Going back to my childhood, I remember regularly visiting a farmer who lived near us. Before the days of being politically correct and being afraid to put labels on people, everyone knew him as an ‘Old Batchelor’.  He had always put work and farming before women, and over the years had developed a comfortable routine, revolving around farm work, lambing, shearing, and to a lesser extent, keeping his house functioning.

He and his sheep dogs lived on a diet of home kill mutton, white bread and butter, round wine biscuits, cups of tea and cigarette smoke. To provide balance to his diet, added onto the menu were the occasional homegrown vegetable from his garden (if the hens and possums didn’t get to them first) and fresh eggs discovered from random nests found around the shearing shed.

I come from generations of keen gardeners, who both plant edibles and ornamental plants, and so visiting the old farmers house was a contrast. His house was a little cottage perched high on a hill overlooking his estate, surrounded by a simple fence. His sheep mowed his lawn, and the lack of plants around the house meant that his ‘Batchelor’ status was on display for all to see.

Our old farming friend has long gone – the years of hard physical toil in all weathers took its toll and  slowed him up, however it was cigarettes that stopped him being able to enjoy his pension.

His house was sold, and is now surrounded by trees and plantings. I sometimes look up at the house as I drive past, and wonder if the more recent plantings have added value to the property’s value. The cold constant wind that was around the house will have gone, you would be able to have a vegetable garden and fruit trees near the house. Children will be able to run around on the lawn without constantly dragging sheep droppings through into the house.

All things considered, it seems to me that the plantings around the house will have added value to the property.

What I don’t know is how much value this adds – is the value only the creation of a more pleasant environment for those living in the house, or does it also add value in the form of money when it comes time for the property to be sold?

I have been told an old saying that if you spend a dollar inside the house, you get a dollar back. However if you spend a dollar in the garden, you get 10 dollars back.

A real-estate agent once told me that properties that were well planted and looked tidy not only sold for more, but also sold faster.

At Kaipara Coast Plant Centre we love helping people add value to their properties and lives by using plants. Flick us an email or drop in and see how we can help.