Curb Appeal for Renters
If you rent your home or even if you own you home, here are some tips that you can use to make you house proud.
Best natural weed killer!
This is the front of my sister's house. As you can see, the bushes are overgrown, they actually are covering the door. Not much to look at.
A few years ago, she used small stones as a ground cover, she also added railroad ties as a boarder. Unfortunately now everything is overgrown, you can't see the rocks or the railroad ties anymore. She didn't know where to start.
I began by removing her bushes. You could just trim the bushes back; however, she wanted them removed because she didn't want to deal with them.
After I removed the bushes, I removed as many of the small stones as I could. I actually used them in the landscaping in her backyard.
Her soil was really bad so I amended her soil:
first layer: Preen (weed suppressant)
second layer: cow manure
third layer: top soil
fourth layer: vermiculite
fifth layer: peat moss
I raked everything together to mix it.
Once the soil was amended, it was time to plant.
I purchased a few plants and I also used plants that were in her backyard.
Before planting, I soaked each plant with water.
Most plants can be split into two plants.
Take the plant out of the pot and pull the top plant apart with your hands.
Lay the plant on the ground.
Place a sharp, flat shovel on the root ball and slice it in half.
Now you have two plants for the price of one!
She had several daylilies around her home which I dug out, and split into about 15 new plants.
Each "new" plant must have a roots so when you're splitting, just make sure there are roots on each new plant.
Once you're ready to plant, dig a hole that is twice the size of the plant you're planting, Add water to the hole, place the plant in the hole, and fill and pat the soil around the plant.
I wanted to add a boarder to make mowing easier for her.
Using the flat, sharp shovel, I cut an ditch along the garden (at the red arrows).
This edging by Blue Hawk is perfect for renters. It's not that expensive and easy to install.
I placed the boarder in the ditch that I had dug with the shovel.
Once the boarder was in place, I filled in in front and behind the boarder with soil.
Once the boarder was in, I placed about an inch of hardwood mulch on top of the bed instead of small rocks. This will help keep the weeds down.
Here is the front of her house after. WOW! What a difference!
Her house is not hidden by overgrown shrubs and looks clean and bright. Once the flowers bloom...beautiful.
Comments
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Looks awesome 👏
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Looks great!! Nice job!
I am a landlord, and I can tell you that’s she’s LUCKY to have you!
Frequently asked questions
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How long did this project take?
Won’t the Preen Weed Killer kill the plants!
A labor of love, no doubt. You're a good sister.
One question, please -- when amending the soil, how thick or tall did you make your layers? My backyard has an ugly area of hard clay and where nothing, not even weeds, will grow. I think amending will help. I just don't know how much to layer before I mix it in.
Thanks so much for sharing your project; you truly inspired me!