Landscape tips for a faster home sale

If you are hoping to sell your house during these challenging economic times, remember the old saying: you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

When it comes to real estate, that’s always been true. But in a tough economy, there are more houses than usual on the market and fewer buyers. Those buyers that are out there are almost spoiled for choice: a large number of available homes, probably offered at fairly competitive prices.

To make matters worse, slow home sales mean that houses that might have been snapped up quite quickly a couple of years ago and languishing on the market much longer now. If you’ve decided to sell your home, take a look around your neighborhood. You will probably notice quite a number of For Sale signs in the front yards. These homes all share the same basic benefits as yours, such as the same school district, proximity to the same transportation or commuter drive times. They might even have been built by the same builder in a very similar style to yours.

Frankly, you’ve got a lot of competition.

Potential buyers will drive around neighborhoods that interest them. They will glance at a home with a yard sign for perhaps 3 to 5 seconds before moving on. Unless they see a reason to linger. In those few seconds, they have formed opinions as to whether the home meets their personal definition of ‘attractive.’

Is it neat and well-kept? Is the lawn lush and nicely trimmed? Are the shrubs neatly shaped and not obscuring the windows? Is the walkway clean and weed-free? Is the entryway welcoming? Could we live there without having to invest in landscape upgrades? Most of all, they are deciding if this home could provide them with pride of ownership. Would we feel proud to have friends and family visit us here?

And all this in about 3 to 5 seconds… before they pass by your home without ever looking inside and move on down the street!

But there IS good news. You can make your home stand out from the crowd and you don’t have to spend a fortune to do it.

First of all, go out and look at your home from the street, they way a prospective buyer would see it.

If shrubs have grown to the point where they are obscuring the front of the house, trim them back. If necessary, remove them altogether and replace them with fresh, attractive evergreen shrubs, such as Boxwood Winter Gem, Euonymus Manhattan with its colorful fruit or the dense rounded Red Barberry.

Add some annuals to put splashes of bright color in front of the shrubs. Pick up a few bags of dark mulch and carefully layer it around the shrubs and annuals. The contrast will make the colors pop!

How about the lawn? Keep it mowed (no shorter than three inches) and watered (about once or twice a week) so it looks green and lush. Edging the lawn, where it meets the flower beds, is worthwhile as it projects the impression that this house has been well cared for, so the inside should be as neat as the exterior.

Look at the entryway and front porch. Place a couple of containers there and add some economical plants. Pick containers that match the scale of your porch, neither too small and insignificant nor too large and overpowering. Plant some perennials such as geraniums, daylilies and varieties of Achillea including Summer Berries and Moonshine. Add a few annuals for instant color.

Look down at the walkway. Keep it swept and clean. If weeds are growing up through the pavers pull them out or kill them by spraying with vinegar.

Of course, you’ll want to be sure that the area is free of toys, bicycles and any items that distract the eye.

If you feel that some of these tasks are beyond your capabilities, such as mulching and lawn edging, call in a local landscaping service. A one-time service would not be too expensive and would be seen as a real investment when your home sells.

Remember, all you can really do is “put the odds in your favor” by giving your home a slight edge in the eyes of prospective buyers.

If you’re still stumped for ideas, go to my Web site, www.landsteward.org and click on the Slide Show link to see lots of ways to spruce up your home for a faster sale.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org

Ivy alert! It can be a wall killer

Ivy is a beautiful plant that creates mental images of both dignified, established structures and cozy old homes. Think Ivy League Universities on one hand and Hollywood’s idea of a quaint English cottage on the other hand. But ivy can cause big problems and you need to exercise great caution if you are thinking of adding it to your landscape, as I point out to this reader:

QUESTION: “We have some sort of non flowering vine that is growing on our brick
building. Will the plant damage the brick & mortar?” – Dawn Borg

ANSWER: Although, a vine (such as ivy) growing on buildings creates an attractive look, it can damage the brick and mortar by hiding insects, including termites, and other sneaky critters, as well as concealing cracks in the brick or mortar and wood rot damage around the doors and windows. The vines gradually work their way into the mortar causing cracks and loosening the bricks. However, usually you cannot see the damage until it is too late because it is hidden by the dense foliage of the vines.

QUESTION: “I have ten Kwanzan Cherry Trees that I planted about two years ago. They have been doing well and now are about 7 to 8 feet tall. Two weeks ago I noticed that two trees have a problem the leaves are turning brown and falling off. The branches are still pliable, right now anyway. Now it is happening to a third tree. The leaves look like they are starting to wilt. What could the problem be? I want to save these trees if possible.” – Carmine Sarno

ANSWER: My first consideration would be the possibility of either over watering or under watering, assuming there is no evidence of root damage from outside forces such as moles.

