Garden designer Marion Keogh offers her expert advice on staging a garden space for summer viewings.
Most gardens look their best in summer but also need more maintenance. Lawns require regular mowing and anything planted in pots will need to be watered. Fortunately, there are ways to get the garden looking good without spending a fortune. Here are some tricks of the trade!
Health and safety always comes first. Clear the patios and decks of trip hazards and clean them of slippery algae and moss. A power hose will do the job nicely but you can also use warm water, a hard yard brush, and a small amount of bleach. Snip back overhanging climbers and ivy, and remove anything that might get in the way when people are viewing the property. Make the most of flowering plants by trimming back any overgrown plants around them.
Instead of a mown lawn, which will need to be cut once a week, consider leaving most of the grass long and mowing a pathway through it. A curving path through a natural meadow will make the garden look romantic, especially if you allow wild flowers – like daisies, buttercups and clover – to grow in the long grass. Make sure the path has a destination. It could lead to a shed, or a patio, or even the clothesline.
Outdoor furniture will help viewers imagine themselves in a property, but remember that the sun will hit different parts of the garden at different times of day. For morning viewings, place a bistro set to catch the morning sun. Evening viewers will appreciate a bench in a sunny spot at the bottom of the garden. If the furniture is old and shabby, freshen it up with brightly coloured paint. Even the smallest balcony will benefit from a chair and footstool. It will help people to see it as a relaxing outdoor space.
Don’t overlook planting. Plants help create an atmosphere that will encourage someone to buy the house. Nature has a soothing effect on people, even if they’re not aware of it, and a well-kept garden will calm them down before they even enter the property. Staging your garden is like getting your house ready for a date. First impressions count!
Plants in pots will make the entrance look inviting. They also make a big difference to a patio or an apartment balcony. Place them close to the house, in groups of three, and fill them with plants of different heights. I prefer greenery rather than colour. Green plants always look classy! If you have a small urban property with no front garden, place one very large pot by the front door and turn it into a mini-garden with ornamental grasses that move and rustle in the wind.
Big pots (at least 50 cm wide and 50 cm tall) create a sense of drama and don’t dry out as quickly as small ones. They’re expensive, but worth the investment as you can take them with you when you sell the property. To keep the cost down, half-fill each large pot with polystyrene. This will halve the amount of compost you have to buy! Alternatively, place the compost in the pot without taking it out of the bag and tuck in the plastic so you can’t see it. This is a real pop-up hack – everyone at Bloom does it – and makes it easy to take down.
If you already have plants in pots, make sure they look fresh. Plant annuals around them to perk them up. Where larger plants are drooping, support them with metal hoops. You can buy these in a garden centre and they instantly make the plant look better.
When planting, take account of the orientation of the property. Does it get a lot of sun? Is there a danger of pots blowing over in the wind? If in doubt, go to a good garden centre and take their advice on what plants to use. Avoid pre-planted window boxes and hanging baskets, which are often filled with cheap plants that need a lot of watering.
Window boxes should be as big as possible, matching throughout the property, and planted with the same type of plants throughout. Consider securing them in place. A fallen window box looks worse than no window box at all. Likewise, avoid placing pots anywhere the wind might catch them.
For more information, speak to your local Sherry FitzGerald agent. See also @marionkeogh on Instagram.
