I have a good friend who used the crushed stone on his driveway. Over 13 years at this house he has added stone 1 time and it dose "crush down" very well. I wouldn't want to dig it up with a shovel. It's almost like concrete. It also dose not get messy. I have also put 2 regular gravel driveways in to my 2 houses over the past 10 years. One of the houses gets a little messy but the other is nice. Yea I get some weeds but I just use weed killer every month and it keeps it under control. I'm a "weed freak" and can't stand them in the driveway. But, my friend doesn't have a problem with the little strip growing up the center. What about that big old tree? It definitely should go. It is growing too close to the house. It can get it's roots into your foundation and cause all kinds of trouble. Also your gutters are probably full of leaves which could lead to your sofit and facia getting rotted out. Trust me, I just replaced sofit and facia on my house last summer because of a tree growing too close to the house and poor drainage. It cost around $2000 in materials and I did all the work myself. Along with 3 new roofs that were ruined because of the same tree. As for your landscaping. I like your landscaping timber idea. It gives a good solid edge and can contain any mulch you put into it. Just use a treated timber for longevity. you mentioned in your other post that the area gets full sun . This gives you many options for planting here. I like peonies, iris, sedum, purple coneflower, black eyed susan, red hot pokers, and hollyhocks. These all get some nice height and are easy to maintain. I would say from a cost stand point, purchase some perennial seeds from Walmart and try starting things that you like on your own. Here is where $20.00 can go a long way. Walmart also has a "wild flower" annual mix that you just spread out over the area you want some color. This is very quick and easy and only requires a little watering. And, can be done in an area you want to "color" but don't have the planting budget.There are plenty of people here that can help you get started. You may want to visit a nursery for a few (4 or 5) plants that can start you out. Any time you are building a garden on a shoe string budget, it starts out small.

If you have a drill, even a mechanical hand-drill, anything can be turned into a plant pot. I found a duck decoy at a thrift store, cheap because it had a big square hole in the back. I drilled several holes in the bottom of it and it has held up perfectly as an outdoor planter for years. Sits on my porch with a single plant of small size flowers in it, (eg violets, violas, lobelia). The other responders don't understand cheap, as in free. If you are desperate, cut off waxed milk cartons to the desired height, drill holes, they will last a year or until you can upgrade. This lets you get started with smaller less expensive or volunteer plants. Just got an aluminum angel food cake pan at the thrift store. I'll drill holes, and it will be a planter for several Impatiens surrounding the umbrella pole on my little patio table. Garage sale worn out shoes look cool with succulents growing out of them (don't forget to drill those holes). Got a leaky bucket or watering can? Now it's a cute planter. Good luck with creative up-cycling!

Hi all. Kind of new to the forum but I've been enjoying and using the tips. Thanks! My cheap containers: scrap plywood [free from a friend] screwed together into a 4'* 2' box to use for a raised bed; flea market galvanized tin containers, various shapes and sizes, drilled holes for drainage, most expensive one was $5 for a good size one; old bureau, recycled into a potting bench, used the leftover drawers to make a flat for bunching onions, added an unused window screen on the bottom so I could use it on the deck; tires from my mechanic [free, he was happy to get rid of them since they charge him to dispose], used to make a composter and planters; freecycled white plastic barrel, cut into 8" slices for raised bed, planted peas in them; flea market wire fencing [$5 for 50'] made a cage for planting potatoes out of 10'[about 3' diameter]. My neighbor never recycles anything so I've managed to get all kinds of pots from her, she finally got sick of me taking stuff out of her trash and now saves them for me!

Hi there, How big are the fish? I know it's hard to believe but goldfish will quickly outgrow a 19 gal. container, if they haven't already. But if you're already planning a bigger and better container pond for next year, it might be a good transition :-) I don't know if others will agree with me but if you've got an iris and a water lily, I don't think you really need the aquarium pump. I tend to try and avoid spending more $$$ if I can, and in this case I think if you have the iris (which is supposed to be a very good water cleaner) and just two small fish you will probably be okay. You will just have to stay diligent about water changes, no different than if you had an indoor aquarium. And to be safe I'd probably add in a few submerged plants (anachris, hornwort, etc.) and floaters (water lettuce, water hyacinth, etc.) For the plants you bought, I'd take them out and re-pot them. The mesh stuff sounds like landscape fabric designed not to let roots grow through, so you'll need to remove it, wash most of the existing stuff off and *then* repot. For lilies, I use a mix of soil and kitty litter too, but if you do that, make sure to top them off with plenty of pea gravel or stones so all the soil doesn't wash into your water and turn it into a muddy mess. I plant my iris in plain gravel. Mine seems to be doing great that way and I figure it's sucking more excess nutrient from the water. A lot of it is trial and error to see what works for you, but hope this helps :-)