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Lawns and Landscapes

Existing home prices across the U.S. have dropped by approximately 11 percent in the last 12 months³. Talk about an incentive to find opportunities to improve your home's value. And such opportunity is right outside your window.

Numerous research studies indicate a manicured and maintained lawn adds to property value and positively influences potential home buyers. Research conducted by Virginia Tech University, concluded that a landscape upgrade from average to excellent increases a home value by 10 percent to 12 percent, while Money Magazine noted that "attractively landscaping your yard can be one of the most cost-effective ways to boost your home's curb appeal."

Maintaining your lawn and creating attractive landscapes does take effort, but it's not as hard as it may seem. Before starting the outside work, learn about the growing region in which you live, which will help you select appropriate plants and prepare the soil for optimum growth. Fertilizers help create the most desirable environment for a plant to grow and help maintain plant health throughout its growing cycle, while pesticides remove the competition of weeds and the damage of insects.

Garden guru Cathie Lavis says maintaining your lawn also helps control unwanted pests. "When faced with a lawn or garden problem, such as weeds, insects or disease, it's important to address the condition and find out why there is a problem in the first place. If conditions are not attended to then any treatment, whether it's cultural or chemical, will work only short term."

Consider this advice from Cathie to keep your outdoor space on the right track.

Cathie's tips for creating a beautiful lawn and garden

1. Always read the label. Pesticide and fertilizer products are most effective and safest when used according to label instructions. Before even purchasing a product, read the label to be sure you understand how it should properly be used.

2. Begin with the soil. Understanding how to create and maintain healthy soil is critical for building a healthy lawn and landscape.

3. Some pests are beneficial. It’s important to know which pests are good for your lawn or garden and which ones are bad. Properly identify the pest before taking the appropriate steps to control harmful pests.

4. Select the right location. You cannot select just any plant for your lawn and garden, you must consider your environment first. Choose the right plan for the right location. For example, don’t plan a tree in sandy soil if it thrives in clay-based soils.

5. Test before you water. It’s often too common to either over or under-water your lawn and plants. Test the soil by sticking your finger, or a soil probe, into the soil to test its moisture.

6. Reduce stress. You’ll notice more problems, such as a pest, when plants are stressed because their natural repellent compounds are low. This causes plant to be more susceptible to unwanted pests. Understanding how your plants live and thrive, like any other living thing, will help you improve management practices and reduce stress problems.

7. Plan ahead for next year. Select the right plant for your site and environmental conditions. Remember, when you have a pest problem, it is important to consider the factors that might have caused it, and to treat the cause.  The problem will continue to reoccur if the cause is not addressed.

³National Association of Realtors. U.S. Economic Outlook. November 2009.