Help inspire me for some kerb appeal!

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

Just getting ready to go on the market for first week in April. I'll attach some pics, but basically, I would like some help to up the kerb appeal. I will be putting plants by the door, and hopefully a hanging basket as it will be spring by then. I'll put a fake one (but not a cheap one!) if not. I'm getting a new knocker as I removed the horrible ugly lion head 14 years ago and never replaced it! The drive is being pressure washed, and then lifted and relayed. I can't afford a new drive, so DP and DS are going to lift the existing, replace broken slabs, and repoint them. They will also do the front wall too hopefully. DP laid his mums patio before, so has some experience.
I don't have loads to spend, the above will cost me a few hundred. But does anyone have any other ideas?
I've already cleared in front of the wall before anyone asks. The pics are current (but before I cleared the leaves on the pavement). I'm going to reply with some more pics so you can see it in the summer.

@SilenzioBruno
Does Monty Don ever make a hanging basket? Have you ever seen one in a show garden at Chelsea? They have truly gone! Mainly because they need constant watering or they shrivel and die. Planting perennials is far better use of resources..

No hanging basket

Much taller planters by the front door, get rid of those blue pots. I would plant in some plant in some boxes or some pittosporum. Both of which you can take with.

Getvride of the green plastic edging and use a hoe t make the edges straight. Get planting in there. Some geraniums for ground cover, napeta (cat mint) and a couple of box for stricture. Then infill with some salvias and even a standard rose.

Don’t paint the door- I will look bad.

You’ve got the drive under control. That will look really smart when fixed and washed.
It just needs freshening up. Lovely house!

Can the tree be replanted?

I think if the OP fancies a hanging basket as an easy way of adding colour it doesn't matter what Monty Don does or thinks, unless he's the target purchaser. And I don't think it's fair to make the OP feel silly for suggesting it. She's not the only one it would appeal to. Are you seriously telling me that you would all avoid so much as viewing a house that had a hanging basket up? That makes no sense unless you have enough money to buy a much bigger house than the OP's and to be exceptionally picky.

@Bunce1 I think replanting the tree would be an excellent solution if possible. The OP would need to do it quickly though.

Need to get rid of the tree. Sort out the drive

Sweep the pavement outside the wall.

Keep the tree. It provides privacy & interest, and a roost for birds.

Don't paint door.

Don't like those blue things.

Neat and plain.

@baggies

It's a pretty tree but in totally the wrong place. It needs removing along with the Buddlea. Again nice shrub but it's in the wrong place and needs removing. Sorry butterflies! Agree also with removing green edging. Once the drive is done and front wall mended it will be transformed. Buy big pots to put on front steps and plant up with maybe a miniature shrub/conifer and bedding plants around it. Pop to your local garden centre for ideas. Open blinds too. Good luck!

"Sorry butterflies " glibness is why we're losing species and the planet is burning.

Taller evergreen shrubs like boxwood beneath windows might help.

Get rid of tree by house, prospective buyers will worry about the foundations.
Make sure you sweep litter/crap up off pavement in front of your wall before they take the photos.

Personally on top of tidying up the drive, I'd plant a few containers up and make sure house number is easily seen and leave it at that

Keep the tree and the buddleia, both are pretty and prospective buyers can think “cheap and easy to get rid” if they want to. The goal of kerb appeal and tarting up houses to sell is to do it in the least spendy way possible. So in this case: sweep the leaves, hide the bins, get rid of random litter on the pavement, DP sorts the wall and driveway, then open the blinds and move the blue pots, and keep the grass mown. Everything else is unnecessary faffery.

Id take down the tiny fence and get rid of the tree. It's far too near the house. You could also dig a narrow border next to the wall and put in some spring flowes. As well as pots and hanging baskets by front door.

As others have already said - get rid of the tree, the little edging around the flower bed and the loose bricks and both bushes behind your wall. Sweep the pavement.

I would get a couple of planters with Bay trees or similar, one either side of the front door and leave it at that. Just neat, tidy and clear of clutter and no hanging baskets.

@KosherDill wasn't meant to be glib. Op is asking for suggestions and I along with quite a few other posters have suggested this. I've got several buddlea's in my garden and know butterflies love them.

Thanks for the advice! Also thanks to those who read the OP and saw that I'd said the front was already cleared (these are older pics!).

