Keeping costs down may be the toughest landscape challenge. Use our price guide as a starting point for your budget.

Estimating Costs
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you shop for your yard.

Plan before you buy. Sketch your landscape design on paper before you start planting and building. Knowing exactly what you need and where you're going to put it helps avoid wasting money.

Decide how much design you want. Although it's less expensive to build a square patio or deck, it's no bargain if you find the result so unappealing that you don't use it. It may be worth it to pay a designer to create a space that you can really use.

Talk to a pro. You may not need to hire a landscape architect or designer to develop your whole project, but $50-$100 for an hour-long consultation is well worth the money if it saves you from costly mistakes later.

Buy in phases. Few people have the financial resources to landscape their property all at once. Divide your project into phases, and pay as you go with funds on hand. You'll save on loan or credit costs and be able to evaluate your progress and adjust plans before moving to the next phase.

Time your purchases. When you buy can be as important as where you buy. Lumber for outdoor projects is often cheaper during winter months. Save money on trees, shrubs, perennials, soil, and mulch by buying late in the season..

Check alternate resources. Look beyond stores and catalogs for bargains. Arboretums and botanical centers often hold plant sales, and neighbors may have extra perennials to share. Some cities offer free mulch and compost, and construction and demolition sites can be sources of bricks and stones.

Be sociable. Being neighborly cuts costs. Share the rental fee for tillers, chippers, or other heavy equipment with others on the block, then take turns and save.