Useful Landscaping Tips

These tools and techniques are used by professional landscapers to make quick work of yard and garden tasks. Steal their ideas and make more efficient use of your gardening time and money.

Get a Tarp

Use a tarp to move lightweight bulky debris like leaves, weeds, and even brush. Use it to hold soil when digging a hole, to keep the grass clean. Use it to cover plants in the back of the truck when driving home from the nursery.

Use Weed Fabric Strategically

Landscape fabric is most useful under gravel or mulch walkways to keep the material from sinking into the soil. Skip the weed barrier fabric in planted areas. It only provides a short-term sense of accomplishment until the weeds start growing in the mulch on top of the fabric.

Create an Edge

Make a natural edge around beds instead of buying plastic or metal edging. Edging is useful to give a particular look to the landscape. However,a natural edge allows for easier maintenance over the long term and provides more flexibility for changes to the landscape.

Use Starter Fertilizer

Use a starter fertilizer whenever you plant anything. Starter fertilizers can provide a tremendous boost to new plantings. The best products have low nitrogen, a bit more phosphorous, and most importantly mycorrhizae-beneficial fungi that help to greatly increase the soil area from which plant roots draw their sustenance. A good starter fertilizer combined with good planting technique is an awesome insurance policy.

Choose Wisely Between Bulk and Bagged

Choose wisely between bulk and bagged mulch, soil, and stone. Buy bulk material when it can be dumped on the spot where it will be spread. Buy bagged material if it must be moved again after delivery. Both of these strategies will save time, work and money.

Garden Tools

Only buy good quality tools. The best quality may be a bit too costly, and an unnecessary expense for weekend DIYers. Cheap tools are likely to break in the middle of the first job. Save money and time by buying good quality at value prices.