Monday, June 11, 2007

Landscaping Tips

Recently CNN Money had an article on landscaping tips that add value to your home (http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/01/real_estate/landscapingtips_juneissue.moneymag/index.htm?postversion=2007060410) . This article reinforced my desire to continue landscaping even though we are thinking of moving in the next year or two. Many times I wondered if it was worth the bother knowing that we aren't planning on staying in this home. Here are a few of the quotes and tips from the article.

"By spending $500 to $3,000 on plants and materials and a few hours of time, you can achieve a well-landscaped look without shelling out for professional help."

"Besides the personal enjoyment you'll get from a prettier yard, landscaping adds more value than almost any other home renovation. "

"A recent Michigan State University study found that depending on where the house is located, high-quality landscaping adds 5 percent to 11 percent to its price."

"Edge the beds Cutting fresh edges where grass meets mulch makes the lawn look well kept. A move as simple as curving the edge of your flower beds could increase the value of your home by 1 percent, says horticulture professor Bridget Behe, the lead researcher on the MSU study." This is what I'm attempting to do around my own flower beds and trees.

"If you have no immediate plans to move, all the better: Landscaping is the one home improvement that actually appreciates over time."

"Add drama with foliage A distinctive yard will make your home more appealing to buyers, says Los Angeles realtor Dana Frank. So replace plants that don't flower, or provide interesting foliage with eye-catching alternatives, like a patch of blackeyed Susans, a flowering crabapple or a cutleaf Japanese maple.
If you're planning to stay put, you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars for big plants. You'll save 50 percent or more by buying small ones and waiting a few seasons to get the full visual impact (when planting, make sure to space them based on the mature size listed on the label, not how they look now)."

"Consider new angles Most yards have almost all the plants along the foundation and the property lines. But if you place yours throughout different parts of the property, you'll create a depth of field that makes your home look farther away from the road, says architect Hoerr.
Try putting some near the house's corners to accentuate its shape, others near the street to define the yard, and some in between, where they can block unfortunate views and be admired from indoors."

"Cover your rear It's nice to wave hello to your neighbors out front, but the backyard should be a private space." This theme keeps resonating with me- PRIVACY. Sometimes I feel guilty for not wanting children walking through my yard, but I long for a private backyard space.

So, now that I have further confirmation that landscaping adds value and desirability, I will continue to create my private sanctuary even if in the end someone else benefits more from the fruits of my labor.

5 comments:

Bev said...

Robin, thank you for your warm thoughts and comments to my post about my Mom. Many, many people face this same challenge and my heart goes out to all of them.

Thanks so much for posting these Landscaping Tips. I will keep them. I always wonder if what all we are doing actually makes a difference, and I'm glad to learn that it just might.

Carol Michel said...

Robin, I also saw this article and I especially liked the comment about privacy. I put up a privacy fence around my backyard in '99 and still have neighbors griping about it (behind my back) and wanting to change the covenants to not allow them any more.

But I would not be able to have the vegetable garden I have, complete with compost bins, if my backyard was all open to the neighbors!

Robin's Nesting Place said...

Bev, you're welcome. It is a very difficult challenge to be a caregiver for aging parents. Your post about your mom was very touching.

Carol, I wish we had put up a fence too. We just didn't think it would hold up to our mighty wind tunnel. Some of the neighbor's fences don't really look so nice after a couple of years.

Anonymous said...

Privacy is the one thing my property lacks. I live on a state highway, so cars a flying by all day. I long for a place in the country, but I would have to take all of my plants with me!

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Robin, excellent post and I'm glad it helped you with gardening in your temporary garden. :-)

Privacy is very important in the garden. Over here we are allowed to put up fences that are a maximum of 6 to 7 feet high. Of course, if fences are not allowed you can always grow hedges, they give you very good privacy too and are better when strong winds are an issue.