{"id":777,"date":"2026-05-27T13:35:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=777"},"modified":"2026-05-27T13:35:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:35:25","slug":"beautiful-yard-without-the-big-bill-how-to-save-on-your-outdoor-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=777","title":{"rendered":"Beautiful yard without the big bill: How to save on your outdoor space"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Keeping a yard and garden looking healthy during the hottest months of the year can come with a hefty price tag and big water bill.<\/p>\n

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“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but it’s still up,” said Debby Manning, who’s planning a large landscaping project for her yard this summer. “If we would have bought two years ago, we would have saved some money.”<\/p>\n

Inflation, high gas and diesel prices, and tariffs on imported goods all have the cost of making that backyard oasis higher than ever.<\/p>\n

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Luckily, there are ways to have a beautiful outdoor space without spending a fortune.<\/p>\n

Watch as a garden center owner shows how to have a beautiful yard on a budget:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Plants and garden supplies more expensive than ever: ways to save<\/div>\n
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Save on water <\/b><\/p>\n

At Denny McKeown’s Bloomin Garden Centre & Landscaping in Cincinnati, owner Chris McKeown can rattle off a list of plants and flowers that don\u2019t require much watering at all.<\/p>\n

“Zinnias or periwinkle, once they’re established, you’re watering them once a week,” McKeown said. “These aren’t the plants for people that invested in a sprinkler system.”<\/p>\n

On the flip side, he said overwatering is a common mistake \u2014 especially with hanging plants.<\/p>\n

“They love them so much they kill them with kindness and they overwater them,” McKeown said.<\/p>\n

The garden “extras”<\/b> <\/p>\n

When shopping for your yard, McKeown believes fertilizer is a nice supplement, but not a necessity.<\/p>\n

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Mulch is important for suppressing weeds and retaining moisture in hot temperatures, but just like water, it’s possible to overdo it. Experts recommend keeping mulch to about 1 to 1.5 inches at most.<\/p>\n

“You can have too much mulch and then it works against you,” McKeown said. “Then the water can’t penetrate down to the soil where it should be.”<\/p>\n

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Know your region<\/b> <\/p>\n

To ensure your flowers and plants last all summer, avoid spending money on food for deer or other little foragers.<\/p>\n

“We’re looking for something that’s native to the area and something that would be deer-resistant because that’s a big problem in our area,” said shopper Liz Mann.<\/p>\n

If you live in a region dealing with an invasive species \u2014 like the box tree moth that attacks boxwoods \u2014 McKeown advises shoppers to ask about alternatives before buying.<\/p>\n

“An inkberry holly is a great alternative, and you don’t have to worry about the insect and the blight problems that are happening with the boxwood,” McKeown said.<\/p>\n

He also suggests “globe” or dwarf arborvitae, another plant that resembles a boxwood from the street, but is immune to the damaging box tree moth.<\/p>\n

Get help from local experts<\/b> <\/p>\n

A local garden center expert can share insider knowledge to help you buy plants that are right for your yard and your budget.<\/p>\n

Take rhododendrons that thrive in mature soil, for example.<\/p>\n

“You’ve got to have really, really good soil to have rhododendrons,” McKeown said. “If you live in a newer subdivision where they take away all the good soil and just leave the clay soil, rhododendrons aren’t for you.”<\/p>\n

So take advice from the folks at your local garden center who know plants best, so you don\u2019t waste your money.<\/p>\n

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