I've been loathe to do anything about the tree, because it is actually quite lovely, and contrary to whoever mentioned it, does not block any light whatsoever. The house is beautifully light and airy all through. I will get it chopped though. I suspect that is what the person I bought it from did though. As I didn't plant it, and it was just a little twig there 14 years ago when I moved in. It's grown fast!
For £200 I suppose it isn't too bad. Still I'd rather have the tree plus the money in my pocket, but I agree it might cause issues with the legal side of buying/selling.

The border edging is going to stay. It's a raised bed, and needs it to hold it all up. DP did all the work in the border last summer as it was just full of crap and stones before. I can't see what the dislike is for tbh! If the new owners don't like it, they can whip it out and find another material to use. The border also already has plants, it doesn't need more adding to whoever suggested that. It's winter though, so you can't see. I've attached a pic in full bloom.

The bins will obviously be away, they are only there because my teenage son is a lazy fuck who can't put them past the gate apparently . Since he is the one who wants a bigger room, he is just going to have to do it!!

Blinds would obviously be open, but the pics weren't taken for rightmove, but just on the hop one day so I could use them whilst out shopping as a reminder of how things look. I just added them here in case anyone had ideas I hadn't already considered.

I think we will do the work on the drive and wall as planned, and get some potted plants for outside the door. I may also put some potted plants along side the wall near where the bins are now. I didn't realise hanging baskets were so controversial. I'm pretty young, and didn't think they were "out of fashion". The style of the house suits it though, it always has beautiful trailing flowers and bright colours.

Something else to consider was obviously the buddleia. I'm not going to get rid of that. This is a main road property, and honestly? When you look out the front window in the summer, you have the lovely greenery of the tree , the gorgeous colours of the buddleia, and the lovely cherry tree that is directly in front lining the road itself. It doesn't look or feel like a main road when it is like that. It's worth it to have to fix the front wall. Again, someone else can pull it out if they want. I don't think it would put someone off buying.

5 more weeks until we go to market. Eeek! So much to do!

The guy is coming to take the tree down this morning. I'm inexplicably sad! How sill to be upset over a bloody tree! I just feel like that tree has been part of my story at this house for the last 14 years. It appeared out of nowhere, and just grew and grew! The last 7 years or so it has been used to put baubles and lights on at Christmas, decorations at Halloween, it's been in the backdrop for many a picture, first days at school, graduations, you name it, it's been there.
Oh, how silly.

I’m sorry OP, I understand the feeling though. Do you know what kind of tree it is? Ask the chap who comes to cut it down if not. You could plant the same kind on purpose in your next garden

(PS I bet your hanging baskets look lovely.)

Oh! I love that idea! No, I have absolutely no idea what it is. I will ask when they arrive. I've just been looking back at pics of it over the last few years, and bloody hell it has grown fast! How amazing is nature!

I wish you weren’t getting rid of the tree, op. It makes me feel quite sad, too. If you’ve lived with it happily for years, who’s to say it wouldn’t also appeal to others, who would be quite at liberty to prune or get rid at a later date anyway. I think you should have left it in spite of the pressure on here. Is it too late to change your mind?

I didn't realise hanging baskets were so controversial. I'm pretty young, and didn't think they were "out of fashion". The style of the house suits it though, it always has beautiful trailing flowers and bright colours.

I’m glad you put this! I’m getting on a bit and also didn’t realise they weren’t ‘à la mode’. Thought it must be my age

It has gone. Absolutely gutted. I haven't been out to look yet. I know it will just make me feel sadder. I know taking it down is the right thing legally and non emotionally in order to sell the house complication free, but it doesn't make me feel better right now!

OP - I love that you love your tree!

For me - do the drive, have clean windows - makes everything sparkle. I would paint the frence to the side where the bins are. I like the green actually but think it could be fresher. You could also paint the little border fence the same colour and tie them in.

Re hanging baskets - I was blown away by the house in Vermont and NYS. They have beautiful hanging baskets all along the porch. Very pretty.

I find blinds offputting. They make a place look like an office. Curtains look softer. [I may be way behind the times though, so I'd go with the majority on it if I was selling if it's the fashion.]
On the whole, I always say, find a good local estate agent who takes a proper interest and will agree to come and look at the house and talk to you about it, and get them to tell you what they think is worth spending time and money on and what isn't. We did last time, and ended up getting far more after we did the work than it was valued at before the work- also far less than it cost us to do.