If your area has had a lot of rainfall, over watering could be the issue. On the other hand, if your area is lacking rainfall, the trees may be stressed. Plants will exhibit the same characteristics whether they are suffering from not enough water or too much water. Also, consider if it is possible that they could have been sprayed accidentally from an herbicide or lawn fertilizer. Hopefully, it is a “water” issue, from which the trees should recover if that problem is not of a long duration.

QUESTION: “I think my Burning Bushes are being eaten by rabbits. Piles of small pellets are around where the bush is disappearing. What can we do to stop it? Will the bushes survive?” – Vicky

ANSWER: Burning Bush plants are a favorite for bunnies and mice. To try to limit rabbits from nibbling on trees and shrubs, you have to work to remove their habitats. They live in areas where they are protected (much like mice) such as grassy fields, rock/stone, wood, and brush piles. As long as they have a place to live, they will be around and they will require food.

To keep them from nibbling on the trunks of the plants, loosely wrap hardware cloth around the trunks extending several inches into the ground, covering back with soil for security. This is about the safest way to handle the problem.

As long as the critters haven’t done extreme damage to the plants, wrapping them should allow them time to heal.

Cheryl and I are getting quite a bit of feedback from readers about the slide show at our Web site www.landsteward.org The slide show – which we add to regularly – features photos of lots of different garden projects along with descriptions so you can understand what you’re looking at. After years of answering readers’ questions we believe you’ll find this a useful (and free) resource when you’re looking for landscape solutions. Go take a look!

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org

Waterlogged landscape creates special problems

An area of landscape that is saturated with water on a fairly regular basis can be a real problem for homeowners. Similarly, sloping terrain can be a daunting challenge when it comes to lawn care and choosing suitable plants.

Put those two challenges together in one spot – damp conditions and sloping ground – and you’ve got the potential for major headaches! If that’s a problem you’re dealing with, you can sympathize with the reader who sent me this question, and hopefully my answer will give you some inspiration too.

QUESTION: “My family is moving to a new house soon in zone 6. Although very little of the property is landscaped, I'm lucky in that the previous owners clearly prepared much of the ground so it's in great shape for planting. That said, there are some tricky areas, and I'm not sure how to proceed.

1. On one side of the house, the ground is consistently damp. It's a combination of being mostly shaded and being on the "downstream" side of a long slope. While we don't get puddles, it's pretty soggy. There's virtually no grass there, and I can't imagine trying. I'd like to plant perennials and/or shrubs that will "sop up" some of the moisture and prevent erosion, and of course survive in the process. It doesn't have to be drop dead gorgeous, because it's not an area that's very visible, but of course I'd like it to be reasonably attractive. I'd love to know what options I have. I'm thinking various ferns, but what else?
   
   
2. At the top of our driveway, there's a short but fairly steep slope (the driveway goes up the side of the house, and the backyard lawn is elevated above the driveway). I'd say it's about four feet from the base to the top. This area gets a few good hours of sun, but also some shade. It's very visible from the street, so I'd like it to be attractive as well as functional.
   
   
3. In the front of our house are some huge broad leaf evergreens. The areas underneath and around them are very bare. The front yard slopes gradually but visibly down towards the street. What can I plant there?” – Marcy Rosen

ANSWER: As a rule, grass doesn’t usually grow well in wet, shaded areas. You might consider putting in a dry creek bed to try to move some of the dampness to another part of the yard. There are plants that will grow in wet areas, but they will only absorb the amount of moisture that they need and no more. The only way to reduce the dampness is to divert the water (from wherever it comes) to another area of the yard.

Having said that, there are plants that grow well in damp areas. There is an excellent article, titled “Qualifiers for Quagmires: Landscape Plants for Wet Sites” posted online by the Extension Service of NC State University. You can find it at: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-646.html and you can click on a link from this column at my Web site www.landsteward.org

That article includes a comprehensive list of damp-tolerant trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials, including those species have been known to tolerate flooded conditions for extended periods of time. Well worth checking out if you’re a victim of wet landscape.

Concerning the sloped area at the top of your driveway, you might want to look at junipers, evergreen euonymus (such as manhattan), hydrangeas, bamboo and nandinas.

On planting something underneath your broadleaf evergreen trees, it kind of depends on what the trees are, how dense they are in the front yard and how much space there is before the first branching. It is often difficult to get shrubs or perennials to grow in heavily shaded areas such as that. There are a number of groundcovers that can perform well in situations such as yours. Consider planting vinca, pachysandra and wintercreeper. Groundcovers are a very viable and attractive alternative to both grass and shrubs in conditions such as you describe.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org

Planting for privacy and peace of mind

QUESTION: “I am wanting to plant something around one end of my pool for privacy. My only concern is that the plants should not have a very big root system due to it being around 2 – 3 feet from my cement. I also need something that will grow 10 – 12 feet high. I do not need total privacy, just something that will break up the view of my pool.” – Ronnie Holloway

ANSWER: Tall growing ornamental grasses work beautifully in pool areas as do clumping bamboo (which I would recommend planting in large pots for extra height). Most shrubs or low growing trees are going to produce root systems that may bump up against the concrete. Another thought is to berm the area so that shrubs such as junipers or cypress (evergreens) can be planted with root space.

