Majority of homeowners take care and pride in maintaining their homes. The feeling of being able to get the hose and water your grass, or take a ride to the store to grab a tool for repairs or topsoil and flowers for your garden bring feelings of pride and satisfaction for many.
We enjoy being able to physically take care of our property and investment. The more you do to maintain the home, the more the value will hold and, in some cases, increase.
One important feature of a home, is curb appeal. Many benefits come with having great curb appeal, if landscaped correctly. You and others will enjoy the view, it will increase your property value, provide colour and symmetry to the space and may even get other neighbours copying you, encouraging a more positive neighbourhood look and feel.
It’s pretty contagious and feels great when you’ve done something and are admired for it, by seeing others do the same. It could even enhance your quality of life.
Even though having flower gardens against your home can compliment the overall look of your home, I am going to give you 6 reasons why planting flower beds or having soil resting against your home is not a good idea and why you want to rethink your garden location. It may look good for right now but it will inevitably accelerate rot and damage to your home both outside and in worse cases, inside your home as well.
CHECK OUT THESE 6 REASONS AND LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS
1. EXCESS MOISTURE
Trees, shrubs, bushes and other plants along with materials like mulch installed too close to the home can hold excess moisture and can cause problems to your home. This excess moisture over time can lead to damage to the home’s foundation as well as siding material, especially stucco and composite material.
Remember building materials are not water proof. Soil will filter the water alongside your home and over time it may break down the material eventually leading to rotting, cracking and possibly creating a path into your home causing efflorescence, mould and even water leaks. During the freeze and thaw cycles it can accelerate the issue and become even more dangerous and potentially more expensive to repair.
2. NOT THE RIGHT TYPE OF CURB APPEAL
Curb appeal is great but it can be lessened when shrubs, bushes and other plants are overcrowding the space and stuck against the home’s exterior. Homeowners will often plant new bushes, trees or shrubs too close to the home, forgetting that in a couple years they will get larger in size growing against the home potentially causing damage to the actual plant as well as making it harder to maintain and keeping the desired look.
3. THE VIEW
I have come across hundreds of homes in which homeowners have either kept or have planted big shrubbery or small trees against their home and in front of their windows because they say it “provides privacy”, “Shade” or “ better curb appeal”. If done the right way yes it can give great curb appeal but there are better locations suited for trees, shrubs, and bushes. Window coverings actually provide shade and privacy without any risk.
4. BUGS
Termites are attracted to plants and trees as sources of food. Having vegetation too close to the home invites these termites into the area as well.
5. SPACE
Landscaping close to the home is more difficult to weed, trim and maintain. Ample space allows for easy movement around your home and maintaining the flower bed and the plants inside the bed.
6. MAINTENANCE
Planting too close can limit your ability to maintain other aspects of the homes exterior like cleaning your windows, hanging Christmas lights, inspecting your homes exterior walls, cleaning gutters effectively.
Consider how close you want to plant trees to the home as well. Species such as Oaks and Maples have big root systems. These roots may grow closer and closer to the home potentially damaging sewer lines, foundations and more. It is important to make sure branches too close to the home are trimmed back and be mindful that leaves and small twigs can clog your gutter system requiring more gutter maintenance.
6 REASON INSTALLING FLOWER BEDS AGAINST YOUR HOME IS A BAD IDEA AND HOW AVOIDING IT CAN SAVE YOU MONEY AND HEADACHES.
Although some may like the idea of having garden beds and big plants or trees against the home, it’s a good idea to keep the exterior walls of your home free from anything that can infiltrate or damage the structure.
From creating a flower bed around existing trees in your front yard or up the side of your driveway or even doing a simple kidney shape design in the middle of your lawn, there are many other ways to get the curb appeal you’re looking for without risking damage to the structure of your home and always ensure the grading around your home is sloped away from the home.
Research the plants, shrubs, trees, etc. you would like to plant on your property and make sure they have enough space to grow within the flower bed and appropriately spaced away from other plants and the exterior of your home. You will be happy you did. It’s better to prevent a problem then to fix a problem.
For 8 years I worked along side my grandfather in his Landscaping business. He was a horticulturalist and botanist with a university degree from the university of Guelph and for many of his working years, he was the foreman of parks and recreation with the city of Toronto. After he retired from the city he started his own landscaping company and working along side him for those 8 years I learnt a lot more than just landscaping.
Creating flower beds and placement of plants, trees and shrubs is not rocket science but it is an art and does require knowledge and skill. So be mindful and conduct your due diligence to get the most out of your landscaping and curb appeal.
