If you’re preparing to sell your house, then you’ll have heard all about curb appeal: the importance of making a good first impression on buyers. One of the best ways to increase the curb appeal of your home is clean gardens which generally consists of adding a few plants. However, if you’ve got a brown thumb where a green one should be, it can be tricky to know what to put in the ground.
I had a chat to our landscapers & gardeners and here is what we came up with.
This is our guide to the outdoor plants that don’t die in Melbourne weather:
ALOE VERA
Succulents are generally a very easy plant to maintain. Aloe Vera is happy in the ground or in a pot, and only needs some water to help it get established, and from then on, its only rarely in need of watering. Its hardy and green, plus you’ve got a ready supply of soothing aloe for an area of a natural medicinal.
MADAGASCAR DRAGON TREE
Low effort, big impact! It’s got a fancy name and an impressive appearance. It will brighten up your place with its colourful spray of leaves. Just put them in a bright area but out of direct sunlight and they will thrice without too much watering.
RIBBON PLANT
Bring variety to the height of your plants – they don’t all have to be in the ground – and hang a Ribbon Plant or two from the roof of your veranda or place it on a plant stand. They like rainwater rather than tap water, and plenty of light. But again, hard to kill and easy to bring back to life.
BOUGAINVILLEA
With bright pink flowers that last for ages, the Bougainvillea is a reliable climber that’s not fussy about soil type (it just needs good drainage). They enjoy being in the sun all day long but will still put on a great show with just a few hours of sun.
ROSES
While roses might not be on your list of most resilient flowers, they are actually very hardy and are among the top plants that don’t die easily. An established rose garden is a gift that keeps on giving.
ASPIDISTRA
Also known as the ‘cast iron plant’, Aspidistra is best known as an indoor plant, but can also be planted outdoors in a shady spot. It only needs infrequent watering – perfect for newbie gardeners.
ZYGOCACTUS
Don’t be fooled by the unusual name; Zygocactus is a very unfussy plant that doesn’t like too much water (ideal if you’re likely to forget or have a case of the can’t be bothered’s). Another succulent, they also have pretty little flowers in winter and are also a good candidate for hanging baskets or plant stands as their leaves tend to grow droopily.
ECHEVERIAS
Echeverias are cute little succulents that make great ground cover and come in a variety of shapes and hues. They’re so easy to grow that you can just pull a leaf off one, lay it down on the soil and it’ll grow another plant. They like desert conditions, so, full sun and not too much water. Oh, and they’re another succulent.
GERANIUMS
With their big bright flowers, Geraniums may look like hard work, but they love warm weather, plenty of sunlight and a bit of water. When the flowers dry out and die, pull them off to promote growth.
ZINNIA
To grow a zinnia, just scatter its seeds over an empty flower bed and watch them come up in a huge variety of colours and sizes for a big impact flower bed.
Sometimes, it’s even the little things that increase the value and competition of your home that more often than not get overlooked by owners.
Lastly, we wouldn’t be agents if we didn’t end this blog by saying, “If you’re considering selling your home call us today!”
See you around, Nikki
