Archive for the ‘HOW TO GARDEN’ 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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Posted in Garden Trends, HOW TO GARDEN, Landscaping | Comments (0)

Another Plant Moving Story

June 7th, 2009

The Shade Garden 2007

The Shade Garden 2007

 

This small village of ours is about to enter the twentieth (yes, twentieth!) century! So long septic systems and hello sewer system! After years of planning, and construction, the municipal sewage system will is nearing completion. Now that homeowners have recovered from the shock of the rather hefty bill we each now owe the Municipality, we get to hand over more cash for the privilege of hooking up to the system and disabling our septic systems. I say privilege, but truth be know, property owners are not being given a choice. Hook up or be hooked up! I’m not complaining, not in the least. I for one am happy to be saying farewell to septic systems and drainage ditches that are ripe with the smell of raw waste. But (you had to know there would be a “but”), what distresses me more than the cost is that fact that my shade garden is about to be severely damaged! Ouch!

 

This weekend has been spent clearing the area for the sewer hook up. Unfortunately, that area is right through the middle of the shade garden and across the front garden. Damages to the front garden I can live with. It was brutalized last year when we had a new roof installed. Knowing the sewers were coming in, we didn’t bother fixing it. As for the front walkway that has to be removed to accommodate the sewer hook up, well, I think I should send a thank you note to the Municipality. That path has been an eyesore for years, and this is just the impetus we needed to reposition it and plant grass seed and shrubs where the walkway is now.

 

But the shade garden! That is breaking my heart! Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Container Gardens, HOW TO GARDEN, Shade Gardening | Comments (0)

Moving Along

May 17th, 2009

Two weeks after the big move and the ginko biloba is beginning to leaf out and showing every sign of liking its new homw!

Two weeks after the big move and the ginko biloba is beginning to leaf out and showing every sign of liking its new homw!

We have been spending a goodly part of this spring re-arranging the furniture so to speak. Some of our plants have outgrown their living spaces, some have decided they don’t like their neighbours any more while others just need a change of scenery. 

 

The rose garden is in the process being dismantled and re-located to another area where, hopefully, the roses will be much happier. So far, the roses that have made the move seem to like their new home. Before the rest of the roses join them, we have to add on to the garden. That’s this weekend’s task. By next weekend, all of the roses should be moved. That’s the plan.

 

Our most nerve wracking move was relocating our treasured ginko biloba from the water feature to the old rose bed. Keep in mind, we would not have attempted to move the ginko if it was a larger specimen. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Garden Maintenance, HOW TO GARDEN, Trees and Shrubs | Comments (2)

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