Simple steps and bright ideas

LOOKING to sell your house this summer? First impressions count for a lot, so it may be time to spruce up your front garden. Some 68% of home buyers think ‘kerb appeal’ is important when buying a home, according to a HomeOwners Alliance survey. A well-maintained front garden, pathways and fences were highlighted as important, in addition to a well-painted frontage.

Want to maximise your home’s kerb appeal? Morris Hankinson, Director of Hopes Grove Nurseries (hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk), offers the following tips...

1. GET YOUR LAWN IN ORDER

“This is one of the easiest fixes, as it can transform the appearance of your outdoor space. Keep your grass neatly – and regularly – cut,” says Hankinson. “If it’s been looking long and unloved after the winter, cutting it may expose bald patches – don’t buy expensive turf to fill the gaps because a scattering of grass seed ‘scratched in’ with a rake and watered will germinate and cover them quickly now we have some warmer weather. Keep the edges of the lawn neatly trimmed and delineated. Sharp edges are another easy quick win, focusing the eye away from less perfect horticultural aspects.”

2. TIDY UP YOUR BEDS

“Take out weeds, dead plants, old foliage, and prune back overhanging or overgrown shrubs. Plug any gaps with some new plants. Finally, consider adding a decorative mulch, such as bark or cocoa shells for a

proper show garden finish.”

3. BUY SEEDS, NOT PLANTS

“If you’re not in a huge rush to sell, now that the soil is warming up, gaps in your flowerbeds could be filled with some hardy annual bedding plants – these can be planted as seeds directly into your beds and borders.

“Only £10 or less spent on a few packets of seed could be enough to keep your garden plugged with colour for most of the summer,” adds Hankinson. “Go for easy and fast types such as cornflowers, love in the mist, calendula and the best of all ground-covering space fillers -nasturtiums.”

4. SOURCE PLANTS ECONOMICALLY

“Check for discounted plants in nurseries and garden centres. Enthusiasts often sell their surplus from roadside stalls, church or school fetes, horticultural society sales and boot fairs. The key is not to be too fussy, if it looks good, healthy and is cheap it will do.”

6. CLEAN, AND DRESS A PAVED AREA

“Get it scrubbed or power-washed off and remove any leaves, weeds, algae and moss. Tidy up any messy potted plants and anything else that looks out of place. Refresh the pots with new plants if they need it. If you don’t have pots then get some to brighten it up.”

7. USE RECYCLED ACCESSORIES

“It could be planting up an old pair of wellies or saucepans with some cheerful flowers or herbs. At the other extreme, perhaps a seating area constructed from upcycled waste pallets.”