Research over a range of states has shown that well landscaped properties increase in value 10-12 percent over just having a lawn. We talked to our BNI realtor partner Veronica Jaster, with ReeceNichols on the Koehler-Borthnick Team, to find out what that means for Kansas City homeowners.
Curb Appeal
Landscaping increases curb appeal. When a person first sees a home, the landscaping is what they see before the inside. Poor landscaping can make it very difficult to sell a house.
For example, Jaster and her partner had been following a house that was listed on the market in May of 2021 and didn’t sell when priced at 350K. The owner asked Jaster and her partner to sell the home.
Before her partner and she listed the house, they met with the homeowner and pointed out several landscaping problems like overgrown shrubs, an overhang that was too short and would hit a tall person, and some other things.
The homeowner corrected the problems and the home sold for 377K after just a few days.
Curb Appeal Transformation
Before
Demo Started
Blue Crew In Action
Planting Complete
Stone Work Finished
Entry Planter Filled
Sophisticated Designs
Several researchers have found that sophisticated landscape designs cause the value of the home to increase. Simple lawn and foundation plantings by themselves are not good enough. It takes multiple landscape beds with well planted and maintained landscapes and mature trees to really increase the value. Neighborhoods that have sophisticated landscape designs likewise increase the value of a person’s property.
Jaster says that before the pandemic, a house with a pool was a neutral feature or it could actually lower the price of the home. Since the pandemic, a pool that is meticulously landscaped can increase the value of a home from 100-200k.
Right now people are looking for houses with beautiful outdoor living areas so they can entertain properly. Outdoor structures with kitchens, shade, and other amenities make that more enjoyable.
Meticulously Landscaped
The key to improving the value of your home is meticulously maintaining the landscape. Poorly maintained landscaping with overgrown and dying shrubbery, as with the previous example, can make the house hard to sell. Recently, Jaster sold a home on a 1-acre lot in a subdivision that showcased some excellent landscaping. The property was listed for one day with an asking price of 1.35 million. It sold in a bidding war for 1.5 million. The buyers stated that the home’s curb appeal and first impression are what really stood out to them.
Schedule Your Landscape Upgrade
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can not only install outdoor living areas of all kinds, but we can maintain them as well. In fact, one of our clients just won home of the month after our garden care visit. For more information on how we can increase the value of your home, call (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consultation.
Grubs are the larva of May/June beetles, masked chafers, Japanese beetles, and green June beetles. While the adult beetles can cause problems, it is the larva that cause dead spots in the lawn.
Grubs are white insects with a brown head. When disturbed, they curl in a C shape. The larger the grub is, the harder it is to kill. Damage due to grubs usually becomes noticeable in July and August, when the grubs are in their third instar or growth period.
Symptoms of Grubs
Grubs feed on the roots of turfgrass. When the roots of the grass are eaten, the grass wilts easily, then dies in irregular patches. You can pull on the turf above the surface of the ground and it will pull away easily. In fact, you can roll the turf up like a carpet.
Treating For Grubs
There are two kinds of treatments for grubs. The first is a stomach poison, which kills the grub after they eat roots with pesticide in them. The second is contact poison, where the poison is in the soil and the grub touches it. Both types of insecticides are effective when used properly.
Applications of insecticide are done in late July/early August in our area. You should water with about half an inch of water two or three days before pesticide application to bring the grubs up to the surface, where the insecticide can reach them. Spread the pesticide and carefully follow the directions on the package. After applying a granular insecticide, water the lawn with at least half an inch of water to drive the insecticide deep enough in the lawn to kill the grubs.
Problems After Treatment
If the thatch in your lawn is deeper than half an inch, it will absorb most of the insecticide. Since grubs don’t eat thatch, they will not be poisoned. Aerate or verticut your lawn to remove the thatch before treating the lawn if the thatch is deep. The other problem is caused by not watering enough after an insecticide application, so the poison doesn’t reach the grubs. In either case, you will not control the grubs despite the cost and effort of applying pesticides, so be sure to be thorough and diligent.
We Kill Grubs
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping’s Blue Crew will kill the grubs in your lawn. We will also reseed the lawn, if needed, when fall arrives. Sign up for our lawn care subscription and we will make sure thatch doesn’t build up, the lawn irrigation is doing its job, and any grubs are treated and destroyed. Call (816) 825-2524 to sign up and let us handle the grubs.
Do you live in an area with an HOA? Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping loves our customers. While we will always serve individual property owners, we want to keep the common areas in your HOA in good condition just as we keep your outdoor living spaces ready for you to use.
Target Areas
We are targeting some specific neighborhoods that are close to our new shop. These include:
Loch Lloyd
Lakewood
Hallbrook
Iron Horse
Lions Gate
Mission Hills
Mission Farms
The Woods
Our Service Area targets are in the red and green areas.
