5 Top cost saving tips on landscaping your NZ garden

Landscaping the garden in New Zealand can be an expensive exercise. Not only is it labour intensive but the material cost of landscaping constructing structures or purchasing the plants can easily add up. Here are a few tips to help you save money on your landscaping without sacrificing the quality and desired beauty.

Tip 1: Make sure you have a plan
A plan like a roadmap. This should be the foundation of your project to help show the structure of your garden as well as to estimate the cost, time and effort required to accomplish this dream. The strengths of good landscapers lie in being able to translate your dream into reality with the understanding the contours and conditions of your outdoor space. In NZ, many landscapers are happy to be contracted to do the designing of the garden while you do the planting yourself. A landscaper can provide you with a sketch of what the garden will look like. This plan will have the number and types of plants marked as well as any structures.

Tip 2: Use your landscaper wisely
Be upfront about your landscaping budget. A professional landscaper would try their very best to keep under your budget. Also remember to have a little left in your pocket for any unforseen circumstances. This will save both parties time and the pain in coming to an agreement. Ask your professional landscaper to help you with a timetable on phasing out the installation with the estimated associated costs at each stage, so that it is easier on the pocket. You can also ask your landscaper to construct the bulk of the difficult structural changes or plant the large plants. You can then get some mates together to get the rest of the garden finished off.

Tip 3: Have options on plants
Your landscaper will be able to advise you on the alternative plants possible without compromising the feel and design of your garden. This is so that you can make a better decision and take advantage of any sales or specials there might be on the desired plants as to when you’re visiting a garden centre Furthermore, this is a good way not to make sure that you don’t make a mistake of buying things that you don’t need which can be a huge cost saver.

Tip 4: Younger plants are cheaper than mature plants
Ask your landscaper what is the ideal age (or height) of plants you should be getting as well as what is the minimum height or age you can consider. It is always tempting to buy younger plants as they tend to be cheaper than mature plants. However, with younger plants not only will you have to be patient to see what the garden will also look like but will need more looking after as the risk of the plants dying or not growing into the desired shape or structure is higher. You’ll have to weigh this up against more costly mature plants which will require less maintenance with already some structure to it.

Tip 5: Quality plants are important
Cheaper is not always better. Make sure that the plants you’re buying look healthy. If they’re already struggling before they’re planted, than you’ll be buying a dud! Furthermore, if the plants you buy are diseased or have insect problems, it might spread to your other landscaping and you might be replanting not only the new plants that have died but also your other plants!

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