Cheap Ways to Dress Up Your Landscape

Sprucing up your landscape doesn't have to mean breaking the bank with expensive projects like a brand-new patio or a garden full of new plantings. Making just a few small changes to your yard can help give it a fresh, polished look. If you're on a budget, concentrate on inexpensive changes or additions that will have the biggest impact so your landscaping dollar stretches as far as it can.

If your yard feels messy and chaotic, defining spaces within the landscape can help make it look more orderly and put-together. Create specific areas based on your needs, such as a play area for the kids, a lounge area for reading and a dining area. In some cases, you may just need to rearrange your outdoor furniture and accessories to create "rooms" within your landscape. On a large patio, a few outdoor rugs can help create definition between the various areas. Adding an arbor or pergola can also help -- use an arbor to mark the entrance to your garden or place your dining area under a pergola to separate it from the rest of the yard.

With a little paint, you can dress up your landscape without spending much money. If your fence is starting to look dingy or worn, apply a fresh coat of white paint to brighten up the yard. A garden or garage wall can also look fresh with a new paint shade, or use bold, bright paint colors like turquoise or yellow to spruce up old pots and planters. Dress up a plain concrete patio that’s seen better days by applying a masonry stain in a rich brown or warm amber shade. If you’re feeling creative, use two shades of the stain to create a checkerboard design on your patio that instantly makes the landscape look more posh.

If your landscape has a wild, untamed feel, adding a simple path or walkway through the space can help it look more finished. Paving materials like pavers and bricks can be costly, though, so opt for crushed rock instead. It is available in a variety of colors, which allows you to choose a shade that complements your landscape. Simple plastic or metal edging can hold the loose stones in place, but you’ll need to rent a plate compactor from your local home supply store to flatten the surface beneath the walkway before laying the gravel.

For a landscape that looks less than impressive after dark, adding some lighting can help improve its look without breaking the bank. If your yard features specific focal points that you wish to show off like a fountain or statue, use a spotlight to illuminate the feature. Or use pathway lights to brighten your walkways so you can safely walk through your garden after dark. If you’re on a strict budget, inexpensive white string lights can dress up your landscape in a hurry. Wind the strands through deck railings or around an arbor or pergola to create soft mood lighting. You can even wrap them around tree branches or shrubs to highlight specific plantings in your yard.