Guide To Home Improvement - How Does Your Garden Grow?

A garden adds color and life to your backyard while enhancing the comfort and beauty of your home. You don't have to have a green thumb to improve your home's market value, but the idea might grow on you.

Landscaping is possible in any backyard and on any budget. You don't have to undertake a major remodeling project to make your backyard a more comfortable place for you and your family.

A Garden On Every Budget
If you've never maintained a garden, don't start a major remodeling project with an extensive garden. Be sure to plant during the proper season, and be prepared to follow watering and weeding schedules. Keep remodeling costs low at first, planting just a few hardy flowers and vegetables. Ground cover plants like ferns offer low maintenance beauty, with a unique look that can improve the home's market value. Once you understand the maintenance a few plants will need, branch out and try herbs, more delicate plants, and seasonal projects.

Pick a Beautifying Addition
Landscaping accessories and add-ons like walkways, gazebos, and ponds can bump up your remodeling costs, but the tradeoff is often a big boost your home's market value. A flat stone walkway isn't a major remodeling project, and can pull a big backyard together. Privacy hedges cover up fences, electrical lines, and nosy neighbors. Installing your own pond is another big market value boost, but if you're not ready for the remodeling costs, start small with floating plants and large ceramic bowls or flowerpot bases.

Maintain Your Investment
A garden is an ongoing project that may require a steady flow of remodeling costs and maintenance. Gardens thrive from careful attention, and anything you leave outside--from patio chairs to gazebos--is at the mercy of the seasons. Treat wood pieces with a water sealant, check electrical lines on irrigation and lighting systems, and always be on the lookout for harmful insects in the garden. Periodic maintenance is the smartest way to keep remodeling costs low for any project.

While a major remodeling project can increase market value and make your home more attractive to buyers, smaller projects can make you happier in your home as you improve the look of a boring backyard.

About the Author
Amelia Gray is a teacher and freelance writer in San Marcos, TX. Amelia earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Arizona State University.