Have you recently moved into a new home? Does the landscaping of your new home leave much to be desired? When you look at your yard, it can be difficult to decide exactly how to proceed, especially if you're on a limited budget. If you're having trouble coming up with landscaping ideas that won't leave your wallet completely empty, here are some tips for you to take into consideration:

Work with your land, not against it: If you have large trees on your property, they may cast deep shadows on your lawn that can make it difficult for grass to grow. Many homeowners struggle against nature, spending countless dollars on fertilizer and other items that they think may help the grass grow thick and lush. But a lack of light isn't something that can be easily fixed by throwing money at it, so the grass is likely to simply die anyway. Instead of throwing away money on items that won't help your situation, consider planting a shade-loving garden instead of a lawn. Plants like hostas or bleeding hearts are well known for tolerating low levels of light. For ground cover, various mosses are sometimes appropriate. Instead of dying grass, you and your neighbors will be greeted with the vibrant greens and other colors from the plants in your shade garden.

Add a fish pond: Sometimes, the soil in an area is entirely unsuited to growing any sort of plant at all. The soil may be too rocky or too full of clay or have any number of soil deficiencies. You could spend a lot of money enhancing and enriching the soil, but a faster and easier option may be to add a fish pond. With suitable pond liners, you can grow a number of aquatic plants in an area that would otherwise be devoid of any plant life at all. The pond itself may help make the area around it feel cooler and, with the right pond liners, you can have a pond that looks almost completely natural. Whether you want a pond that is a simple shape or ones that have more complex waterfalls and other features, a pond liner manufacturer can help you find what you need for any budget. No matter what you choose, a good pond can become a focal point of your yard.

Get to know your neighbors: Get to know the neighbors who have been in your area for a long time. Look at their yards. If they also have attractive ponds in their yards, ask them for tips. If they have plants that are flourishing in their yard, but that supposedly don't grow well in your zone, find out how they're keeping the plants healthy and alive. Once you get to know your neighbors, they may even offer you plants or cuttings to grow in your own yard. Not only will this save you money that you would have had to spend at the local plant nursery, you know that they are well-adapted to your specific area and haven't just been flown in from another state with a wildly different climate.