Commercial landscape design is based upon factors that include size, form, function, scale and color. What these factors actually are and how they interact can be confusing to the inexperienced; and trying to determine how to proceed can be overwhelming. I will venture to say that we all recognize a good landscape when we see it. It may, however, be impossible to verbalize why we like it.
The best way to get comfortable with landscape ideas is to inspect other landscapes in and around your neighborhood and/or beyond. In each case, determine what features you like best, and which ones you dislike. In compiling a list of these features, you have a great starting point to proceed. You have developed a sense of what you would be willing to accept in your own landscape.
If you feel incapable of going further without help, by all means, get it. There are many landscape gardeners, landscape designers and licensed landscape architects, all trained in some facets of landscape design and installation. Throughout the process, make certain to explain your likes and dislikes. It is the designer’s job to incorporate design rules based upon your wishes, not the other way around.
According to actual real estate analysis, comparing a non-landscaped home with an otherwise equal but landscaped property results in a quicker sale for the second property — at an increase in price of as much as 15%.
In a study by Clemson University, landscapes were differentiated between average, good and excellent. The study found that properties with “good” landscapes sold by as much as 5% over the price of “averaged” landscaped homes. An increase from “good” to “excellent” landscapes increased price by as much as 7%. The study goes on further to state that, even without the added value, investing in landscaping provides homes with aesthetic surroundings, buffers from noise and nuisances, as well as climate control through shade and windbreaks. The overall conclusion of the study is that properties with substantially less appealing landscapes than surrounding properties should “expect a large penalty for not keeping up with the competition.”
Potential buyers see a well-landscaped home and expect that the home itself has been well-cared for. The landscape is seen as one of the many things a buyer does not have to invest in after the sale. While there are many modifications you can make to a home without recouping the cost at sale, investing in landscaping can make an immediate difference that pays out even better at resale.
Jeff O’Donal, a recent winner of the Al Black Commemorative Lifetime Achievement Award in Horticulture, is the owner of O’Donal’s Nursery, a full service garden center in Gorham.