Fall is a great time to do a little extra work on landscaping in order to have a great product to show for the spring home selling season. Many people think fall is not a good time to plant, aerate, and transplant, but fall is a great time to get a jump on the spring gardening season.

In the fall many trees, shrubs and perennials are at greatly reduced prices. Although some of the inventory may not be like it is in the spring, 50% off plants is often too hard to pass up. The trick is to plant before Oct 15 - depending on the weather. Plants need to be in the ground before the first hard freeze, so keep an eye on the weather. Once planted, they will work on root growth all winter and come out of dormancy in the spring strong and healthy. Blooming sometimes in the first year. This is desirable especially if you want to try to put your home on the market in the spring.

Another area of the yard to do some fall prep is the lawn. Have a company come out and aerate the lawn. The core cultivation should be 1-3” deep and 2” apart in all directions for best results. Ask the contractor what their machines are set for. After the aeration, broadcast (with a broadcast spreader rather than a drop spreader) natural amendments to ensure a good boost to the soil under the turf. Many stores have varieties that are all in one, I prefer the organic, soil boosting types, which include nitrogen, beneficial microorganisms, and some acidify source to work on our alkaline soils. Harlequin Gardens in Boulder is a great source for all natural products that I have seen produce fantastic results. Go the natural way if you can, I have seen over the years better results with natural products.

Bulbs, if you want to put your house on the market in spring, plant bulbs in the fall. Planting bulbs is easy, cheap and produce a great show, and in the spring a treat to see if you remember where and what you planted the fall previous. In addition, bulbs blooming in the spring are mostly what is blooming in early spring. Add tulips in hot colors to perk up an entrance. Add crocus along a walkway. Dark purple, orange and white tulips make for an interesting color combination. If you feel a little shy, you can always buy prearranged packs as well. Always plant in clumps of odd numbers or naturalize the bulbs in a larger area. To naturalize, just sprinkle the bulbs around and plant them where they fall. Try not to plant in a systematic row, or line, or pattern. It may look to contrived. Many online bulb companies sell bulbs at cheaper prices as well as sometimes more variety. Nurseries also have blubs this time of year.

Spring blooming shrubs and perennials are also a great addition to the landscape. Fall is a great time to remove that half dead shrub near the garage and replace it with something that will be showing off spring blooms right about the time of your first open house. Contact me for a yard review and we can talk about what should be done now to spruce up your landscaping for spring.


This was a guest post by one of our partners Kristin Wachtel of Integrated Landscape Design. Check out her website or give her a call at 303-478-4248.

Labels: Home Staging