If you have a large yard, keeping the whole thing looking nice can be a lot of work. Hiring professional landscape designers for this task will save you a lot of time. However, landscaping costs can add up quickly with a large piece of property. Here are a few key ways to keep costs down when working on your garden landscape design.

Choose native plants for your gardens.

When selecting plants for your garden beds, or even hedges for a hedgerow, try to stick with plants that are native to the area. This will save you money in two ways. First, native plants usually cost less since they can be started and grown more easily. Second, they need less maintenance over time, which means you'll spend less on that maintenance. You likely won't need to fertilize them or water them as often as you would a non-native plant.

Opt for wood mulch over stone.

Stone looks lovely as a landscaping mulch, but it is also quite expensive. You'll spend a lot less, overall, by opting for wood mulch. Most landscaping companies make their own mulch by grinding up old tree branches and stumps they collect from other jobs. So, they can provide the mulch to other customers at a lower cost. Plus, wood mulch breaks down over time and does double-duty as a fertilizer, so you'd spend less on fertilizer in the coming years.

Have your lawn pre-treated for pests and weeds.

With a large yard, pre-treating for pests and weeds is essential. Your landscaping team can scatter a pre-emergent herbicide to keep weeds from sprouting, and they can also spread insecticides in the spring to keep grubs and other pests away. These services are generally far less expensive than paying for insect treatment or weed removal once the weeds or insects move in. You save money with prevention.

Choose large format plants and garden beds.

Instead of including a lot of little garden beds, install a few big ones. Instead of selecting many small plants, select a few larger ones. You generally pay less for a few large-scale items than for a bunch of smaller-scale ones.

Landscaping a large yard can be costly, but it does not have to drain your wallet. Rely on the advice above to save, and don't hesitate to contact your landscaping company for additional advice. They should be able to give you a quote for various services.