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Garden Plans for my rental property?
I was wondering if anyone knows of a website or personal info about a garden on a rental property , i currently rent and am tired of the ugly yard and would like it to look nice without spending a ton of money any suggestions would be helpful thanks
Public Comments
- We went for a large rock garden. Left very little grass to be mowed. Renters liked it too as both worked and had little time for yard chores. Looks great with area too and several others followed our idea.
- I would say keep it simple. I have been a landscape designer for almost 10 years now and I would say one of the biggest mistakes people make is wanting to put in too much, and putting in plants that are too hard to work with. For instance: don't put in a spiral juniper if you don't have the time to prune it and keep it's shape. Just buy a regular juniper it's a lot cheaper and less work. People also have a tendency to want it to look good right now so they buy 9 plants when they only needed 5. Always check the tag or read up on the plant before you buy it. That tip will help with replacing plants that die as well. If you get a plant that only likes sun but put it in the shade you will lose money on replacements. All that said I would start with the lawn itself. It's amazing how much it will help just greening up the lawn. Buy a grass seed that is durable for your temperature zone. Fescue's are good in the north and bermuda's are good in the south. Stand in different area's of your yard to see which area's you really think are the worst. Some area's can easily be spruced up with 1-5 plants without putting in a bed. In larger area's use a garden hose to lay out where your bed's should be. Keep it as small as possible. Use as few shrubs as possible. Fill most of it in with perennials. Use perennials because they are less expensive and if you decide to move they can be easily moved with you. I would give you some plant idea's but I have no idea where you live. Hope this and these two blogs help you.
- With the permission of the owners, you can with out a lot of $$$$$ spent put in many types of gardens, if the soil is poor, a built up garden that you can add some potting soil to suit what ever plant type you decide to plant might be a good idea, and depending on what natural environment is available rocks or split rails will work to keep the dirt from washing away. (Ugly Yard usually means poor soil).... Stick with annuals unless you plan on renting there for a loooonnnng time. Perennials cost a lot more, unless you know people who would thin their perennials and give you some. With todays economy you might want to mix vegetables in with your flowers. Zuchinni makes a great dark green to mix in with tall flowers, tomatoes are a beautiful plant and also go well in a flower garden. Actually yahooing Seed Catelog, and having a seed company can give you some great landscape ideas and will have pictures of different mixes in plants that go well together, they will help you pick tall for a back drop and mid and small to terrace the look, they will tell you which ones will be pick and display in side and which will keep blooming for long periods out side. you can get all this from a local nursery but not with all the pictures and not at 3 am or when ever you have time to browse, after you chose what you want, then you can buy it anywhere. any garden you put in will be prettier than an ugly yard....
- I would also encouage you to think about lettuce and herbs. There's nothing quite as satisfying and tasty as growing your own salad.And, lettuce is easy to grow. Also, when it comes to color and easy plants, I would suggest coleus. Maybe add a couple of rose bushes, no climbers on rental properties but maybe some 3-5 feet rose selections and you've got easy, pretty landscape. For the most simple plan, I would put the coleus at the front, put a few roses behind them and add a few annual flowers for quick color. But, don't forget the lettuce, which can save on those food dollars as well as being pretty, you might want to try spinach too. Look for varieties in a seed catalog or on the web that say, tolerates heat or heat tolerant. By the way, everything I've mentioned can be grown in a pot to save the digging. And one of the easiest care plants of all is the lily. And it's gorgeous. Last year, when the flowers were fading, I placed pumpkins throughout the gardens for color and seasonal interest. When I tired of looking at the pumpkins, I gave them to someone who'd expressed an interest in making pies. And, at the end of the summer, you can plant spinach or cabbage for a fall treat, that is if you like spinach or cabbage.
