by G. Kunkel

Created on: July 02, 2008   Last Updated: May 02, 2010

Landscaping around the home has traditionally been an expensive undertaking. One hires a professional landscaper who designs and installs the new garden landscaping often costing thousands of dollars.  For the thrifty-minded, a much less expensive option is a do-it-yourself project that involves trips to the home improvement center, the nurseryman, and the hardscape supplier. Are there more ways to save when installing a new garden landscape? Of course there are! Let's cover a few additional ways to save money when installing that new garden landscape.

There are two elements in landscaping: the hardscaping and the softscaping. The hardscape includes the structural elements built from stone, brick, and lumber. The softscape comprises the horticultural elements.

If you are adding hardscaping, there are alternatives to the traditional routes. The best place to start looking is your local Craigslist. People frequently order too much landscaping material or they are changing out their landscaping and need a quick way to get rid of it. The free section on Craigslist is a great way to get used brick, lumber, river rock, decorative rock, edging, and mulch. What is the best thing about using Craigslist? It's free! All you need is a truck, shovel, and a wheelbarrow.

If you still need to use the hardscape supplier, it is still possible to save money. Before checking out the yard to look at rock or flagstone, ask an employee if anything is on sale. Sometimes they have odd lots leftover or too much of one type in stock. It may take patience and prodding but I've always found a deal within my budget without compromising my hardscape plans.

Once you have the hardscape installed its time to start thinking about the nurseryman. You will probably be looking for trees, bushes, perennials, and annuals. Plants of any size are not cheap. There can be exceptions. Once again, check the free section of your local Craigslist. People are always dividing plants and giving some away or are changing the plants. With a shovel and some searching, you can find quite an assortment.

If you need to visit the nursery, bargains can still be found. Again, you will need to ask around about any current sales, upcoming sales, or bargain plants. In the spring, many nurseries will have plants left over from the previous planting season and are discounted heavily. Typically these are trees that over-wintered in pots instead of in the ground. If they were properly watered during the winter they are

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