Adding flowering plants, containers, and gardens to your yard helps bees and other pollinators find food. No matter the size of your ‘green space,’ plants help replenish pollinator food that was cleared in areas of development.
Besides helping bees, property owners have other reasons to consider when investing in their property. Having a well-designed yard improves curb appeal and brings economic, environmental and personal benefits to the property. Homeowners that invest in landscaping receive a 100 – 200 percent recovery rate on their investment at the time of sale; which is the highest rate of return on any home improvement.
Alternatively, a poor landscaping design can decrease property value by up to 10%. Certain ‘do-it-yourself’ landscaping practices can be negative when the property is assessed; such as plantings too close to buildings and trees or shrubbery planted too close together.
If you’re not sure which direction to take your yard; talk with your local landscape professional to determine the right design for you. Some people opt for a large garden with lots of plants while others choose to have a well-cared-for lawn. Although lawns may not seem like ‘a garden’ in fact they provide the largest number of plants in your entire yard. A healthy lawn has a bunch of benefits, making seeding grass a better option over gravel, crushed rock, pavement or artificial turf.
Here are some benefits of lawns:
- Increases property values by 15 – 20%
- Provides a measurable cooling effect on a hot day
- Traps dust and smoke particles from the air
- Absorbs CO2, trapping the carbon and emitting oxygen (a 50 x 50-foot lawn can produce enough oxygen for a family of four to breathe for a year).
- Decrease noise by 8 to 10 decibels
- Acts as a water filter, cleaning the water and preventing it from entering the stormwater drains
Properly landscaped yards are also good for business. Customers are more likely to travel further when businesses are surrounded by well-kept plants. Studies show that businesses are easier to find from the street when they’re framed by green landscapes. Once there, customers are more likely to pay a 12% premium for goods purchased in a retail establishment that are accompanied by quality landscaping.
Another reason you might want to consider a professionally landscaped yard is to save money throughout the year. Strategically placed plants can decrease heating and cooling costs (depending on the season), helping you save on hydro.
To find a contractor to work in your yard, our website has a list of BC landscapers that you can search by region. Alternatively, you can request a quote from accredited landscapers on LandscapeBC.com and use their tools for you to use to ensure that you are hiring the right company for the job.
Read more about hiring the right landscape contractor for the job on our Blog ‘How to Hire a Landscape Professional.’
