A simple landscape layout will help prevent expensive mistakes in your garden budget.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Reclaiming a bit of lawn for nature is easy with enough cardboard and mulch, but landscaping that newly created garden bed can be intimidating—unless you happen to be a baseball fan.

Those of us who follow small market baseball teams are familiar with the dreaded “rebuilding year.” Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees have the budget to field a team of great players (and grounds crew) every year, but humbler teams have to make do with homegrown talent and a lot of patience. Similarly in landscaping, owners with deep pockets can hire the best designers and install mature trees and plants for an instant winner. For the rest of us, here are some ideas for taking more of a Moneyball approach to your fresh garden plot:

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