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The importance of "curb appeal" when selling a property is widely aknowledged, but how many people focus on renovating the house and leave the garden until the last minute?
By attending to the garden first, you can:
- save money by buying smaller plants
- save work by planting smaller plants
- have time to replace plants that don't make it
- have time to seek help and advice from gardening friends and neighbours
- avoid that suspicious "last minute makeover" look
- get to enjoy all the benefits of an attractive, well planned landscape while you're living there
Of course, , you're going to want to delay landscaping where's going to be construction or significant exterior works, but you can still use the time productively by collecting ideas, planning and locating suppliers.
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Stock-taking time
If you're ready to create an awe-inspiring garden, first take a look at what you already have. Rejuvenating plants you already have is cheap, easy and can save years of growing time.
If you've got an old, overgrown garden, among the more desirable plants are probably plenty of environmental weeds. These might look like garden plants (many were introduced for that purpose, years ago), but these menaces should be removed.
If you're not sure which is which, ask your local council for a weed identification brochure or check their website. A consultation with a professional gardener might be worthwhile. Besides identifying the weeds for you, he or she should be able to give advice on care of your remaining plants.
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Lillypilly hedges
Lillypillies make great hedges and they're of Australian native origin, too, but the number of varieties on the market can be confusing. Some tips:
- Look out for "psyllid resistant" on the label to avoid this disfiguring insect without sprays
- While heights on the label are only a rough guide, select something approriate for the location. A big, fast-growing variety (because you were impatient) can mean headaches later on.
- Look for varieties with naturally dense, compact foliage
A hedge is an investment and it's worth spending a little time and extra dollars at the start. If you need help, the staff at a good garden centre should be able to help.
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Want more information?
There's heaps of information about gardening freely available on the web, although much from North America and the UK is of limited relevance to Australia, especially Qld. Here are a few websites of Australian origin, to get you started:
The website of your local government authority (e.g. www.brisbane.qld.gov.au) is likely to have information on weeds, water use, parks, garden clubs for your district.
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