Archive for the ‘Garden Trends’ Category

Curb Appeal

August 16th, 2009

Recent studies indicate that a homeowner who has a nicely landscaped property can expect to sell their homes for 12% – 15% more than a similar property that is not landscaped well. That means even a modest home valued at $100,000 could possibly see a sale price $12,000—$15,000 higher than their neighbour’s!

The news gets even better. It doesn’t have to cost anywhere near that to landscape your property! The catch, if you can call it that, is to do the work yourself and, keep your landscaping well maintained, yourself.

Many people think landscaping is beyond their capabilities, but they would be surprised how much they can accomplish with a small budget and the willingness to get their hands dirty. If you are already groaning at the mere thought of landscaping, let the increased sales value of your home be your inspiration.

The key is, keep it simple! Do a bit of research at your local garden centre so you invest in the right plants – ones that grow well in the type of soil type (clay, loam, sandy etc.) on your property and, ones that are appropriate for the amount of sunlight available.  Purchase the largest plants your budget will allow. Nothing looks odder, or says “quick fix” more than tiny shrubs planted around a large house.

Start at the front of your home and think curb appeal.  Add simple entrance gardens or foundation plantings. A few containers placed on the porch or at the end of the walkways give a welcoming feel.

Remove dead, dying or overgrown shrubs, trees and plants.

Trim the shrubs and trees to give them shape and remove dead branches and stems. 

 Keep the plants watered and the beds weeded.

 

Sweep the sidewalks and porch daily. You never know when someone will drive by just to take a look, so you need to grab their attention by presenting a well maintained property.

 

One of the most important things you can do to keep your property looking its best, is mow the lawn regularly and at the right height – two and a half to three inches will make your lawn look lush.

Once the front of the house is landscaped, move around to the back. Tidy up the backyard. Remove any materials you’ve been “storing” for a while. Pick up the kids toys and clean up after your pets. Repair pet damage in the lawn by covering the area with topsoil and planting grass seed. If the deck or patio needs cleaning a pressure washer and plain water does wonders.

Place more container gardens on the patio or deck or add a border of annuals around the deck or patio. Keep the gardens in the back yard weeded. Edging the beds will give them a polished look.

Curb appeal is what grabs buyers attention first and gets them to come through the door. By sprucing up your landscape and keeping it maintained, you’ll have a solid edge over other sellers.

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GIY – or, Grow It Yourself!

August 10th, 2008

The horticulture trades magazines are abuzz about the latest garden trend that is just beginning to emerge in the USA. It is the “GIY” trend! Grow It Yourself in other words. Apparently, this GIY Trend involves not just vegetables, but herbs, annuals, perennials and, houseplants. Yes, the seed companies are rubbing their hands together in eager anticipation of the fat profits they will glean from the increased sales this trend is going to generate. The supply companies (pots, soil mixes, fertilizers, grow lights etc) are likewise excited. Garden centres are re-thinking their sales mix and how best to cash in on this latest turn.

The reasons this trend is developing are listed as economic downturns (less disposable income available to spend on plants), high fuel prices, desire for organic foods, and an increasing wariness about the quality and safety of fresh produce available in grocery stores. Also cited is a concern for the amount of garbage being sent to landfills, so composting is about to become the norm rather than the exception.

The real good news that comes with this trend is it hopefully means the beginning of the end of the” I-want-it-now-I-want-it-big-and-I-want-it-done-for-me” attitude that has been prevalent for far too long. People will soon be tossing aside their cell phones, computers, IPods, TV’s in favour of getting outside, getting their hands and knees dirty and actually simplifying their lives. They will learn how to can and freeze their own produce, how to make jams and sauces and pickles, how to dry herbs. And, get lots of exercise and fresh air in the process. People will actually be gardening again!

For those of us that have always been GIY’ers (a.k.a. Real Gardeners), we can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about. To us, there is nothing new about growing our own from seed and composting the waste generated from out hobby. Nor is there anything new about preserving the harvests from our own gardens.

We real gardeners are feeling a little smug right now because we’ve know all along about the benefits of growing our own. We are also a little relieved that fewer people will think we’re downright crazy (we probably are, but that’s beside the point). The GIY trend will give real gardeners more friends to share the hobby with, more seeds and plants to exchange, more tips and hints to share. We are likely to see the introduction of many new seed varieties too. It will be a great time for all!

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Putting The “Green” Back Into Greenhouses

March 13th, 2008

The horticulture industry is going green by leaps and bounds. The greenhouse industry has traditionally been one of the largest users of chemicals. Surprising, isn’t it? Now, after decades of producing bedding plants and nursery stock with the use of growth regulators, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and, disinfectants, the industry is beginning to see the light! Glory be! It took long enough!

In the mid 1990’s when I moved to chemical free growing methods in our retail and wholesale greenhouse operation, the so called experts of the time, told me I was crazy. They insisted that green plants of quality simply could not be grown without the use of chemicals. I didn’t listen to then. Instead I forged ahead with my dream of turning our operation into a chemical free establishment. And, eventually, we succeeded at growing all of our crops without harming the environment (see the article about this challenge under “Chemical Free” in the Petals, Plants, etc on the sidebar). We even switched to an organic based disinfectant to clean the greenhouses and benches.

A decade later, the horticultural industry has jumped on the band wagon and there is great excitement within the trade about green growing. And there should be. Any grower who is attempting to go chemical free will not have any easy time of it. There will be many set backs, many disappointments. But, in the end, they will be thrilled with the results and wonder why they didn’t switch sooner.

When I shop garden centres (I can’t grow everything I want to) I try to find one that advertises their chemical free growing environment. It is not easy finding a “green” retail garden centre. That’s about to change! The way the trades magazines are talking, within a decade, the chemically dependant growers will be a minority. Good news for everyone.

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