Since space may be limited, landscaping with large pots or containers is a gorgeous way to bring in tall growing plants (depending on where you live, of course). Bamboo, grasses, holly, other broadleaf evergreens with a blending of seasonal color (perennials) can create a most interesting setting and provides needed privacy.

I hope this gives you some ideas to build on.

QUESTION: “We bought a home in the woods. We have a lot behind us that is approximately one-half acre and narrow. The lot was sold and all the beautiful 200 year old pine trees were taken down. They built a home on stilts and proceeded to put a dog pen attached to the home in the back. I planted a few Thuga trees in anticipation of this but we have many deer and they have feasted on them this winter. The house is placed directly behind us, giving us about 30 feet between the two homes. Help! What can I do?” – Carole

ANSWER: That does sound terrible. Step one would be to install panels (you know, like the lattice type or fencing panels) so that they are more tall than wide. This will at least give you immediate privacy and peace of mind. Then you can work (gradually if necessary) on providing landscaping to fill in with the fencing.

If you choose the lattice panels, plant some type of ivy or Carolina Jessamine to grow up and fill that in.

As you begin to fill in with landscaping keep in mind to layer plants. Larger (or taller) plants especially evergreens planted in the back half of the area coming forward with shorter deciduous, ornamental grasses and other evergreen plants finishing off with colorful perennials in front.

Cheryl and I have put together a slideshow that you access via our Web site www.landsteward.org It should give you a few ideas on layering plants in the landscape. Look for the link on the right of the home page that says Ideas Slide Show.

The next question comes from a reader who brings up a very good point about being careful about what can be planted in proximity to blackberry plants.

QUESTION: “I have 18 blackberry plants. My question is how far from the blackberries can I plant tomatoes? My blackberry plants have been in the ground approximately 12 months.” – Harold Daniels

ANSWER: Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant carry root rot called verticillium which can harm blackberry and raspberry plants. Berry plants should not be planted in soil where these vegetables have grown within the past 4 years. 30 to 50 feet away might be a good distance. The biggest thing you will want to look for is drainage. When it rains or you water the tomatoes or other vegetables, you do not want the water draining down towards your berry plants.

As I mentioned above, Cheryl and I have put together a slide show of color photos and descriptions, and readers are writing to tell us they are getting some good ideas from them. You are welcome to go to our Web site and “slide” through the pics!

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org

Five ways to keep it simple in your garden

“Simplify, simplify!” said Henry David Thoreau. But you don’t have to live in an isolated cabin at Walden Pond to enjoy the benefits of simplification, particularly when it relates to your garden and landscape.

Life today makes so many demands on our time, particularly with work and family-related issues, that the garden gets pushed further and further down the priority list. As a result, we put off doing anything because we have more important matters to deal with, or we start a major landscape project and realize we’ve bitten off more than we can comfortably chew.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Just let Thoreau’s famous quote be your guideline and simplify. Here are some ways that you can K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple… Sweetie!

Take smaller bites.
You’re not building the Hoover Dam in your backyard (I hope) so you don’t need to regard your landscape improvements as a single huge project. Certainly, have an overall plan for the way you want the finished result to be, but don’t set yourself the task of completing it all in one season.

Pick one of two smaller areas that will be part of the whole. Select the trees and shrubs for those areas, prepare the soil and plant them. Throughout their first season, you can concentrate on tending to their needs. This “smaller bite” will consume less of your time and energy than attempting a full-court makeover, and as the year progresses, what you see emerging may modify your original master plan, allowing your creativity to grow along with the plants. Spread your project into manageable “bite sized” segments and simply work on one at a time.

Go low-maintenance
As you plan your landscape, make a point to look for low-maintenance plants. Ideally, a low-maintenance plant will be have a fairly slow to moderate growth habit, is resistant to pests and diseases, and doesn’t shed a lot of bits and pieces requiring constant clean-up. There’s no such thing as a perfect plant, but seek out those with the fewest potential maintenance problems.

For example, if you have Dogwoods in your plan, look for varieties such as the gorgeous Dogwood Appalachian Spring that is highly resistant to dogwood anthracnose, the fungal disease that has killed off millions of trees.

If you need a maintenance-free ornamental grass that can even do well in spots that stay damp, look for a variety named Grass Acorus gramineus Ogon.

