Budget Friendly Landscape ideas

[elmonshea]

Spring time and I do not want to put out alot of $$$$ to spruce up the yard.
Wondering if you have any tips and any ideas to fix it up for cheap..
DIY things I need to do but have questions?

*How to get rid of unwanted grass? (cracks in driveway and in flower beds)

* We have a HUGE area for a play set that is blocked off with wooden square logs and filled with rocks.... Grass is growing in it and we are getting ready to buy a big playset... What to do with the rocks? I do not want to dig them all up but scared kids will fall and get hurt. What is that stuff that they have at playgrounds that is black and soft (where can you get it at?)

* We bought this house last fall and now that they greenery is coming out I have noticed a few dead shrubs and small trees. Do I have to dig them up and plant new ones or is there a chance they will bloom later? (if not dead and just poorly planted)

* I am terrible with flowers (I always kill them) I would like to plant some that I know I can not mess up with and will withstand my bad luck green thumb... Any suggestions? (we live in TN)

* Since we have bought this house, the yard is alot bigger then the last. It has alot of surrounding trees. Can you recommend a good lawnmower with the leaves and grass catcher bag on it?

Thank You for any advice and/or tips

 

[redlawyer]

Okay, here's my two cents worth. To kill the grass you can use vinegar or boiling water. It might take two applications, but it will kill it. Its safer and cheaper than any chemicals you can buy. Its probably easier to pull the grass from your beds, so you don't have to worry about killing the good plants.

The black soft stuff under playgrounds is most likely shredded rubber. You might try a landscaping company that sells mulch and see if they carry that. Or you can try "playground chips" small chips of wood to put beneath the swingset. I think the government calls for 12" underneath swings, but I think you can get away with much less.

Its still early for some bushes to leaf out. Give them a few more weeks to really see if they are dead. You can get really decent prices at Lowe's this spring, if you really have to replace any.

Daffodils are a huge bang for your buck. The always come back year after year and deer don't eat them. Try Brent and Beckys on the web. They have great bulbs. Good luck.

 

[Sagginit]

you did not ask about it but since you have children and a large yard i highly reccomend growing some veggies, or at least herbs. i get mine in bio-degradable pots from home depot, last year they had them buy one get one free on a sunday in spring. herbs can be very pretty too, if you get the right ones and let them grow freely the will flower and i find them to be low maintenance and some of mine from last year are already growing back in.

i live in NJ and we always have good luck with impatiens, they seem to thrive here with a bit of shade.

i have gotten some good tips from http://browse.realsimple.com/home-organizing/gardening/index.html

 

[semo233]

Go to your local garden center and ask lots of questions and get suggestions for plants that might work in your situation and area. Take a look on Craigs List or Free cycle to see if you can buy or dig up some plants from someone who doesn't want them. Neighbors and family might be cleaning up, cleaning out and thinning out some of their plants also. You might find listings throughout the year, as some plants are best transplanted or thinned out at different times. If someone is willing to give you a cutting of most plants, you can dip the stem into rooting compound and grow your own (not sure if this works with woody plants like shrubs, but worth a try!)
I found a huge patch of pachysandra in the woods...free to dig up and transplant.
For hard to kill plants, depends upon where you want to plant them. In my area, I find lilies (perennial) and sunflowers (annuals) to be really easy. Lilies come back year after year and I simply save the flowers from the sunflowers when they go to seed. I even seperate the seeds into small medium and large plants so that I know where to plant them. Another flowering plant that thrives for me is the cleome or spider flower(annuals that reseed themselves). They are really easy to gather seeds from in the fall too if you wish to share or spread elsewhere).
For lots of free information, advice and some sharing too, check out gardenweb.com. They have many forums and lots of experts too!

 

[a1tinkfans]

HOSTA, they tolerate Everything and are beyond hardy and you cannot kill them...they will also mutiply so nexy year they will be even bigger, they can go anywhere.
I would avoid that Rubber stuff" there are many write ups and alleged links to cancers........not worth it to me....
You can use Pea gravel which are small. very small round, dare I say soft rocks that can be delivered from many landscape type places and are not expensive. It is easily maintained, nothing to do, once in a while we'd rake it flat and use blower if leaves stuff blows on it....It can be dumped on your driveway and you can wheel it in the yard or hire some locals to do it for you, its more expensive to have landscaper do it...
As far as plants go....use Pots instead, or hanging baskets on the poles...so much easier to maintain and it looks pretty with splashes of color...impatiens, pansies, maybe a dracena spike (they stand upright, tall spikes to get varying heights) looks pretty...my suggestion is get a color theme, not mixing 20 different colors, but thats just me.
As far as driveway, UGH, you can get stuff at the hardware store to fill in the cracks if you are not ready to fix/replace it all....
And as far as an area that needs refreshing...buy bags of the non color changing mulch and spread it...neatens it up and looks great.
Congrats in new house and good luck!

