Landscaping does not have to be expensive. You can create your dream landscape by thinking around ideas, looking for inspiration and a little experimentation.

Hard landscaping is the most expensive part of planning any landscape but there are ways in which you can save money.

Firstly, use locally sourced materials. A lot of the cost of materials like stone, bricks and rocks is in the transportation so by using local products you immediately take out this additional cost. It is also better for the environment because petrol is saved. You can also re-use materials form one part of thelandscape in another. For example if you remove a patio think about how you can use the pavers elsewhere.

Many builders' supply companies offer cheaper reclaimed bricks and stones. These often come in a good range of colours and have character and a sense of history which modern materials cannot give. A feature can look like it has always been there if reclaimed bricks are used. Buy them to fit in with your landscape theme or the property if possible.

Re-use within the site itself. This saves transport, time for delivery and a lot of cost. If excavating for a pond , bed, patio or foundations, look at the soil and if it is topsoil, it can be re-used. Subsoil is a little harder because it is often poor but it can be used for foundation layers for new beds too.

You can create rockeries from topsoil dug out from pond building or where you have dug down to create a patio or new seating area. It saves on having to pay for the soil to be removed too.

Plants often make a landscape and you can save money here too. Plan ahead and start gathering cuttings, divisions, tubers, rhizomes and even seeds from friends and relatives. Keep them in a small area in pots until you are ready to use them, plan how to use them and then plant them when you are ready. Make sure the site suits the plants to avoid costly failures and you can get a well planted garden at a fraction of the cost of buying all new ones.

Once your plants are established you can divide perennials, take cuttings, seeds and offsets to continually propagate the plants in your garden. Plant swaps are really popular and allow you to share your plant materials, avoiding the garden centre mark-ups, while having a regular supply of fresh plantings for your landscape.

Use raised or well marked out beds in your landscape. This means you will avoid wasting fertilisers on areas of ground where you do not intend to grow plants and also means you do not have to prepare or dig areas which will not be used to grow things on. You can leave paths instead.

Mow paths in lawns to avoid having to lay hard landscaping. This creates a lovely soft effect and avoids the needs to mow the rest of the grass as often as well as materials.

Bottles can be crushed to make wonderful mulches. It takes a little time to get rid of all the hard edges and a good hammer and patience is needed but the colors in the glass make a lovely reflective mulch for pots, containers and raised beds.

Start a compost heap and use it to give your plants feeds and mulch, which saves time and money buying fertilisers, watering and also means you need to dig the ground far less.

Keep larger branches and split them to provide edging for beds and paths - they also prove a great benefit for the insect population of your garden who in turn wil help reduce unwanted pests. The insects will also attract birds - whch eat all mannerof bad things, so you save having to buy pesticides.

Landscaping can cost as much or as little as you want. Inexpensive ideas do take a little more time and it may take longer to get the ideal landscape but the landscaping will be original and full of character.

Learn more about this author, Sammy Stein.
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