How to Landscape Your Yard for Free

Landscaping can be an expensive undertaking. Even the simplest landscaping projects can drain your bank account. The amount goes up exorbitantly if you hire a landscaping company to do the work for you, and then most of your money goes to labor and not to the plants and ornamental objects in your yard. Instead of spending your hard-earned money for a few plants and dirt, landscape your yard for free.

Instructions

1. 

   Walk around your yard and see what you already have. You may have some plants that need to be moved to another area. Moving plants may be necessary because they are not getting the right amount of sunlight, or another plant may be choking the plants out. Bulbs found behind your shed will look much better surrounding a birdbath.

2. 

   Use items around your house and yard as ornamental garden art. A plastic vase from your house may look great outside on a small table under a tree, or fill the wrought-iron basket you no longer use in your kitchen with dirt and flowers. Look at each item you no longer need to see if you can find a use for it in your yard.

3. Call your local public works department to see if your community has a free mulch site. Many towns give away free mulch, though they may do so only on certain days and times. This is a good way to get nutrients onto your plants without having to buy expensive fertilizers.

4. 

   Check online for people giving away free landscaping. Classified sites and freecycling sites are good places to pick up free items. You may be surprised at how many people are willing to give away landscaping as long as you come and pick it up yourself. People often give away everything from landscaping rocks to dirt.

5. 

   Ask friends and family what landscaping they would be willing to share with you. Find a small tree in a friend's woods and transplant to your yard. Share plants by digging up extra bulbs or by splitting them in half. Hostas are an excellent plant that can be split into many sections easily; it grows quickly enough to populate your yard within a few years.

6. Trade items or work for free landscaping. You may be able to trade bulbs or plants from your own yard for someone else's bulbs or plants. This can give you established plants that are good for your planting zone. You may also try trading yard work for landscaping. Elderly people may not be able to do as much as they used to in their yards, but they may be willing to trade some of their landscaping for your work weeding their gardens.

Tips & Warnings

• Check with your state to see if you can take rocks from the sides of roads and highways.

• Call your local flooring store to see if they have old carpet or padding you can have for free.