With spring right around the corner, Houlihan Lawrence wanted to find unique ways to boost curb appeal for the upcoming selling season. We reached out to Sue Allison-Dean, owner of Naturescapes Landscape Design and Garden Shop in Armonk, for some advice. 

Have you ever noticed how a simple accessory, a pair of earrings, a scarf, or belt, adds the perfect touch to your outfit?  The clothes could be brand new or ones that you have had in the closet for years.  Adding that extra touch of color, texture or sparkle really brightens it up, shows your unique self.

Container gardens do exactly that for your home.  Whether it is a pair of matching urns at the front door with sculpted evergreens, low saucers bursting with color by the pool or teak planters filled with herbs and tomato plants along your back patio, these miniature gardens add character and life to your outdoor rooms.  No wonder they are all the rage in the gardening world.

Anyone can create a container garden.   Novices who have relocated from the city to the burbs may want to start with something small and work their way up.  Due to the cold freezing temperatures in our area, containers made from materials like wood or fiberglass that typically don’t crack are best if they are going to be left outside year round. Consider going to a local garden center where there are experienced, knowledgeable staff to help you. Questions they may ask to help you achieve success may include; will your container garden be in sun (morning, all day, afternoon), shade, what are the interior dimensions of the container, do you have deer that may eat the plants, and what colors do you like?  Like any new artistic endeavor, it may take a few plantings until you find just the right look for you.

Homeowners who are in the process of selling their house will want to highlight their home’s online photographs – a simple way is to have beautiful flowering containers by the front door. Research has shown that plants offer positive energy, which is just the right feeling you want potential buyers to feel when they enter your home to consider if it could be the right one for them.

For those who don’t have the time or desire to plant their own containers, many local garden centers, including Naturescapes offer design services at their locations.  You may bring in your containers to be planted in or request that the designer come to your home and plant them.

Spring is here!  Get out and make your home dazzle.

Check out Sue’s blog post “Getting Garden Ready” for Houlihan Lawrence from April 2012.