COLUMNIST: JOANNE EVANS
It’s important to declutter your outdoor space so that prospective buyers can see the size of your garden and its potential. Remove old sheds, broken items and pots, rake up leaves from paths and lawns, and dispose of all rubbish and garden waste. If you can hide all toys, play frames, and trampolines, and personal items such as laundry, that will improve your chances of getting a quick sale. It’s also important to zone your garden so that all utility items (refuse, recycling, and compost bins) are in one area, out of sight if possible.
Plants or screening can be used to create privacy from neighbouring properties. Screening can also hide those utility areas such as refuse, recycling, and compost bins. Correct placement of trellis or garden screens can also add interest and a vertical accent to the garden.
You need to think about getting your lawn into good condition for potential viewings. The grass needs to be mown regularly in the growing season as well as edged using a half-moon cutter to give it a neat finish. In autumn and again in spring, scarify your lawn with a wire headed rake, use a fork to help lawn compaction, and then feed and weed it.
It’s important to create a good first and last impression so sprucing up your front garden will give you instant kerb appeal. To welcome viewers, add some container plants to your front door space and paint your front door.
Plant some eye-catching colourful plants in pots or in your borders to make your outdoor space look attractive. Seasonal bedding plants offer a quick, colourful solution in spring, summer, and autumn and are cheap to buy. In winter, evergreens are good for year-round interest and structure in your garden.
In the growing season, beds and borders need to be hoed over regularly and weeds removed to keep them in tip top condition. If there is lots of bare soil in your borders, add more plants and apply a thick of layer of mulch to deter further weeds.
Prune your shrubs and trees and trim your hedges at the right time of year to keep them in good condition. If you are not sure when to do this, speak to a professional gardener to get some advice. Remove any problematic trees and plants from your garden as this may put off potential buyers.
Jet wash all paths and patios. Apply an organic cleaner once surfaces are dry to stop them becoming green and slippery with algae. Clean all exterior paintwork and windows so that your garden can also be viewed from inside your property.
All exterior woodwork should be given a lick of paint. This includes windows, doors, gates, fences, and sheds. It’s best to choose neutral colours and if possible paint all woodwork the same colour so that it all ties together.
For evening viewings, especially in winter, it’s important to install some garden lighting so that potential buyers can see your outdoor space (even if it’s only from inside your property). Solar lighting is an easy option but use a qualified electrician if you want to install an outdoor electricity supply if needed.
Joanne Evans has been running her garden design business, Gerbera Designs from Aberdeenshire since 2012 offering services to clients across North East Scotland. A qualified garden designer with an HNC Garden Design with distinction from Scottish Agricultural College in Aberdeen, Joanne is an accredited member of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL), and a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers working through the adjudication process to become fully registered.
As well as designing creative outdoor spaces, she is also interested in the benefits of gardening for health and wellbeing and is a field worker for Trellis, Scotland’s therapeutic gardening charity.
In her regular column with Scotland Grows, Joanne will share some garden and planting design tips to get the most from your garden throughout the year. Follow Joanne for more inspiration on Instagram and Facebook.