How Much Money Does is Cost to Maintain a Lanscape? Advice for New Home Buyers

I had a customer who recently moved to Upstate NY. She sold her three-bedroom condo with an all-inclusive maintenance package in NYC for a house with a yard large enough to land a small jet. The new house, over eight thousand square feet looked like a castle with an inground swimming pool surrounded by tiered rose gardens and a cast iron fence. A gazebo sat on a knoll in the back yard with a stone stream that cascaded through perennial gardens before spilling into a coy fish pond.

“Isn’t it fabulous?” she asked as we hopped from one steppingstone to the next in early April. “Now, Kim, I want you to know... I don’t know anything about plants, and I have no desire to learn. But I know I don’t like weeds and I want this landscape to look perfect.”

We glanced into the coy-fish pond. A handful of plump fish rose to the surface looking for a treat. “I could’ve done without these fish but they’re starting to grow on me. I named that one Leo.” She pointed to a large whitish grey fish with flowing fins that resembled a lion.

“This house was listed as the perfect work- from- home oasis. My real estate agent kept pointing out that octagonal window overlooking the gardens and said it seemed like the perfect space for a home office.”

I looked around at the barren spring beds and saw hundreds of perennials poking through the cold soil. I envisioned the botanical explosion that was about to unfold. She showed me a picture of what the landscape looked like last season under the previous owner. Hundreds of red geraniums outlined the retaining walls, and the pool area was garnished with various annual flowers in decorative pots.

I pointed out the annual flowers including the geraniums and asked if she was planning on having them this season. “They don’t just come back?” she asked.

I explained to her the difference between annual and perennial flowers. Annual flowers are used in the landscape to add a constant pop of color, but they do not survive the winter in our cold climate, so they must be planted every year. Perennials come back year after year, but many have a specific bloom time that can be short lived.

She pointed to the geraniums in the picture. “So, you’re telling me someone plants all these flowers every year? There’s got to be hundreds of them. I should call my real estate agent and have her come over in her fancy white slacks to plant these."

After pointing out a few other things, I could tell she was getting overwhelmed. We shook hands before I left and agreed to look at pricing for a season’s worth of gardening maintenance and an annual flower planting. When I emailed her the proposal, a lofty $10,000 including weeding, shrub trimming, perennial care, annual plantings, and leaf removal, she nearly choked. “Kim, this is absurd. I’m already paying someone four grand to mow the lawn. That seems like an awful lot of money to spend just on my landscape. I could go on a hell of a vacation with that money.”

And she was right. She could go on a hell of a vacation, but the only place she’ll be going is her back yard.

“Kim, I’m going to try and learn how do this on my own. It seems crazy to me to spend this much money, and it’s reoccurring. I’ll be doing this every year.”

It was a super rainy spring followed by warm humid temperatures. Weeds, shrubs, anything green exploded into new growth. It was late May when I got a call from her. She sounded like she was crying. “Kim, I’m in dire straits. My gardens are a mess and Leo is missing from the pond. How can he be missing? Do you think he was embarrassed and found a new home? I feel so foolish. I thought I’d be able to keep up with it. But the bugs, it’s hot and I’m now sneezing. I think I’m allergic to the outside. I’m so afraid the previous owner is going to drive by and yell at me. This place is a disaster.”

I met with her that week and as expected the gardens were bursting with new vegetation. My crew and I weeded for an entire day, neatened up perennials, and trimmed imposing shrubs. We advised her to buy a Motion Activated Sprinkler Jet for the coy pond, as it was most likely a blue herring that flew off with Leo and I guaranteed he’d be back for the rest of the fish.

We planted the geraniums and pool pots although not as many as the previous owner. We worked at her property for two seasons before she sold it and bought a condo.

“You don’t know, what you don’t know.” I’m not sure who originally said that phrase but it’s true. This woman was a highly decorated IT manager. She probably could have set up my blog page within minutes while it took me over two months to get it started. She originated from NYC and never even grew a houseplant. Gardening was not in her wheelhouse of knowledge, and she had no idea of the cost to maintain a property of this size. On occasion I’ll get a text from her with a picture of a garden she came across during her travels. She always alludes to her new appreciation for meticulously manicured landscapes.

