Blooms to attract a buyer
now the sun no longer seems ashamed to shine, and coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show has home-owners racing off to the nearest garden centre, it’s a good time to ask: what plants and other floral accessories make homes easier to sell?
The answer is not necessarily the ones you’d think. A pretty wisteria- clad house used to be regarded as the ultimate in desirable residences: rural England in perfect miniature.
But, according to research, wisteria is one of the plants most likely to put house- hunters off. It may look gorgeous, but it is just too much hassle to maintain. Topping the poll of unwanted features, not surprisingly, was the infamous Leylandii, the Donald Trump of the garden, guaranteed to get too big for its boots.
Judging how best to use Mother Nature to spruce up your property is an inexact science. Hedges, as a rule, are preferable to bare fences and walls, but you do need to keep your hedge trimmed to the appropriate height. Too large a hedge in front of a house can create a fortress-like impression.
It is just one of the many mistakes home-owners make with their gardens — mistakes that come back to bite them when it’s time to sell. Did they really think that rosy-cheeked gnome looked cute? Didn’t they realise that burying their pet cat under the apple tree would be a turn-off for new owners? But, in the right green-fingered hands, a garden also represents an opportunity to add significant value to a property. How exactly you use flowering plants to enhance the exterior look of a house depends on a range of factors, from the age of the property to the type of brickwork to the all-important question for gardeners and homeowners alike: which way does it face?
oNA south or west- facing wall, all kinds of plants flourish, from grape vines to yellow Banksia roses. on a north or east-facing one, you need to be more careful. Clematis does well, as does climbing hydrangea and that classic dressing for an English country cottage — honeysuckle.
Then there is the time factor. You may be prepared to spend long hours in the garden, lavishing love on every last hyacinth and tulip, but the person buying the house might prefer the horticultural equivalent of a turnkey property, requiring minimal maintenance.
Unless you are an experienced gardener, it is probably best to seek professional advice before making decisions that will affect the look of your property for years to come. It is an extra, but well justified expense.
Estate agents agree that judicious planting can work wonders for a property, particularly a new-build, where it can take years for the brickwork to develop a patina of warmth.
‘ Buyers really do appreciate how much cost and effort has gone into a mature, well- structured garden,’ says Nigel Mitchell, of Knight Frank. ‘You can’t beat a beautifully manicured yew hedge. Roses are the one plant buyers stop and smell when viewing.’
But Mitchell has known gardens to frighten buyers by being too perfect, too labour-intensive. ‘The trick is to make a garden look low-maintenance even it isn’t.’
The British love affair with the garden is wellknown. A survey for Homebase found that two fifths of Britons said they would not buy a home unless it had a decent garden.
But what exactly constitutes a decent garden? Fashions in gardening change as much as fashions in interior design. A well-presented window box will always be easy on the eye, but hanging baskets can look dated. Pampas grass and bamboo, once the height of cool, are also old hat.
As with wallpaper, it is best to err on the side of caution, not to indulge in your personal tastes. I have always had a soft spot for sunflowers, but the ones I grew a few years ago would have put any buyer off: they looked like marigolds on growth hormones.
In the end, it is the love you put into your garden, rather than your choice of plant species, that will endear it to buyers.