Go for quality
Buying the cheapest plants is not usually a good investment, particularly if your time is worth anything to you. If plants look limp, tired and spindly at the garden center, you could be buying trouble, including the introduction of plant disease to your garden. Weak, unhealthy plants require a lot of care and are more likely to fail, which means buying more plants later to replace them.

Invest in healthy plants and you’ll spend less time caring for them and less money replacing them. For example, if you’re planning on evergreens such as the deer-resistant Juniper Blue Point, choose those that are larger and further along in their growth cycle by the time you buy them, probably shipped in gallon containers.

Do it right the first time
Follow the planting instructions precisely. If the instructions tell you to dig a hole of a particular dimension and add some organic matter, then that’s what you need to do if you want the plant to do well without a whole lot of attention from you.

Cut (out) the grass
If you hate spending a lot of your valuable time mowing your lawn, or it local conditions make it difficult to grow and maintain good sod, reduce the size of your lawn and replace with low-maintenance ground cover.

Here are some easy-care ground covers that could replace a lot of lawn:

• Pennsylvania Sedge (grows well under trees)
• Ajuga Black Scallop PW
• Mazus Reptans Purple Creeping
• Nandina Dwarf Harbor

If you need some specific answers to garden problems, drop me an e-mail at steve@landsteward.org Meanwhile, keep it simple so your garden is a joy not a chore.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org

The five transplant trees make for easier, more successful planting

Quite often Im asked a variation on the same question. Sometimes the question is asked by visitors to my nursery; other times I find the question in my e-mail from a reader of this column. And sometimes the question remains unasked by someone who doesnt want to appear dumb.

This is the question:

How easy is it to plant a tree?

That is most certainly not a dumb question. But often its only half a question. Why? Because when most people ask the question, they really want to know how easy it is to plant trees successfully so that they thrive and grow to maturity.

Another point to remember is that some trees are easier to grow than others, regardless of your level of expertise. Ill have some suggestions for you in this column. But first, lets think about the absolute basics of introducing the tree into your landscape.

Different varieties of trees have different needs, but a non-profit web site operated by American Forests has some excellent general tree-planting tips, including the following:

Select a site with enough room for roots and branches to reach full size. Avoid overhead and

underground utilities.

Prepare a planting area as deep as the root ball and three to five times its diameter by loosening the soil.

Dig a hole in the middle of the area and set the root ball even with the ground level.

Use water to settle soil and remove air pockets in planting area.

Stake the tree to flex with the wind only if tree is unable to stand up to wind.

Spread a two to three inch layer of mulch on entire area, but not within six inches of tree trunk.

You can find the entire article, along with some helpful diagrams here: http://www.americanforests.org/resources/howtoplanttrees/ and there is a direct link from this column at my web site. Go to www.landsteward.org then find this column under The Plant Man heading.

There are ways you can put the odds in your favor when it comes to planting trees that are more likely to thrive and grow successfully. Heres a word I want you to remember: Transplants.

Transplants are hardier, huskier, and more allaround balanced plants than seedlings. When planted in your landscape, the transplant has a greater chance of survival since it has already survived the shock of being transplanted once at the nursery.

With spring in the air, lets think about some beautiful flowering trees that work very well (and are much easier to grow) as transplants.

White Flowering Cherry (Prunus yedoensis). This is also known as Yoshino Cherry and is a rapidly growing tree that is extraordinarily beautiful in Spring when it is covered with white blossoms that resemble cotton candy. These trees can eventually reach 40 ft. and make excellent street trees.

Kwanzan Cherry. Id say this is the showiest of all Japanese trees. I love the awesome bundles of large pink blossoms that last longer than those of other flowering cherries.

Cleveland Select Flowering Pear. If you like to see a lot of blooms, the Cleveland Select seems to have more than other varieties of flowering pear. This variety is hardy, deciduous, disease-resistant and grows more upright than the Bradford to around 30 - 40 ft high.

Forest Pansy Redbud. Something a little out of the ordinary, but well worth planting if you can find it! It is a beautiful ornamental tree that perfect for the small garden as well as more ambitious landscaping projects. Unlike the native Redbud (cercis Canadensis), the Forest Pansy has blooms of a deep maroon color.

Dogwood Kousa (Cornus kousa). Also known as a Japanese flowering dogwood, the Kousa is not as susceptible to disease as the white dogwood, and that’s a major benefit. Great as a specimen, in groupings or near a patio, it blooms later, around June with a softer petal flower.

So, if youre looking for an easier and more foolproof way of planting healthy successful trees without a lot of worry or risk, remember to look for transplants!

Let me know if I can help you with your specific tree planting challenges. Note that some of the information here appeared in an earlier Plant Man column published in April 2003 and included here by reader request.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, including archived columns, visit www.landsteward.org

Herbs: the finishing touch for your human habitat