A presentable garden will add value to your home believe 61% of UK homeowners

Making sure you mow the lawn and keep your flower beds tidy could be your most profitable past time if you want to sell your home - check out these top expert tips for improving your garden on a budget

New research of 2,000 home owners conducted by National Gardening Gift Vouchers this National Gardening Month has revealed that 72% of us homeowners believe a presentable garden adds value to your property. That's 20%* to the value of the property according to the Home Retail Group.

grass with vascular plant outdoors landscape

(Image credit: Crocus)

So, why is a garden such a must-have for home buyers? A scruffy and un-kept garden can be extremely overwhelming to a potential buyer; it can even deter them from viewing a house altogether. Unsurprisingly half of all home owners questioned (50%) considered the outside of a property just as important as the inside when trying to sell.

According to the research, 35% of us would invest £100-£500 in our garden over the course of a year. However, the changes you need to make to your garden for potential buyers only need to be simple and small investments, meaning they can be rewarded with higher property values.

garden with table and chair

(Image credit: Crocus)

As April has marked National Gardening Month, along with the famous Chelsea Flower Show in May this research has exposed the increasing popularity of gardening amongst young people. It isn't just older generations eager to be savvy in the garden, as over a third (38%) of 18-34 year olds would be willing to pay more for their first home if it came with a well presented garden.

So, if you are keen to get your gardening gloves on but don't know where to begin, read on for our tips and advice from Horticulturist Lucy Wenge from the famous Eden Project in Cornwall England. She has worked and trained in gardens and nurseries across the world for the last 12 years and explains here how the little changes you can make go a long way even when on a budget.

Top Garden tips for beginners:

Add an instant splash of colour to your front garden with a tray of bedding plants

garden with chamomile

(Image credit: Crocus)

A tray of Tagetes or Antirrhinum (snapdragons) will add instant colour to your front garden. These flowers come in a range of bright oranges, reds and yellows and both will bloom beautifully throughout the summer. For an absolute stunner, look out for Argyranthemums, their bright and cheerful daisy flowers bloom in lots of different colours. These plants will look great in the garden or in big flower pots. They are easy to keep looking great and they are perfect for busy people. Be sure to feed them weekly with tomato food in the summer and keep them well watered in the heat - snip off any dead flower heads to keep them looking tiptop. With the right care they should be packed with flowers until early autumn.

Make the approach to your front door fresh and inviting with a fragrant hanging basket

garden with vascular plant and shrubs

(Image credit: Crocus)

Hanging baskets are easy to make and look stunning. Make sure you use multi-purpose compost; you could also add water-retaining gel to reduce the chore of watering. Hanging baskets are easy to keep looking great and perfect for busy people. Be sure to feed them weekly in the summer with tomato food and keep well watered.

Feed and seed your grass to defeat unwanted moss and create a greener lusher lawn

garden

(Image credit: Future PLC/Nicola Stocken Tomkins)

During the summer you'll want to keep your lawn in good condition, regular mowing will keep it healthy. If you want to add lushness to your lawn between May and August pick a cool, moist day and apply a summer lawn fertiliser or chicken manure pellets. Broadcast them across your lawn and lightly water. They are both high in nitrogen so this will create a lusher, greener lawn and set off the flowers in your borders.

Revitalise wooden fences, gates and sheds by giving them a lick of paint

garden with plants and brick ground

(Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles)

This is an easy way to create a great outdoor space. Use paint specially designed for outdoor use as this will help preserve the wood, meaning the colour won't fade. Not a difficult job, just get on your old clothes, grab a good paintbrush and you're away - this is a great way to make a real difference to the overall feel of your garden.

* The research was conducted on behalf of National Gardening Gift Vouchers by Vital Statistics in February 2016 - sampled 2,000 UK adults.

Credits: Argyranthemum frutescen (white marguerite) £9.99, Crocus

Contributor

Rachel Homer has been in the interiors publishing industry for over 15 years. Starting as a Style Assistant on Inspirations Magazine, she has since worked for some of the UK’s leading interiors magazines and websites. After starting a family, she moved from being a content editor at Idealhome.co.uk to be a digital freelancer and hasn’t looked back.