Plants for the lawn!?

Okay, so me and my wife have been trying to sell our house. We're getting it prepared on the inside, repairing nicks and crannies, painting, putting tile in, and repairing the bathrooms.


But we think the most important thing is the lawn, being the first thing the buyer would see. If they don't get a good impression, they most likely won't go in, right? So we were trying to think of some flowers, or other plants to put in out lawn. We made the sketch, which is shown below, of our front yard. Our nieghbors have very well maintained, goregous and vibrant colored lawns during the summer and spring, and that will also decrease the chances of our buying going in, if he or she compares our yard to our neighbors. So, what type of flowers would go well in our stone wall area (on the sketch)?


the sketch:


http://img219.imageshack.us/my.php?image...








P.S. Our wall length is about 30 feet long, so it has plenty of room for flowers, etc.

Plants for the lawn!?
A couple of things spring to mind, after looking at your plan - thanks for sharing that, as it makes it easier to give you some feedback.





Firstly, you could welcome people with some flowers etc. at the start of the driveway, so they get immediate impact.





With your walled area, which is reasonably long, you could for variety, which you could achieve in a number of ways. Height, flower and leaf coloring, leaf forms are key ways that I help create visual interest in my garden. This would prevent a 30 feet long uniform flower bed, even if you filled it with flowering plants.





Height variation could be attained by growing different varieties of plants, perhaps some of them climbers. New Zealand Flax plants, or Phormiums, come in a range of colors, and can reach 6 or 7 feet. I realize that your time is limited, so this would mean buying a larger plant, and your budget may constrain this.





Foliage variety could be formed by having say, spiky, round, patterned leaves, as well potentially variegated foliage, and varied colors.





Colors are great to work with - sometimes it's good to set aside an area and just have one color - potentially different plant types, but with blooms that match. White can be cooling in summer, for example, whereas reds have a wow effect. You can match leaf and flower colors, eg. red leaved and flowered plants etc.





Another option is to add the occasional show stopper, perhaps a larger shrub plant, that is really great. I don't know where you live, but some palms can be outstanding. Fragrant plants by the doorway also give a very positive feel for a home.





Overall, your borders are rounded, which I think helps so much - it reduces the overall squareness of houses and building plots, and is more natural and aesthetically pleasing - good choice.





Hope these thoughts help. Good luck! Rob
Reply:You are going to want something that will fill in rather quickly and bloom for a long period of time, so that means using annuals. There are many different types of these which are pretty much maintenance free except for watering and occasional fertilizing. If you have any shady areas you could do well with inpatients or begonias. As far as sunlit areas go, Petunias are always a favorite with many different colors to choose from. Your best bet would to be to go to a nursery in your area and see what is available, and make your choice from that. Keep in mind the mature height of the plants, and you can ask them how long it will take them to fill out and flower. It is also a good idea to find out if they will keep blooming without dead heading if you don't want the extra work. Many plants such as fuchsia look great, but if you don't dead head (taking off the spent blooms and seed pods) they get leggy and nasty looking after a month or so.


My personal favorite for putting in front of stone walls is a ground cover called portulaca, it is very drought tolerant and blooms all season long.
Reply:The best plant to start giving ur life to the lawn is a rose plant. U can plant different coloured roses, that are well spaced. Secondly, u can go for the bright red Hollilocks, Balsams etc, Its all about making ur garden colourful, not crowdy and tidy. Visit ur nearest plant store and go for the colourful ones. Choose plants that yield flowers throughout the year so that u dnt have to worry abt ur lawn getting dull or anything. Go for shrubs and herbs and not trees. Best of luck......
Reply:I would agree that curb appeal is the # 1 factor in quick home sales. I took a look at the sketch to see if i could be of help. You left out a few important things like geographic location, climate, exposure, and type of home and color. Is it a red maple or a crimson king maple and how large is it now? A color pic of the house would also be help full .


It sounds like your looking to plant some annuals for some quick season long color to enhance the home and attract buyers.





Take a few pics of your home, go to the local garden center and tell them you want to freshen up the yard for sale. Tell them you want hardy, color full annuals and some good soil for planting them and mulch to top dress the beds. You may also consider a planter or two for the porch. Ask the resident Gardner for a few suggestions. Other then a bird bath, stay away from using water features and statuary in the front yard, unless it is of architectural detail to compliment the home.




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