How to Revitalize a Landscape for Free | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House landscape designer Jenn Nawada updates a landscape by moving around, dividing, and pruning the current plants in the yard.

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Cost: $0
Skill Level: Beginner

Tools List for Revitalizing a Landscape:
Shovel
Hose

Shopping List:
Tarp
Gloves
Twine
Mulch

Steps:
1. First, remove any plants that have died with the shovel.
2. To fill any big holes left behind by dead plants, look around the yard to find good transplanting candidates. Plants that appear to be in the shade of trees are good choices, since the shade of the tree might have grown overtime and stunted the growth of those plants anyway.
3. When moving larger plants, tie branches together using the twine and mark where the face of the plant is. Be sure to replant it with the face in the right direction.
4. To fill smaller holes, divide perennials in the yard and even them out across the blank spaces. Dig a decent size root ball around the plant with the shovel, then remove the plant.
5. Using the shovel, cut the root ball in half. Then, replant the two halves in different areas.
6. Give all the transplanted plants a good watering. Fertilizing around the plants can help nourish them once they’ve been moved.

Resources:
Jenn used only plants that already existed in this homeowner’s yard, but they can also be found at nurseries. The tools Jenn used, including the tarp and shovels, can be found at home centers.

Expert assistance for this project was provided by Kelstrom Landscape, Inc. (http://www.kelstrom.com/) of West Roxbury, MA and Nawada Landscape Design (http://nawadalandscapedesign.com/).

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Revitalize a Landscape for Free | Ask This Old House
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