Many new homeowners fantasize about transforming their yards in the afternoon. Instead, the first landscaping tip for beginners is to figure out when you’ll have time (over a series of weeks) to work on building your yard out. Set aside a few weekend mornings or afternoons for larger projects, like mulching and planting, plus a few weekday evening sessions for smaller projects, like shopping for supplies or taking control of smaller sections of your yard.
And don’t forget that once the initial planting stops, your job isn’t over. You’ll need to dedicate a few hours a month (or more, depending on how extensive your landscaping ideas are) to weeding, re-planting, and taking general care of your yard. Otherwise, all your hard work and success will be replaced with weeds and disappointed spouses.
Plants beautify and diversify a landscape, but they aren’t cheap. The next thing beginning landscapers should keep in mind is factoring plants into your budget. Set aside funds for seedlings and mulch, and an additional amount for regular maintenance costs, like new equipment, fertilizer, and any professional care you’ll see for your yard. While each yard and each design will have different costs, you can expect to spend at least a few hundred dollars at the very beginning.
Another consideration in your budget: is storage space. A shed, although sometimes necessary, isn’t the most attractive addition to any yard, especially a small one where it dominates the landscape.
