Fifteen years ago, Mary Kernan and her husband purchased a 4,200-square-foot home in Bedford, Massachusetts, embarking on a significant renovation project that extended beyond the house to include the surrounding 1.5-acre yard. When they moved in, the garden was overrun with invasive plants such as buckthorn, bittersweet, and knotweed, which Kernan described as “an absolute mess.” With limited gardening knowledge at the time, she initially hired a landscaper, but later spent years undoing much of that work as she educated herself about sustainable gardening and native plants.
Over time, Kernan transformed the yard, adding a vegetable garden, fruit trees including pawpaw and mulberry, and hundreds of native species. She also installed a drip irrigation system to reduce watering time. Her passion for gardening grew, leading her to share her knowledge with others and become active in the Bedford Garden Club.
After a decade and a half, the couple is preparing to sell the property and downsize to a condominium with a much smaller outdoor space. Kernan spoke of the emotional difficulty of the transition, expressing concerns about finding a buyer who would appreciate the garden’s value rather than viewing it as an opportunity to clear it out. She acknowledged that financial considerations will ultimately guide the sale.
Selling a home with a mature garden introduces complexities beyond the usual real estate transaction. While landscaping investments can increase a property’s value, the return varies depending on the nature and upkeep of the garden. Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, noted via email that standard landscape improvements, including outdoor kitchens or lawn care, typically recover at least their costs in sale price.
However, the impact of more specialized or naturalistic gardens is more difficult to quantify. Amanda Pendleton, a home trends expert at Zillow, said that garden features that are “specific and functional” tend to improve a home’s market performance. For example, homes with fruit trees usually sell for about 0.7 percent above expectations, whereas properties with a generic “garden” designation can sell for 0.4 percent below expected prices. Buyers generally prefer outdoor features that are productive, purposeful, or environmentally friendly rather than standard greenery.
Mary Huff, who recently sold a 1.26-acre Atlanta property, found that investing in native, climate-resilient landscaping had a positive impact on buyer interest. The $3,000 landscaping plan she commissioned focused on plant species that attract wildlife and require less maintenance. Despite some initial skepticism from her real estate agent, the house sold for nearly 11 percent above asking price, with the garden cited as a contributing factor.
Realtor Judy Chauvin of Cape Landing Real Estate emphasized that finding the right buyer for a garden is largely a matter of matching tastes. She noted that many sellers tend to leave their gardens as they are, hoping a buyer will appreciate the investment of care and attention. Chauvin cited a current listing at 7 Cranberry Road in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where natural plantings blend with the coastal environment, creating what she called a “little secret garden.”
As more homeowners seek to balance outdoor living spaces with market considerations, the challenge remains to effectively communicate the value of established, sustainable gardens to prospective buyers.