Gardens are key to maximising values

Many home owners are now looking to make the most of their gardens to increase the value of their homes. Indeed, a recent Halifax survey has shown that after decorating, garden improvements is second in the list of things people believe will add value to their property.

Furthermore, 35% of people surveyed said they felt having a nice garden is the most likely factor to improve value to their homes. Developer Gleeson Homes also believes that sprucing up the garden can make your home more attractive to potential buyers and help speed up the sales process.

Here Gleeson shares suggestions and tips for what garden loving buyers will be looking out for.

The most significant part of the garden is the lawn. Taking care of your turf and keeping the colour green and vibrant is a key. Discolouration in the lawn caused by drought during the coming summer months can be off-putting to potential buyers.

To prevent yellow patches in the lawn, weeds need to be removed, as they compete with grass for resources. Re-growth of grass can be slow and so will deter garden loving buyers. Scarifying the lawn in autumn and raising the height of the lawnmower can reduce drought stress.

The Royal Horticultural Society recommends long-term plantings of drought tolerant shrubs, trees and hedges. Though this sounds limiting in diversity there are a surprising amount of each variety of plant to choose from that fit the profile.

Climate change is also dictating how our gardens grow, which can affect the types of plants we should be looking to use.

Some of the plants that thrive in changing conditions include the European Fan palm and Needle palm, stunning climbers and striking wall shrubs like Ficus pumila (creeping fig) and Mandevilla laxa AGM (Chilean jasmine) that also thrive in this altering environment.

Fruit trees are becoming more reliable and common such as apricot, fig, grape, olive and pomegranate. This would make for a very individual arrangement and maybe even give you or your buyer a taste of the good life.

Gleeson Homes Sales Director Julie Rayner explains: "The garden is a huge selling point of a house, and should be treated with regard when a seller wants to attract the attention of a buyer. Within the summer months the garden becomes drier and knowing how to keep the lawn and plants looking their best is essential. Remember the garden will usually be the first thing a potential buyer notices and can be decisive as to whether your house will sell or not."

Here are Gleeson's top ten tips to get your garden ship shape:

1. To prevent yellow patches in the lawn, remove the weeds.

2. Scarifying the lawn in autumn and raising the height of the lawnmower can reduce drought stress.

3. Make long-term plantings of drought tolerant shrubs, trees and hedges.

4. Planting fruit trees are becoming more reliable and common such as apricot, fig, grape, olive and pomegranate.

5. Always consider adding or altering focal points in your garden. If a garden seems uninteresting, why not add something to it? This could be a sculpture or statue, or maybe a bench.

6. You can use different coloured foliage as well as planting flowers to add colour and variety to a garden that bloom at different times of the year. This creates a colour scheme throughout the year as opposed to a short flowering period.

7. When choosing planting always consider their preferred living conditions and soil. Read the labels and consider whether they are better in the shade or not, and take into account soil preference - whether acidic or not. UKTV suggests: "you check the PH of your soil easily by obtaining a test kit at most horticultural retailers, but you can still plant acidic loving plants such as pieris or rhododendrons in a lime based soil. However you need to bed in with compost and feed with acidic fertiliser, or plant in containers."

8. Perhaps you may be thinking about decking, to attract a potential buyer non-slip decking might be in order as an added feature. This will prevent young children slipping.

9. When planning a water feature try to take maintenance into consideration. A potential buyer may consider the water feature too much work and so your valuable money may be slightly deterring a buyer rather than attracting them.

10. Prevent pests or disease to take their toll. If the thought of using chemicals worries you there is a growing availability of organic alternatives on the market.

Gleeson Homes builds high quality new housing nationwide. For further information on any Gleeson Homes developments in your area log onto Gleeson-homes.co.uk.