5 Plants To Help Decorate Your Yard On A Budget

Landscaping your yard doesn't have to cost a fortune.

With some patience and hard work, your garden can be filled with colorful foliage and a host of flowers in a short amount of time. 

1. Caladiums 

Caladiums are beautiful plants for your garden. When you buy potted caladiums, make sure they have plenty of leaves. By doing this, you will be able to pull the plants out of the soil gently and plant each tuber, at the base of the leaf, in different areas of your garden. Over time, the caladiums will continue to grow more leaves. Caladiums are easy to take care of with the right amount of shade, and will come back year after year without much work. If you live in the southern regions, you can leave the tubers in the ground to grow the following spring and summer. In colder areas, you will need to remove them from the ground, store for the winter months, and replant the next season. 

2. Mexican Petunias 

Mexican petunias are a beautiful, leafy plant that grows light-colored purple flowers which fall off at the end of each day. In more southern regions, the plant will grow throughout the year, although it might not bloom as often in the cooler months. To create several plants from one, cut the stems down low and place in a jug of water. Once the stems root, you will be able to plant them in the ground. Mexican petunias are notorious for taking over gardens if not well maintained, so be sure to plant with the expectation that you will have to trim them back on occasion.

3. Multiflora Petunias 

Multiflora petunias are easy to propogate, so a few will end up going a long way in your garden. The multiflora breed does much better in the rain than other petunias. Be sure to pinch or shear mid-season, both for the health of the plant and so the flowers will return in a short time later. 

4. Lantanas 

Lantana plants have small but abundant flowers which come in an array of colors. They are easy to cultivate and grow, both in containers and in the ground. Lantanas can be transplanted and placed around trees, and over time will continue to grow abundantly, filling in empty spaces. The flowers love the warmer weather and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Lantanas grow as a perennial in the warmer regions. 

5. Marigolds 

Marigolds are hearty flowers that have a vibrant orange and yellow bloom. This plant works well in gardens, keeping animals and bugs at bay. Marigolds can be grown from seeds or transplanted, and are tolerant of sandy and poor soil. These plants will seed themselves, and will grow and fill in gaps in the garden, creating bursts of color for years to come. French marigolds, the fastest growing of the marigold family, also do better in the rainy weather and bloom longer than the other varieties. 

Finding the right flowers that will grow and spread across your garden will give you the opportunity to have an abundance of color for your landscaping while provding a beautiful budget-friendly home improvement.