Backyard Landscaping Ideas for the Budget-Conscious

Backyard landscaping under ideal circumstances requires the precision of an architect with the eye of an Impressionist artist. Both of which would cost you an arm and leg to hire, by the way. The good news is that homeowners who want both a landscaped backyard and a little bit of money left in the bank can still manage to have it all. Backyard landscaping doesn't have to be ideal. It merely has to please your sensibilities, fit into your budget and utilize quality products. The years that I spent working with a local landscaping company in Atlanta provided me with enough experience that I can help with the first, provide some guidance on the second and guarantee the third by recommending that you always go with the best materials you can afford. Sound like a plan? Good, then let's get started with some basics of backyard landscaping for those without unlimited access to cash.

• Budget Walkway

The most affordable and easiest to construct walkway that guides you and any visitors to the centerpiece of your backyard landscaping design is a straight line. That one-way way path from your porch, patio or deck to a landscaping cornerstone like a garden, pool or outdoor kitchen could quite possibly produce enough savings over a more intricate walkway to allow for upgrade from gravel to bricks or from bricks to flagstone.

• Small Yard Landscaping

Just because the size of the backyard targeted for landscaping roughly parallels the amount of money you have to spend is no reason why it cannot ultimately be a work of exterior art. You could save enough money by carefully backing away from the most expensive plants, paving materials and lighting to splurge on something amazing like an outdoor fireplace. An outdoor fireplace artfully designed to make the most of limited property can become such an unexpected backyard landscaping idea that most of your visitors will never even notice that you cut corners on some of the less dramatic landscaping elements.

• Frugal Maintenance

When drawing up a budget for your backyard landscaping dream, keep in mind that sometimes a little more money spent upfront can actually be a way of saving money over the long term. The word "landscaping" probably brings up images of gardens, flowers beds, trees and grass. Not only do all those landscaping elements cost money to buy, they continue chewing away at your bank account over their life cycle. Gravel used as ground cover for a backyard with just a few precisely located plants makes much more sense for the frugal homeowner.

• Back (Yard) Court

Would you believe that one backyard landscaping idea for the budget-conscious could leave you with your very own private sports complex? Not to mention also being quite the frugal choice when it comes to backyard maintenance. Your backyard may be a little too expansive to completely overhaul with all the things that landscaping has to offer. So afford what you can and then cut your future costs even more by ridding yourself of the long-term expensive of maintaining that lush greenery by covering it with a hard playing surface. A wall on one end and a goal on the other would allow the family to play handball and basketball at the same time. Let that superstar athlete that lives within you decide on exactly how to plan this surprisingly budget-conscious landscaping scheme for a big backyard.