5 Landscaping Hacks to Reduce Yard Work
We don’t have as much time as we would like in a day and because of this, we often landscape only when we can. This means we want to save as much time as possible making our lawn look nice and attractive. How can we do that without paying someone else to do our landscaping for us? We have a few landscaping hacks that you can use to save yourself time and money. These ideas work well in the long run and can save you time immediately.
Our Landscaping Hacks
These landscaping hacks are not supposed to take the fun out of your landscaping. For many people, it's a hobby they wish they had more time for, and these strategies make it easier to complete your landscaping work in the limited time you have. For people who landscape because they need to rather than they want to, these strategies can make the process more bearable.
#1. Add Mulch Around Your Trees
When the trees drop their leaves, you have to spend the time raking them up, gathering them together, and throwing them away. This can take up a whole weekend. While it's fun for some people to gather them all together and then jump in it, not everyone has that kind of time.
Instead, you can maximize your time and resources by using the leaves as fertilizer. Instead of placing them at the curb on the road, you can lay down a mulch bed around your tree, and place the leaves on it. Most will fall on the mulch naturally, and they’ll mix into fertilizer for the tree.
This landscaping hack works best on smaller trees where the leaves won’t overflow over the mulch, but you can try this with larger trees too. It should still take less time to rake leaves around the tree they fell from than to rake them into a pile you have to move. It’s also better for your tree and will help in its longevity.
#2. Build Paths With Stone Pavers
When you’re building your yard and trying to make it safe to walk through, it’s common to make paths. You can do this with dirt, rocks, or stones, but stones are arguably the best option when it comes to making your lawn easier to mow.
With dirt, the ground is uneven, and with rocks, they can get sucked up into your lawn mower. In both instances, your lawn mower can be damaged or hurt someone. Both of these options are less than ideal, so you’ll likely have to make concessions by mowing around them, making it difficult to finish the task and do a good job.
What you can do instead is lay down flat stone pavers, or pavers made with other materials. They’re easy to roll your mower over, and they’re too heavy to be sucked up. You won’t have to worry about any danger when mowing your lawn.
#3. Install Mowing Borders
If you have gardens that are level with the rest of your lawn or you have a driveway that isn’t, it would be worth making a mowing border with pavers. With this, you don’t have to go out of your way to make sure you’re mowing only the grass. Unless you’re running as you’re mowing your lawn, a mowing border shouldn’t damage your mower. It’s a small thing that will make a difference and make the landscaping process easier. Don’t worry about mowing something you didn’t want to cut.
#4. Spray Your Shovel With Silicone
Whenever you use a shovel, whether for snow, moving dirt, digging up holes, or laying down mulch, something is going to stick to it. Odds are, more and more of whatever you’re shoveling will stick to it, so over time you’re carrying a lot of weight, but laying less down. This not only slows you down but leaves your shovel covered in whatever it’s supposed to be moving.
Save yourself time shoveling and cleaning by spraying your shovel front and back with silicone spray. This will make almost everything unable to stick to your shovel. This will help you shovel more efficiently, and you won’t have to spend as much time cleaning afterward.
#5. Plant Pots in the Ground With the Plant
If you have a flower or plant that you don’t want to take resources from other plants–like a sunflower–plant them in a pot, then plant the pot in the ground. They’ll grow to a controlled size and their roots will be separate from other plants. This saves you time trying to get rid of weeds and other invasive plants.
Check Pioneer Landscape Centers to Get Help
Pioneer Landscape Centers has the supplies you need to put any of these landscaping hacks into practice. Whether it’s mulch, stone pavers, or tools, we have you covered. If you’re unsure how something works or have a landscaping hack of your own, bring your idea to your local Pioneer Landscape Centers. Our experts can help you with anything you need. Contact us today.