Top tips for showcasing your property from Architectural Plants

Dress to Impress

The people behind Architectural Plants give their top tips for showcasing your property from the outside
If you’re selling, renting or simply renovating a property, strategic planting and design in outdoor spaces will not only add value, it’ll turn heads too. It could be easy to overlook but that extra bit of consideration for outdoor spaces can grab the attention of potential buyers and those looking to rent. Having a well-dressed frontage (oh my!) or garden might just clinch the deal and Architectural Plants has a wealth of experience in this department.

What people want
Most people value their privacy. When buying or renting a property you’re setting up your home – it’s personal and even if you’re not particularly green-fingered, sharing your privacy outside will not be appealing.

Exposed and overlooked gardens can be a real turn-off for people and a large proportion of customers visit Architectural Plants in search of screening solutions. These can start with very formal pleached hedging using full standard trees such as Elaeagnus x ebbingei, Quercus ilex, Phillyrea latifolia, Ligustrum lucidum or Prunus lusitanica.

Essentially it’s a hedge-on-stilts but it creates cover which starts after six feet of clear trunk – giving you screening where it really counts.

This leaves (no pun intended) the option of under-planting to create a deeper border, thus distorting the boundary – a clever way of making the garden seem bigger than it actually is, using softer shapes and layers of plants to add density to the border. More formal planting may emphasise existing boundaries however and, in some properties, formality can be well suited.

Other options include the creation of sweeping borders with a selection of specimen trees, which would be used to provide screening, mixed in with larger shrubs and layers of plants. This still blurs the boundaries but is more organic in appearance.

Bamboo is frequently seen as a fast, high-impact option and a dense, jungle-type atmosphere can be created. There’s a fair bit of discomfort around Bamboo but, as with any planting, good husbandry is crucial and choosing the right plant for the right location is vital.

Contain the excitement
Properties with no, or very little, outdoor space can be more challenging, but even a couple of containers either side of a front door can make a big difference. One wouldn’t even need to be too creative and plants such as laurus nobilis and buxus sempervirens, although an obvious choice, will create the desired effect.

Architectural Plants remains very clear on the subject of container planting: while it may be the only option available to those who have courtyard gardens, roof terraces and limited space, containers must be filled with suitable specimens and there must be some empathy towards them. Get this right and a successful and beautiful planting scheme is easily within reach. Essentially, anything clipped or slow-growing is ideal and to keep everything looking good appropriate irrigation is crucial – watering systems can be installed by the planting and maintenance team.

Pride (in the name of plants)
It’s about lifestyle and, when viewing a property, a potential resident must be able to identify with it and picture themselves living there. In the same way that an interior should be clean, tidy and functional, the exterior must exhibit some appeal.

Whether selling, renting or making improvements to an existing home, we’re all fairly house-proud and this shouldn’t be exclusive to the interior.

With a bit of attention, an outdoor space can easily be transformed into something beautiful which will capture the viewers’ imagination and give them the right impression. Neglected-looking, soulless properties will certainly not whip up the interest that a well-dressed and well-maintained property might.

Making it so
The approach at Architectural Plants is simple: solutions can be discussed in person at the nursery, via phone or by email. Ideas develop and the desired effect is created. In terms of design, the rule-book has been shelved. Traditional methods of design are employed where necessary but increasingly customers are enjoying a more organic and engaging approach.

Architectural Plants has the ability to work with the customer on a more virtual basis; they call it “design by email” and for smaller projects and container gardening, this method is ideal. Ideas can be exchanged, pictures of stock can be viewed and decisions can be made with a view to delivery of plants/completion of the project. All via email.

For larger projects, borders can be “staged” on the nursery for clients to see a live picture of what their space will become. It’s the beauty of having a large nursery packed with plants, and loads of space in which to muck about with them. Angus White, the owner, calls this ‘design by forklift’ and it’s very popular.

In some cases, after visiting the site and consulting with clients on which plants may be suitable, the team will bring a lorry-load of plants to the site, and stage and plant them there and then – engaging the client along the way.

All of these methods have been and continue to be hugely successful and, with the business expanding into new premises, the results speak for themselves.

Trading places
Despite offering design, planting and maintenance services (in addition to supplying plants), Architectural Plants is a first port of call for many designers, all looking to satisfy the needs of their customers with a wide range of different projects. This collaborative work forms a significant area of their business and the number of trade customers is increasing by the day.

“There’s real authority yet friendliness about the team at Architectural Plants. The staff are motivated, confident, warm and generous with their knowledge – eager to provide me with what I need. This care shows in the quality of plants stocked. The nursery is an ever-changing environment which is both spontaneous and inspiring for me – a real pleasure to walk around.

“With a bit of attention, an outdoor space can easily be transformed into something beautiful which will capture viewers’ imagination”

Design by forklift

I can order large numbers of plants in advance with complete faith that the nursery can supply me with the numbers and quality of plants required. Now that the nursery is expanding, this can only mean even more choice with the same wonderful service… fantastic!”
Caz Osbourne – garden designer
(London and South East and South West)

Think about it
It seems obvious that consideration should be given to outdoor spaces, but too frequently this area of property development and maintenance is overlooked. More than ever residents are looking to feel the benefits of enjoying a beautiful space outside. It’s a demand that needs to be considered, and a visit to Architectural Plants is the perfect place to start.

Meet the team:

A team of horticultural consultants is ready to assist and they’re each armed with huge amounts of knowledge, passion and honesty. Their emphasis is on getting the best results and their standards are exceptionally high. Finding design solutions to suit gardens of any size or shape is common practice.

Debbie Boxall

Imogen Padfield

Paul Donovan

Sophie Pett-Gallacher

Staple plants which the team frequently recommend when working with containers:

•Buxus sempervirens – (Box – clipped into balls, cones or otherwise)
•Ligustrum delavayi (usually clipped into lollipops)
•Laurus nobilis (Bay)
•Phillyrea latifolia (Green Olive – clipped)
•Camellia japonica
•Chamaerops humilis (Dwarf Palm)
•Yucca gloriosa (Adam’s Needle)
•Agave americana (The Century Plant)
•Grevillea rosmarinifolia
•Libertia formosa
•Pseudopanax chathamica (Chatham Island Lancewood)
•Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Crowborough’
•Agapanthus africanus (African Lily)
•Fatsia japonica (False Castor Oil Plant)

Architectural Plants, Nuthurst, Horsham, West Sussex. Contact the team on 01403 891772 or Gardenwizzards@architecturalplants.com Open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.