Books have been written about the ins and outs of container plants – the right soil mixture, the right containers, the right location, the right plants.
But I want to focus on how potted outdoor plants can earn their keep when your home is for sale.
Say hello
You can use your porch or front steps as a place to offer a refreshing welcome to people who've come to tour your home. Living plants at your entrance will set the tone that your home is carefed for. Keep the plants close to the front door for this technique to work its magic.Tell where to look
Plants in pots can draw attention to a selling point, such as a view, an unusual amenity, or a recent upgrade. Keep that particular planting subtle so it doesn't overpower the selling point.Distract buyers
Let your potted plants hide less-than-perfect or not-so-pretty features of your property. Don't be deceiving, but do what it takes to flatter your home. You can do this by choosing colorful or unusual planters, beautiful foliage, or brightly colored flowers, and placing them where they will draw the attention of people on tour of your home.Help define your style
The plants and vessels you choose make clear to buyers the style of your home. A cottage home might feature unique, vintage finds for planters. A Mediterranean home would have terra cotta pots. And a mid-century home could display pastel ceramics. Start by looking at all the containers you have, decide which ones flatter your home's style, then discard, disguise, or replace the ones that seem incongruous. |
| If your home is for sale in winter, you still have options for filling planters with hardy plants like this ivy, or alternatives like interesting branches or a shrub. |
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| A traditional home calls for traditional plantings, and these red geraniums in wooden window boxes were the perfect choice. |
Make your move easier
Containerized plants will make it easy for you to pot up your favorite plants in preparation for the move to the next home. Arranged attractively in groupings, they will look like part of your deliberate, exterior home staging. I've blogged about how difficult it can be for a gardener to move.Add some fluff
Potted plants can fill in bare spots in a sparse or boring landscape. They can dress up a walkway, or spiff up a shady side yard. Best tip: keep the containers extra big for that lush, high-quality appearance. When your outdoor home staging includes some large containers of attractive specimens it makes your online listings look more interesting in the exterior photographs. |
| No rule says window boxes must contain flowers. These hay rack baskets are planted with caladiums, and decorate the shady side of the house. |
I found these bright ornamental peppers growing in oversized urns outside my hotel in Saint Augustine, Florida. To me, they captured the spirit of a sunny location. Plants can remind home buyers of the kind of climate they are buying into.
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| This interesting assortment of greenery in stylish pots makes an otherwise dull corner of some back door steps look special. Photo: Southern City Farm and Landscaping |
Plants on this porch make the space more friendly and inviting. Photo: Young House Love
Point the way
Your plants can keep the eye moving around an exterior space such as a porch or patio, so that the entire area gets noticed. They can even act as directional aids, encouraging people to "walk this way." For a unified rather than helter-skelter look, keep the containers in the same family -- all clay, all metal, all stone, all wood, all baskets, or all ceramic.
Upgrade your home's quality
Good-quality flower pots are impressive, but not necessarily expensive. They can elevate the quality quotient of a house. Economical plastic pots can be faux-finished to look like stone so there is no excuse to have cheap-looking planters as part of your home staging. Keep on the lookout at thrift stores and discount big box stores for generous-sized pots at good prices. |
| Look for bargains, and consider money spent on planters a good investment because they will add to the perceived value of your property, and you still get to keep them long-term. |
Soften and transform spaces
Containers of live, colorful flowers make any area look more comfortable. Plants in pots can convert a concrete slab into a refreshing oasis, a balcony into a private retreat, or an unused porch into an outdoor living room. You'll want to concentrate on just the areas that need emphasis. Overdoing it can create a funeral parlor look.
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| The addition of colorful annuals at the entrance of this home helps the property photograph better and makes it stand out. |
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| I took this photo in Charleston, South Carolina. The soft plantings in almost invisible window boxes added just the right amount of color to this elegant facade. |
Make your property unique
A striking container plant, or a group of plants in attractive pots will set your home apart. When people go house hunting, they often view a few houses in one afternoon. That oversized bucket of fluorescent double impatiens on your front porch could be the identifying marker that home buyers remember when they mentally review the homes they toured. Just make sure the plants look tended, not neglected. |
| Any home in any location offers opportunities for colorful plantings and outdoor floral arrangements. |
Get the look, get the book
For more incisive and practical tips on how to prepare your home for the real estate market, download my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar. I promise you won't be disappointed! Let me do the legwork for you so your home will sell faster at a price you'll love.