 

[semo233]

HOSTA, they tolerate Everything and are beyond hardy and you cannot kill them...they will also mutiply so nexy year they will be even bigger, they can go anywhere.

Although they come back year after year, the deer love them!! You will need some kind of repellent if you go with hosta. I also love their lush look though!

 

[Soulsearching]

Plants that you cannot kill and that you can split year after year are:

Hostas - they come in many different colors and can be planted just about anywhere - you can split them in half as they get bigger and immediately replant them in another part of the yard for more color. You cannot kill them. If you get a lot of deer, they will be the first to be eaten.

My favorite the Scarlet Carpet Roses

Beautiful color year after year, found them at home depot selling for $5.00. One of the best investments I have made to my landscape. Absolutely no care needed. The deer has not touch them.

Another favorite the Zegrab Coreopsis;

They are so hardy, no green thumb needed and the Deer do not eat them. You can split them year after year and they spread fast. They will give your landscape a beautiful bright yellow flower.

Good luck with your Garden!

 

[DH-2-mamaduck]

*How to get rid of unwanted grass? (cracks in driveway and in flower beds)

- Yes, the vinegar works as already suggested. Good natural way, otherwise Roundup works. Most think it is a very nasty chemical, but really the secret ingredient is just very strong nitrogen, thus burning the plant.

* We have a HUGE area for a play set that is blocked off with wooden square logs and filled with rocks.... Grass is growing in it and we are getting ready to buy a big playset... What to do with the rocks? I do not want to dig them all up but scared kids will fall and get hurt. What is that stuff that they have at playgrounds that is black and soft (where can you get it at?)

You will want to remove the rocks and you can use them for other areas of landscaping. I have 20 tons of rocks around my house and then mulch everywhere else. I don't like the mulch by the house as it does decay and can get mold and if your windows are open, you can smell it in the house (well, i can anyways as I have a very sensitive sense of smell - DW says it is because I can't hear).

I dislike the ground up rubber tires. Kids feet turn black and every playground I go to that has it, the stuff is everywhere - out in the grass, in the lake/pond... I do not suggest wood-chips/mulch as kids love to be bare-foot and wood = slivers. You also have the wood decay/mold as it does hold moisture and i'm sure you don't want the added expense of drainage tile.

That leaves two choices. Pea rock or washed sand. I use sand myself in my playground, but the pea rock works as well. Kids like to build things with the sand, it is soft, but disadvantage is they get dirty.

* We bought this house last fall and now that they greenery is coming out I have noticed a few dead shrubs and small trees. Do I have to dig them up and plant new ones or is there a chance they will bloom later? (if not dead and just poorly planted)

You may want to give it some time too see what exactly does come up. If you don't like it, you can either dig it up and relocate it, donate to someone else, or kill it. I do not know the TN climate, so can't really comment about how dormant stuff goes there and when it comes out. I am in MN and some of the perennials are starting to grow but shrubs are still sleeping.

* I am terrible with flowers (I always kill them) I would like to plant some that I know I can not mess up with and will withstand my bad luck green thumb... Any suggestions? (we live in TN)

You say you are terrible with flowers as in "don't water them and they die," well that is where you will like plants in your yard. You should (may) never have to water them! If you don't like replanting every year, then skip the annuals and go for the perennials. You can have a few annuals for your door step, hanging baskets, planter box...etc that you can do every year if you like.

Some plants require maintenance every spring or fall. You have to cut back dead foliage/stalks and don't forget much needs to be replenished every few years. You may want to avoid trees/shrubs with fruit/berries/nuts.

Look to see what all your neighbors have for plants. Talk to your local nursery or Extension service. If you have any schools around that have Horticulture class, talk to the teacher. They always need projects to work on, so could be your chance to get free design work and possibly discounted plants. It is also cheaper in the fall (by me) to purchase plants as the Nursery’s are looking to unload inventory. You can talk to neighbors if they are dividing plants, you could get some freebies (of course may be a bit funny asking them). Every year I usually have something(s) I am giving away.

* Since we have bought this house, the yard is a lot bigger then the last. It has a lot of surrounding trees. Can you recommend a good lawnmower with the leaves and grass catcher bag on it?

I have a Craftsman from Sears that is nice. John Deere is expensive but good. Yard Machine is made by same company that makes Sears Craftsman. It all comes down to how much you want to spend.

Maybe post some pictures of your yard and/or do a sketch. What way is North? How much is always shaded and how much is full sun? And the good thing is that you do not have to do it all at once. It has been 6 years since I built my house and still working on the yard. You can do it all or most yourself. Only thing I didn't do was the curbing. Good luck and have fun!

Here are a few pics below, and if you want, go take a look at the rest here: http://s306.photobucket.com/albums/nn261/servocam/Landscaping/ (PM for password)