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Landscape and Garden Design On A Budget: You Can Make It Happen In Six Easy Steps!

© Barbara M. Martin

All gardeners dream beyond their means, so here are six steps to start you on your way to a great garden or landscape design on a tight budget.

If you've been following this informal series of articles , then you already know step by step landscape and garden design is both fun and practical -- it helps assure you of a good end result. If it looks like you'll be on a really tight budget, don't panic and don't give up! Remember great gardens are not made overnight, they grow over time. You can achieve incredible results if you think "smart".

First, fix a firm end-result picture in your mind. Collect pictures from all available sources -- the Internet, magazines, books, snapshots, drawings.... Use those pictures to identify the common elements of "the look" you want. Figure out how to incorporate that "feel" into your garden plan. Don't skimp on this part of the planning. If you don't dream it, you'll never have it! And be sure to write it down and sketch it out: you need some specific goals.

Second, take stock. Make sure all the elements you are hoping for will fit into your plan. Set your priorities and then look at what you already have. Figure out what you will need to add (or remove). Also evaluate your budget in terms of time and expertise, as well as finances. Be sure to include both the long and the short term.

Third, figure out the basic elements absolutely essential to getting you from where you are to where you want to be. For example, if your mental picture is one of a cottage garden bed with a brick path and riots of hollyhocks, backed by a picket fence and framed by a pair of rustic chairs, those will be the items you need to find first.

What can you do yourself, what you will need to hire out? What can you make yourself and what will you need to buy? What can you improvise or substitute to give the same effect? Often, with a little thought, you can adapt or improvise with at least some of the plants and materials already on hand or inexpensively available. In essence, what can you do to orchestrate an effect without unnecessary expense? This is not to say to cut corners, but to evaluate each element in a fairly harsh light.

Consider the brick path. Landscapers charge a fortune to install "hardscape" such as paths. In fact, a little informal brick path is well within the capabilities of most people, but it is time consuming and can be very hard work if done all at once. Bricks are expensive, but there are ways to get around that. Maybe you can locate a brickyard offering "seconds" on pavers or a hardware center having a sale on odd lots. Maybe someone in your neighborhood has a pile of left-overs out behind the garage free for the hauling.... keep your eyes open and ask your friends and neighbors to help you search. You will be amazed!