The garden effect
It pays to spend time creating your own glorious green space
There are a bevy of benefits associated with gardening, from environmental and aesthetic advantages to improvements in physical and mental health. But here’s one bonus every homeowner can appreciate: a 16 percent increase in property value. That’s one of the many inspiring tidbits provided by garden supply conglomerate Husqvarna’s 2011 Global Garden Report. Other bits of info include the fact that houses with good gardens sell faster and for higher prices, neglected gardens lower property prices anywhere from 5-15 percent and the average payback on garden investments is estimated at 3.1 times the money spent.
That makes the owner who converted this 9,740-square-foot 1913 bathhouse at 1019 N. Wolcott into a single-family residence truly visionary. Central to that renovation is an impressive, award-winning garden, crafted by local landscape architect and garden designer Craig Bergmann, which spreads over almost 40 percent of this 65-by-125 lot. Though it’s on the market for $2.3 million, it offers inspiration for green space of any size. “It’s an amazing garden with great architectural structure and great seasonal variety. Best of all, its classic lines and quality plant materials have gotten better over time,” notes Baird & Warner realtor Robert John Anderson (right, 312-980-1580). But for buyers, the true “best of all” is that the industrial-chic structure is just as remarkable as the garden.