These Are the Best Plants for Boosting Curb Appeal, According to Real Estate Pros

First impressions are important when selling your home. “Recent studies in the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics show that good curb appeal can increase the value of a home by up to 7 percent,” says Mike Aziz, co-owner of M1 Home Buyers, a Detroit-based homebuying service. Landscaping’s role in curb appeal creates an emotional reaction from buyers who appreciate the story it tells of the life they want. When searching for greenery to help your yard make the best first impression, consider some of these best plants for curb appeal.

1. Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are one of the most popular shrubs among homebuyers: 78 percent of respondents in the OnBuy’s Garden Furniture survey consider them the most desirable plant for a home landscape.

These low-maintenance, lush bushes look expensive. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, most with large, showy clusters of white, pink, or blue flowers that bloom from summer through fall. Fast-growing woody shrubs, they can grow up to 5 feet tall, but are amenable to pruning to shape after blooming is done.

Best For: partial shade, morning sun, specimen plant
Hardiness Zones: 5-9

2. Magnolia tree

“Mature trees add serious value, especially in areas with newer construction that lacks established landscaping,” says Wesley Kang, a real estate broker with Realtor 1099Cafe. “Large trees can add $5,000 to $15,000 in perceived value when positioned properly.”

“Magnolia trees are stunning accent features,” Aziz says.” A beautiful specimen tree, flowering magnolias are showy and stately, with a hint of southern charm, even in northern climes.

Best For: full sun, well-drained soil, away from buildings and wind
Hardiness Zones: 4-10

3. Thuja Green Giant

This type of arborvitae adds year-round privacy, elegance, and an architectural element to a property—not to mention value. If you’re looking for tall plants, these are fast growers, with up to 5 feet of new growth a year.Their root system is non-invasive and won’t damage the foundation of a house or retaining walls. These evergreens are also long-lived: 50-100 years.

Often planted in rows, Thuja Green Giants create a quick, natural barrier. By adapting to many environments and resisting most pests and diseases, the low-maintenance Thuja has endeared itself to home buyers.

Best For: full sun, partial shade, used as a natural privacy fence
Hardiness Zones: 5-9

4. Azalea

Azaleas add a pop of vibrant color in the spring with blooms of white, purple, pink, red, yellow, or orange atop dark foliage. Preferring filtered sun and rich, moist, well-draining soil, this low-cost, low-maintenance shrub can be pruned for shape, size, and structure.

If you plan to sell your home in late fall or winter, be sure to plant evergreen azaleas so they still look vibrant when your house goes on the market. 

Best For: filtered sun, partial sun, specimen plant
Hardiness Zones: 5-9

5. Croton

“Flowers can be beautiful, but in our climate, foliage is the foundation,” states Gary Lanham, broker at Gary Lanham Group at Coldwell Banker Realty in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Some of the most effective curb appeal plants include crotons, with their vibrant, multicolored leaves.”

Considered a perennial evergreen shrub, the tropical croton features boldly colored leaves of yellow, orange, red, and green, available in a number of varieties with differently shaped foliage. Plants can reach 8 feet tall. This frost-tender plant does best in humid climates with warm summer temperatures. Note: that this plant is toxic to humans and animals.

Best For: full sun, warm and humid environments, specimen plants
Hardiness Zones: 11-12

6. Fuchsia

With its colorful, intricately designed, teardrop-shaped flowers, fuchsia brightens up a shady entry. This delicate beauty in colors of pink, purple, and white drapes over the edges of hanging baskets and window boxes and blooms all summer for long-lasting curb appeal.

Fuschia prefers moist soil, humid conditions, and warm temperatures. Fuchsia is also a heavy feeder and will benefit from regular fertilization. As if their beautiful flowers weren’t reward enough, the plant also attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators.

Best For: shade to partial shade, hanging baskets, window boxes, containers
Hardiness Zones: 10-11

7. Pride of Barbados

Gardeners in the desert Southwest might consider Pride of Barbados, sometimes called Mexican Bird of Paradise. These showy beauties feature delicate oval leaves and spectacular clusters of orange-yellow-red flowers. 

Drought-tolerant and deer-resistant, Pride of Barbados might go to the ground in winter in the northern reaches of their viability area (Zones 9-11), but will come back in spring. These large shrubs make an impressive display that will dazzle would-be homebuyers, according to Shelley Dahlman, an agent with The Agency Texas in Austin. “Buyers love to see the bright colors of Pride of Barbados—these plants just make them happier when they’re walking in the door to tour a property,” she says. 

Best For: sunny and hot locations, perennial flower pots, low-water areas
Hardiness Zones: 9-11

 

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