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Our company pays special attention to the details of every project to ensure the complete satisfaction of each client.
Landscaping tips to increase your property’s value
Landscaping is a win–win proposition. Tidying and greening around your home increases property value, is great for the environment and has been shown to improve your health!
Mulch and weed
Weeding and mulching your plant beds will help your garden appear low-maintenance and well kept. Choose a utility mulch such as pine bark or forest fines, rather than typical ‘gardener-preferred’ options such as lucerne and sugarcane. Utility mulches look neater, and when you’re selling it’s less about function and more about appearance. Avoid mulches that are too “out there”, such as dyed woodchip, Carroll warns, as these can put off home buyers.
Add colour and form
Add welcoming planters to entranceways featuring clipped topiary and fill any other pots in garden areas with bright flowering annuals or perennials to give your garden an immediate lift. If you are selling, you can always take the potted plants with you for your new garden.
Define lawn edges
At the very least mow and edge your lawn. Edging your lawn makes a garden (or yard) look restrained and tamed, which gives it the appearance of lower maintenance – a popular selling point. Creating an edge is easy and can be as simple as using a sharp spade to cut a neat separation between your lawn and garden bed, path or fence. Alternatively, you can use a physical barrier such as timber, steel, brick or stone.
Solve problems with plants
Address your property’s shortfalls such as overlooking neighbours or busy roads by planting out your gardens. While the plants may not initially create a full visual barrier or any real sound improvement, the perceived improvement from a buyer’s point of view will be worth it.
Talk to us about your garden’s particular environment (shade, light, soil and proximity to the coast). And remember, if you are selling, your nursery can order in mature hedging for an immediate result.
Limit the number of plant species
Minimising the number of plant species in your garden will make your garden appear easier to maintain and give it a more uniform look. However, don’t be too dogmatic about restricting your choices. In general, Carroll encourages some plant diversity as it encourages biodiversity, is good for the local ecology, reduces pest impact, extends flowering times and generally looks more interesting!
How to care for buffalo lawn?
You’ll find there are even varieties specially formulated for soft-leaf buffalo. When needed water slowly and deeply to build better roots systems and tolerance to heat, cold and dry weather.
Buffalo Lawn
Buffalo lawn is a fantastic all-around choice for Australian lawns, as it’s soft and green, tolerates a variety of soils and shade conditions, is low maintenance and is very water efficient. It’s also self-repairing and thanks to thick growth, can often out-compete weeds. However, this doesn’t mean it doesn’t require any maintenance at all! Looking after your buffalo lawn will go a long way in ensuring its longevity and healthiness.
Mow
Ensure that you mow your buffalo lawn regularly to regulate the extent of thatch development. The mowing height depends on your preference. For a spongy lawn, a mowing height of 50mm is ideal. If you prefer a less thatch and tight lawn, a mowing height of 30mm is recommended.
Aerate
If you have any areas of concern in your lawn where the grass isn’t growing, consider using a pitchfork to aerate the soil. Rope off the area of concern to prevent foot traffic, this will give the lawn a chance to fix itself.
Weeding
Identify any weeds that need removing. Either remove by hand using a weeding tool and bucket or alternatively, use a selective herbicide weed killer to kill the weeds. Make sure it is suitable for buffalo grass before using – the last thing you want to do is destroy your beautiful lawn!
Fertilise
While buffalo grass is easy to maintain, a lack of a fertilising will cause your lawn to lose its health and colour. In areas with highly sandy soils, fertilising the lawn every two months will help maintain its lushness. In other places, fertilising it in late autumn will help maintain your lawn’s colour even in the winter. Using a fertiliser with an added wetting agent will enhance the flow of water into the soil. Always water in well after application.
Water
In most parts of Australia, it’s best to water your buffalo lawn once every two weeks during the summer. In hot regions such as WA, water twice a week during the hot summer months. Reduce watering frequency in autumn and spring and never water during the winter. Watering your buffalo lawn early in the morning rather than in the afternoon or evening reduces the chances of fungal disease infections.
De-thatching
De-thatch your lawn by mowing it short once or twice every year, either in late autumn or early spring and raking it with a thatching rake. Be careful not to overdo this as it could kill your lawn – make sure to leave the runners still covering the ground. Fertilising your lawn after de-thatching is optional, but it will make your lawn regrow much faster.
How to revive your lawn?
Weed out problems
The best way to revive your lawn is to feed it and water it regularly. However, there are a few other things you should do first to make sure your lawn gets the nutrients it needs to thrive again.
Getting rid of weeds is extremely important because you don’t want to feed them as well as your grass. You can hand-weed small lawns, but if you have something larger, then use herbicides to kill them.
De-thatch your patch
Over time, thatch may build up at the base of your lawn, which stops water and air from getting down to the roots. You should remove this spongy, dead layer of grass with a metal rake. Pull the rake through your lawn in long even strokes, pressing down firmly to remove as much thatch as possible.
Top dress to impress
Top dressing is a quick and natural way to give your lawn a surge of nutrients. Trim your lawn with a mower but adjust a bit higher to avoid cutting your grass too short and exposing the soil. Then, spread about 1cm of top dressing over the lawn, leaving the tips of the grass exposed, and level it with a rake. Autumn is the best time to top-dress your lawn.
Feed with fertiliser
Whether you use granules or liquid, a quality fertiliser will have a big impact on the health of your lawn. You’ll see a massive improvement in the growth and color of your lawn.
Give it some air
Over time, lawns can compact from regular use. Aerating the grass helps your soil to breathe, which improves nutrient absorption. Sink the prongs of an aerator or garden fork into the soil about 5cm deep and work across the whole lawn. You could also use spiked aerator sandals and walk across your lawn in rows about 15 to 20cm apart.