Yes, backyard landscaping and total-home landscaping add value to your home. According to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), high-quality landscape design has a 20 to 30 percent return on investment. So, when it comes time to sell your home, having a beautiful backyard landscaping oasis will increase your home’s value. 

The best way to landscape your front yard on a budget is to invest in hiring a professional for hardscaping—things like upgrading walkways, redoing driveways, and installing partitions around garden beds. You can often do the softscaping yourself—think laying down mulch, caring for your lawn, removing weeds, and planting flowers and shrubs. It’s also almost always worthwhile to pay a professional for routine yard maintenance, as this dramatically improves curb appeal and delivers above 100% ROI in most cases.

It’s usually best to buy plants from a local greenhouse or nursery yourself, but landscapers are also a reliable option. First, you can choose exactly what plants you want based on their appearance rather than relying on your landscaper to choose. Additionally, while it’s more time-consuming to go buy the plants yourself, you’ll often save money because landscapers charge for delivery and may upcharge the plants. You can also speak to a professional at a nursery to ensure you understand how to care for your plants and get the most long-term value.

Hedge plants are available in almost every size, from seedlings to fully mature, six-foot-tall shrubs. Planting smaller plants is much easier and more cost-effective. However, it can take years for the plants to reach maturity and create a full hedge. Garden centers and specialty retailers sometimes offer three to four-foot wide plants that you can simply plant next to each other for an instant full hedge.