If you are in the market for a new home, consider the landscape before you buy. Most real estate agents are well versed in the functionality of the home, plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc. And a home inspection before you agree to purchase is an added layer of protection for these necessities. Your agent can even tell you about the average cost for amenities. What’s often overlooked is the landscape and the cost and labor associated with it.

Yard

The size of the yard is probably the easiest to evaluate. Do you like mowing the lawn? If it’s large, are you willing to give up half your weekend to mow it in the summer? My answer to that is always a hard “no,” but hey some people love riding around on their mowers. If you plan on hiring someone to mow your lawn, call landscape companies and ask them for quotes. If you live in the Northeast, it’s becoming increasingly harder to find landscape companies willing to take on new mowing customers. Plan in advance so you’re not stuck doing it yourself.

A quick glance of the layout of the yard around the house is highly recommended. If the yard is pitched towards the house, you may get water in your basement after a heavy rain. A home inspector will sometimes pick up on this but if you’re buying a home during the dry season and there is no evidence of water damage, it can be overlooked.

Trees

Trees are a lovely addition to your landscape. They help keep your home cool during the summer and block blustering winds in the winter. They also are highly desirable in the aesthetics of a landscape, but an unhealthy tree can be dangerous and costly. Inspect the trees before you agree to purchase. Often times, if a tree is deemed dangerous the cost of removal can be negotiated in your purchase price.

Signs of an unhealthy tree include…

-Dead limbs. Even healthy trees shed limbs from time to time but a tree that is in decline can have numerous dead limbs especially in the top of the canopy.

-Mushroom-like structures growing on the bark or near the roots. This is a sign of decaying wood which increases the likelihood of failure.

-A thin canopy. Often times if a tree is struggling, the first noticeable signs will be in the upper canopy. Sometimes this can be alleviated under the care of an arborist but if the tree has the potential to cause damage to your new home, it may be a good idea to have it removed.

-Heaving of roots and soil around the base of the tree. This is often seen in evergreen trees during wet weather. An immediate removal is advised.

Leaves

Last fall my team and I did a fall cleanup that cost the customer over $4000. It took five of us two full days to complete. In the pool area alone, the leaves were piled close to five feet high!

One mature maple tree can have over 100,000 leaves. That’s a whole lot of leaves to shove into a paper bag. If you’re considering buying a house with mature trees, ask your real estate agent how the previous owner handled leaf removal.

Mulch

Many people add a fresh layer of mulch yearly for aesthetics or because they think it’s required. If the home you wish to purchase has several mulched beds, ask your real estate agent if they can tell you how many yards of mulch the previous owner used and how much it cost. Mulch itself is not expensive but the labor to have someone wheelbarrow it in, is.

Shrubs and Perennials

Buying a home with established shrubs is almost a guarantee you’ll have some level of maintenance. Shrubs like all plants want to grow and often times they are placed in the landscape at a young age and eventually outgrow their space if not maintained properly. Formal hedges require multiple trimmings each season to maintain their form.

Perennials should be deadheaded after flowering to maintain a neat appearance. Most perennials should be cut back in the fall to avoid piles of mush in the spring. Ornamental grasses are considered perennials and can be quite a task for a homeowner to cut back and discard. I have a customer who recently purchased a home with 17 huge ornamental grasses surrounding the pool. He said if he knew how much money he would have to spend each year to cut them back, he wouldn’t have bought the house. We have since removed the majority of them.

Snow Removal

If you live in the north, you're aware that snow removal is a ton of work. Consider how you'll clear your driveway. Can you afford to hire someone to plow you out every time it snows? Buying a snow blower or a tractor to do it yourself is an option if you have the money and the desire. Your least expensive option is the good old shovel, but I guarantee if your driveway is long, you may dread snow days more than death itself.

Buying a home is exciting and can be scary if there are a lot of unknowns. Remember to consider the landscape before you purchase. Be realistic about how much time and money you want to devote to your outdoor space.

-Kimberly