photodune.net/licenses/regular

Reporting from London, William Masters has established himself as respected journalist for topics ranging from international economics and personal finance. To Masters, finance is like gardening, both dealing with how to make the most with limited means. In terms of banking, William recommends eccount money, a leader in the field of companies specialising in helping people with debt and improving their budget.






How To Create Your Own Produce Cleanser – Three Easy Steps

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As times rapidly accelerate, we have become a generation of fast results with minimal exertion. Social medias have exploded; making communication mouse-clicks away. With this robust technology, we have created a generation of impatience, which has trickled into nearly every aspect of our lives. Instead of dicing up our veggies we have machines that spit them out perfectly minced. 

We have dishwashers that take care of the mess after the storm, and microwaves to “zap” our food into warm, leftover delight. In the same lazy fashion, many of us aren’t taking the appropriate amount of time in preparing our meals. The result is bacteria-ridden food, glazed with germs and harmful pesticides; which are generally used to banish pests from crops and to extend product shelf life.

These toxic chemicals can be detrimental to your family’s health and have been linked to:

  • Nervous system toxicity
  • Hormone system disruption
  • IQ deficits in children
  • Cancers

With this knowledge at hand, I suggest shopping locally. Not only will you help your community’s economy, but you’ll be consuming foods that are locally sourced and fresh. Many of these farms will promise organic produce, which will be pesticide free. Regardless of where you purchase your food, it is imperative to properly cleanse all of your fruits and veggies.

It has been proven that even rinsing your produce in water alone is beneficial in removing dirt, germs, bacteria and chemicals. When compared side-by-side with a store-bought “vegetable cleaner,” the results were very similar. With this said, it seems like a complete waste of money in investing in one of these “miracle” washes.

There are some things in the produce aisle that have higher levels of pesticide residues than others. Some of the most harmful levels can be found on:

  • Strawberries
  • Peppers
  • Spinach/lettuce/greens
  • Cherries
  • Peaches/nectarines
  • Blueberries
  • Celery
  • Apples
  • Apricots
  • Green beans
  • Grapes
  • Cucumbers
  • Pears
  • Squash
  • Potatoes

Instead, make your own eco friendly cleaning products with a natural wash.

You will need:

  • A large spray bottle and large container
  • White vinegar
  • Lemon Juice
  • Distilled water

Cleansing Your Produce

  1. In a large spray-bottle, combine 1/6 white vinegar, 1/6 lemon juice and 2/3 distilled water. Shake violently and store in the refrigerator.
  2. After you have purchased the produce, thoroughly wash your hands. The “happy-birthday” song in hot water with antibacterial soap works well. Make sure to extend the soap all the way up the wrists, and in the crevices of fingernails and hand-jewelry. After you have washed your hands, dry them on a clean towel.
  3. Go ahead and pull out the fruits and veggies. Place them in the large container and mist them thoroughly. Let them sit for approximately 30 seconds and rinse in cold water. Pat dry. If you are cleansing a leafy vegetable like lettuce, you will want to use the large container as a “bath” with the same ratios of vinegar/lemon juice/water.

You will want it to sit for 30 seconds to one minute before removing for the final cold rinse. Take note of any bruises or dark markings, as these areas tend to harbor more bacteria. If you spot a blemish, cut it off. If your cleansing a fruit or veggie with a texture, like a peach, use a small brush and lightly brush under a bath for the same duration. Don’t forget to pat dry, because the inconsistency of the texture can also harvest airborne bacteria. In addition, any area near the stem or which opens into the actual fruit or veggie should be discarded. These tend to be the most bacteria-prone areas.

Anytime that my family takes a trip to our local grocery, we go crazy filling our baskets with fresh fruits and veggies for salads, stews and quiches. What we fail to consider are the many hands that touch their surfaces, the nasty mists of pesticides and the natural bacteria that grow in the temperate conditions of the store. Cleansing your food of these harmful invaders doesn’t have to be extremely time consuming or expensive. With a pre-mixed bottle, and a flick of your wrist, you can sanitize your produce and give your family a safer and healthier meal.

Alexa Mehan, self-confessed day-time-TV junkie, works in the comfort of her apartment with her partner and dog Pekoe. She loves creepy artwork and surrealist paintings. Active traveler and hiker, Alexa loves the freedom of the outdoors. When she isn’t writing about the importance of going green, she is checking updates on sites like www.ecohomeinspired.com for ideas. Alexa finds herself creating various works of art when she isn’t freelancing.

5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Shabby Chic Twist

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Using old items in the house at a new location does require some amount of expertise and artistic attitude. Benefits are manifold, but the most obvious is establishing a lived-in look. Similar logic applies when attempting to give the garden a unique look. The simplest way to go about it is to opt for garden equipment hire services. However, some amount of preparation is needed. Here are five ways to give your garden a shabby chic twist.

  • Use old earthenware to store plants. Order of containers can always be changed at a later date. Give sufficient thought to finding right colors blending with the overall landscape. For example, use large containers lying idle in the home. Opt for makeshift arrangements. Different colors are used to create a bright look. Make a deliberate attempt to store your favourite plants in the best earthenware pots.
  • Cane and stone furniture blend naturally outdoors. Weathering does not have drastic effect on usage. Staining does take place, which is actually required for creating the vintage look. Consistency is the key here. If bright colors are chosen at one end, similar combinations are adapted at the other. A shabby chic look encourages some amount of disorder in the overall design.
  • Garden waste is bound to occur. Areas to be cleaned with equipment like portable chippers and shredders often need a professional touch simply because you need garden equipment hire staff over the long term. Nevertheless, these are areas offering maximum flexibility to incorporate new chic designs. Special attention is paid to keep costly garden design elements clean and free from weathering.
  • Winding paths leading to definite areas can be dispersed with antique lampposts or other such vintage material deliberately made to look older. The ideal look blends with overall atmosphere created within an entire locality. Practical aspects must be considered. Certain items are easily available simply because they sell in volume. Overall cost does come down by adapting such gardening strategies.
  • Give every plant its due. For instance, making more lawn space available for easy maintenance makes sense. Creating vintage value is achieved in steps. A claw foot tub holds herbs while a series of pots hold precious roses and other flowers. Movable containers give more options. As and when chic designs become available, a new landscape is created without much difficulty.
  • Traditional ways of gardening did not encourage use of new materials. Concepts have changed. Pay constant attention to what is released in the market. Find attractive containers promoting plant growth, allowing better usage of water and other resources. Cast iron and other materials last for a long time. Place an antique bird feeder made of cast iron at a vintage position.
  • Experimenting with what is freely available in the house is a good start. Allow your imagination to go wild with painting ideas. Rustic garden furniture and shade garden plants easily create the shabby chic garden look. Opt for garden equipment hire services until you are happy with the overall look. Maintaining artistic value is then a simple task.

Cormac Reynolds writes for a wide range of DIY and home design blogs and loves to take part in some home work at the weekends. This article is for Best at Hire

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