A landscape can look like a million bucks without costing that much. Follow these tips on how to plan, shop, swap, forage, and recycle. There is something here for everyone, so feel free to scan the BHG.com list for tips YOU can use!

Tap the experts. County extension agents, state horticulturists, and reputable nurseries all offer free advice and can save you from costly mistakes. Get help. Use magazines and books as resources, or enlist a green-thumbed friend's assistance. Make your own decisions. Keep in mind that profit motives make some landscapers overzealous. Stick with what you want and can afford -- you can always add more later. Shop cooperatively. Share bulk purchases with a friend (or combine mail-order purchases to cut down on shipping costs), and rent garden equipment with other gardeners. Avoid impulse buying. When you visit the nursery, ask yourself: Do I really have room for these plants? Comparison shop. Nurseries may differ drastically in price and quality. Consider hardiness. Self-reliant species are better buys than high-maintenance exotic beauties. Don't overplant. Landscape with mature sizes in mind, or you may end up paying to move too-large plants.

Investigate prices at several stores before buying.

Test your soil. Pinpoint what your soil lacks, and you won't buy unneeded additives or the wrong plant. Neutralize your soil's pH. If it's too acidic or alkaline, plants can't take up nutrients, and fertilizers are wasted. Haul manure. Some farmers give it freely. Let fresh manure age before using it, or it may burn plants. Time fertilization. New plants need phosphorus for roots; leafing plants need nitrogen for structure; budding plants need potassium for fruiting. Compost trash. Convert garden and kitchen refuse into humus and improve your soil's tilth, aeration, and water-holding capacity.

Avoid expensive costs by asking local farmers for excess manure.

Buy in bulk. Fifty pounds of fertilizer costs only a little more than a 5-pound bag. Avoid spring fertilizing. Feed lawns in fall when growth slows and roots can store the nutrients. Leave grass clippings where they fall. You will return vital nutrients to the soil, reduce your need to fertilize, and not need to compost the clippings. Seed lawns in the fall. There's less likelihood of humidity-triggered diseases or hard-washing rains. Use good grass. When planting or renovating lawns, sow disease- and insect-resistant "turf-top tall fescues." These grasses reduce the need for lawn chemicals because they aggressively crowd out broadleaf weeds. Make your own insecticide. Water mixed with 1-2 percent liquid dishwashing soap kills soft-shell insects. It costs only $1 for 34 gallons of this homemade spray.

Save on labor by leaving grass clippings on the lawn.

Save surplus flower seeds. In a cool, dry place, they'll remain viable for four to five years. Sow seeds directly in the ground. You won't have to outlay hard-earned cash for potting mixtures, trays, and peat pots. Mix annuals into your planting scheme. Perennials are an expensive investment, so ease up on your pocketbook by purchasing some of the three-for-$1 petunias and impatiens. Naturalize. Of the perennials you do buy, plant those that are vigorous multipliers, such as daffodils or lily-of-the-valley, and in two to three years you will have three to five times as many plants. Propagate. Divide large clumps of perennials such as chrysanthemums, hostas, and daylilies into several plants. Take root cuttings from easy-to-grow shrubs such as pussy willows, azaleas, and forsythia. Go native. Select species that grow naturally in your region to avoid such costs as extra watering, pampering through winter, and soil correction.

Annuals will give you color all season without the hefty price tag

Go organic. Mulch reduces watering costs, prevents erosion, provides climate protection, and improves soil. Recycle newspapers. Rather than buying 150 feet of porous plastic mulch, layer about 24 pages of newspaper in your garden bed, soak them with water, then anchor them with a thin soil layer or other mulch. Gather fallen leaves. Your garden will have a more balanced pH if you mix in a broad range of acid and alkaline leaf varieties. Haul sawdust from sawmills. It's clean, easy to spread, and costs about $5 per truckload. Gather wood shavings. Most cabinet shops give shavings away. Just avoid walnut shavings -- they're toxic to plants. Buy bark in bulk. You'll save $400 by buying bark by the truckload, rather than its equivalent -- 80 bags -- at the nursery.

Mulch saves the time and labor spent on weeding.

Wait for season-end sales. Tree planting is generally as effective in early fall as in early spring, and you can prevent paying too much. Purchase small-size plants. You could get five times as much for your money: Five 1-gallon plants at $3 apiece cost the same as one 3-gallon plant at $15. Plant wind-resistant trees. Storms can blow a $250 tree-removal bill your way if you plant a brittle species such as silver maple. Protect your foundations. Roots can damage concrete blocks, so plant large trees at least 30 feet from the house. Don't be too quick to toss. A good pruning can perform miracles on neglected shrubbery and save you the expense of replacements.

Season-end sales can save you up to 75 percent off the usual price.

Turn projects into social times. Hold an old-time work bee for a patio paving or tree planting. Your only labor expense will be refreshments. Recycle brick. Use brickyard seconds for a fraction of the cost of perfect, new bricks. Pave paths with pine needles. Trim the path with heavy-duty edging and lay needles (or similar material). Haul quarry rejects. Flat-cut stones with minor flaws make handsome stepping-stones, walls, benches, and flowerbed and pond edgings. Rescue old railroad ties. They're great for edging or retaining walls. Camouflage eyesores. Planting climbing vines hides a sagging fence, helping stave off inevitable repairs. Do your own projects. Lay brick over sand instead of hiring a professional for a concrete patio installation. Line ornamental ponds with castoffs. Ask a swimming-pool maintenance service for free rubber liner before you buy a 60-millimeter one. Make a septic tank goldfish pond. A septic-tank bottom costs less than a fiberglass pond. Since the structure is underground, the only difference you'll see is in the cost.

Avoid underbaked rejects when using recycled brick.