4 Little DIY Landscaping Tips

Throughout our journey of homeownership and house projects, sub-ing out landscaping has proven to be a consistent disappointment. (With one exception: the landscaper we used at The Craigslist House) Generally, when it comes to landscaping, if you want something done right, at times you just have to do it yourself.

In this post, we share 4 quick little tips for DIY landscaping while re-visiting a Father’s Day several years ago when our little family spent an entire day at The Hole-y Colonial Flip giving it a facelift to prep for listing.

 

Here are 4 little tips when tackling a DIY landscaping project:

Most DIY landscaping projects require modest monetary input and a whole lot of sweat, but rest assured, your yard can turn heads without breaking the bank. Not to mention, curb appeal directly effects the resale value & marketability of your home.

1. Choose Your Plants Wisely

When choosing plants for your garden beds, keep in mind not only sun requirements, but also their size at maturity and hardiness. You’d hate to plant a boxwood thinking it would be one size only to find out later that variety grows three times larger than you anticipated and is now crowding your $300 Japanese Maple!

For standard flip house landscaping, we gravitate towards simple evergreens (bonus if they produce flowers one season) Our favorite plants are: Gardenias, Boxwoods, Pencil Hollies, Azaleas, and variegated monkey grass. These selections are cost effective, hardy, and look good against most front elevations.

2. Consider Plant Spacing & Start Digging

Take the time to space your plants appropriately before picking up the shovel. It’s a rule of thumb while decorating interiors to choose items in odd numbers: groups of 3’s or 5’s look the best. The same applies to your plants. *TIP*: Staggering your plants a bit help to give the illusion that there are more plants than there are.

As you start digging the holes, be sure to dig them deeper and wider than you think, then before placing the plant in the ground backfill with fresh, nutrient rich soil and loosen the roots. This will help give the plants their best chance of survival and long-term health.

3. Edge your Beds

Make your DIY job look pro level by edging your garden beds. We aren’t talking about just dragging your shovel behind you to make a line. No. Cut a deep edge all around the bed using a flat bottom shovel, kind of like a narrow trench. This way, when you lay your fresh layer of mulch or pine straw, it falls nicely into place without washing away at the next rainfall.

4. Invest in a Soaker Hose

Last, but not least, keep those freshly planted babies alive by watering often. Honestly, who has time for that, though? A soaker hose is a great solution, especially during the hot months of summer. Totally worth it to avoid replanting and wasting money.

Read more on the Hole-y Colonial Flip House

Head over to the Flips page for more before and after pictures of the Hole-y Colonial House. There, you can read the story behind this flip and find several other renovation projects, including how we found, funded and renovated the properties.