Kerb appeal is the first impression a buyer or tenant has of your property. Growing plants are a sure-fire way to increase kerb appeal, but you don’t want to buy a lot you’ll have to leave behind. We’ve gathered some ideas for the gardener on the move.
If you’re thinking of selling or renting a property this summer, now’s the time to plan and plant for kerb appeal. Since you’ll be leaving the property in someone else's hands, you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on perennial performers to plant out in a garden bed. It’s not the year to plant your stalwart peonies and designer rose bushes. Instead, focus your green thumb on things like a container garden that’ll give buyers and tenants an idea of what to do with the space – and then move with you to make your new place feel homely.
1. Vertical interest
Sweet pea seeds can be sown outside now, in a pot with a wigwam to crawl up – you can build a homemade wigwam with bamboo and a bit of twine. It’s a cheap and cheerful way to add some height, perfume and colour in a plant pot.
Sweet peas are great cut flowers, too. Before a property viewing, arrange a few in a vase to connect your indoor and outdoor spaces, showing how lovely a home garden could be. You can also do this with your dahlias – cutting for a bouquet encourages dahlias to produce more blooms so it’s a win/win for your garden and your home (and your upcoming house sale).
2. Speaking of dahlias…
Summer flower powerhouses like dahlias and begonias don’t handle cold weather well, and London’s unpredictable springs can ruin a newly planted display. You’ll want to keep these tubers sheltered - maybe potted up in a garden shed - until there’s no threat of frost. If you want some summer colour in a garden bed that you can take with you at the end of the season, sink a pot of dahlias into the soil.
3. Beautiful and self-sufficient
Daylilies are a brilliant planting choice for landlords. As you’ll be busy preparing for viewings, you’ll need something low maintenance, and daylilies are very reliable – disease resistant, tough and tolerant of poor conditions. There are so many different colours to choose from, too. Daylilies do well along a pathway, as they perform admirably in high-traffic areas, and their grassy green foliage will spruce up the walk to your property's front door all season long.
Then, when your tenant moves in, they won't need to have a green thumb to keep up the kerb appeal for their rental.
Note: planting potted daylilies will give you a few more flowers this year; bare roots are fantastic for perennial displays but they won’t bloom as much in the first year while they’re building their root systems. Daylilies are rugged; they're rarely bothered by frost and can be planted as soon as you can get the shovel in the ground.
4. Refresh and relax
There are some perennials you can get started in pots this year and move to your new home’s garden border in the coming years – like lavender for a tough-as-nails plant, pretty pop of colour and a calming scent to put buyers and tenants at ease on their viewing.
5. For quick colour
It's a good time to removing dying winter plants, so while you're cleaning up your garden beds and check where the holes are to plan your annuals. Next month, probably around mid-May, you’ll be able to hang up baskets – which make a garden colourful and lively.
6. Thriller, filler and spiller
This is the key to a good mixed container planting. Something tall, colourful and attention-grabbing as a thriller, something trailing that'll cascade over the edge of the pot as a spiller and something to cover the dirt in between as a filler.
For example:
- Thriller - you want a bit of height with your thriller, which is why ornamental grasses are often used. You could also set the theme here, like using a canna lily's brightly coloured blooms and big leaves for a tropical look.
- Spiller - something that cascades over the edges of the pot, like ivy or trailing begonia make the display feel more bountiful.
- Filler - annuals like lobelia or petunia, or leafy additions like coleus, fill out the display and cover any bare spots.
If you're preparing to sell, start with a free valuation. If you want to rent, using Foxtons Property Management can simplify and organise the tenancy.