Referrals To HOA Board Members
If you know anyone on the HOA board for our target neighborhoods, we would love a referral or to be introduced to them. We do everything from designing landscape upgrades to keeping the grass green and inviting. Is there something your neighborhood needs that just isn’t getting done? We can help by talking to your HOA about fixing the problem.
Referrals To Property Management Companies
Do you have areas in your neighborhoods that are managed by property management companies? Many apartment complexes are managed by property management companies that are good with leasing but not as good at maintaining the green spaces around the apartments. Introducing us to the property management companies can pay off for both parties. If we are managing the green spaces, the property management company can spend more time helping residents.
Who do you know involved with the HOA in Loch Lloyd? We would love an introduction and a referral to help your community.
We Can Help Each Other
Lackluster common areas drag down property values. They look like no one cares enough to keep the outdoor living areas looking nice. Lackluster green spaces can negatively impact your ability to enjoy your outdoor living area. You don’t want to sit in the yard looking at dead plants and brown grass. Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help if you give us an introduction or referral. Give us a call at (816) 825-2524 to find out how we can help each other.
Bagworms are a real threat to both evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. They are unsightly and weaken the host plant. Bagworms attack many species of trees but prefer evergreens. They defoliate the tree they live on, damaging it or even killing it if the infestation is severe.
Description
When the caterpillar hatches, it crawls out of the bag it hatched from. Bagworms start weaving their own bag immediately. The silk is covered in plant debris and can be hard to see when the bagworms are young. Most people start to notice bagworms in August and September when they are one to two inches long.
Life Cycle
The larvae hatch in May and early June. They grow through the summer and continue to add organic matter to their bag for camouflage. In September, the bagworm attaches its bag to a twig. The bags look like Christmas tree ornaments all over the tree.
In the fall, a female bagworm is ready to mate. She has no wings or legs and is inside her protective bag. The males hatch in September and crawl into the bag and mate with the female. She lays 100-200 eggs inside the bag and dies. The eggs overwinter in the mother’s bag.
Control
The most practical method of control is to pick the bags off the tree and crush them, then throw them in the trash. Removing the bags not only kills the eggs and larvae within, but it also prevents that generation from reproducing more bagworms.
The bag around the caterpillar makes chemical control difficult. Chemicals need to be applied to the foliage, not the bag. Spraying a pesticide on the tree that the caterpillar will ingest along with the needles or leaves of the tree is the best way to kill them. The younger the caterpillar, the easier it is to kill it. By August, the bagworm is mature and is not feeding much, so chemical control is unlikely. Don’t waste your time or money on chemicals then.
Both Bacillus thuringiensis and Spinosad will control young bagworms when applied to the foliage. These pesticides are allowed in organic gardening. Products containing acephate, cyfluthrin, or permethrin are also effective chemical control agents when applied to the foliage in early summer. Wet the foliage completely with any pesticide you use, or you will not get good coverage.
We Can Help
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping customers will be relieved to know that we can treat trees for bagworms. We have the proper equipment and know-how to safely spray every inch of your tree or shrub to kill bagworms before they defoliate your plants. To subscribe to our garden care program, call our office at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consult.
A lot of people think that hardscapes, the solid surfaces of the landscape, don’t need any maintenance. After all, concrete and paver stones are hard as rock, right? To look their best, they do need some tender loving care.
Clear Debris
Sweep or blow your hardscape regularly. Leaves and other debris can keep your hardscape damp and cause stains to occur. Over time, the constant moisture begins to break down concrete and the finish of the pavers. At that point, the sand between the pavers can also wash out, destabilizing the stones. One tip is to clean your hardscape on the same day of the month every time, you won’t forget to do it.
Power Wash Your Patio & Driveway
Once a year, you should use a power washer to wash the hard surfaces of your property. Power washers force water out in a strong stream, so it washes off the dirt that has been ground in over the last season. Be careful not to direct the power washer on the joints between paver stones. You want to keep the water moving over the stones, not wash out the joints. Many tool rental stores carry power washers if you do not have one.
Chemically Clean and Seal
Every two or three years, your concrete and pavers need to be cleaned with special chemical cleaners to remove the particles that can be removed by the power washer. This step also prepares the pavers to accept the new sealer. You can do this on your own with a pump sprayer and scrub brushes, but the chemicals are harsh, and it is better to let a trained professional do this correctly and be safe. Once the patio is completely cleaned, you may need to touch up some of the sand joints. However, you will have to wait for it to completely dry again before applying any polymeric sand to avoid it sticking to the surface of your pavers. We like to use a wet-look sealer on most applications to bring out the colors of the pavers and give them a wet look.
Let Us Do The Work
As mentioned above, chemically cleaning and sealing pavers and concrete is best left to the professionals. At Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping, we have the right equipment and training. If you subscribe to our hardscape maintenance program, we will come power wash your hardscape once a year. Every two years, we will chemically clean and seal your hardscape. To take advantage of this affordable program, call our office at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consult soon.
