Plant a Free Tree!

And Increase Your Property Value!

Hats off to the Glassell Park Improvement Association (GPIA) for their Annual Tree Give Away.  Together with the TreePeople, GPIA will make fruit trees, planting instructions and mulch available Saturday, January 15 at the Glassell Park Recreation Center.

GPIA & TreePeople Tree Give Away              Glassell Park Rec Center •  3650 Verdugo Rd.     Saturday, January 15th, 2011 at 12pm

This is the perfect time of the year to plant and prune.  Winter vegetable packs can go right into the ground.  There is no better salad than the lettuce you snip minutes before drizzling on the olive oil.

Large plants and trees planted now through March have time to get settled in strong before the challenges of the summer heat.  Be mindful of long dry spells during winter (not this record breaking year!) and water as suggested.  Last time I visited (to replace gopher ravaged fig trees), Burkhard Nursery in Pasadena and Sunset Nursery in Silverlake had good selections of fruit trees.  Both are favorite gardening haunts and ready with information on planting, pruning and feeding your garden and orchard.

And how does all this garden talk tie back to real estate?  Picture 2 similar homes for sale – close in price, floor plans, location, size, etc.  One sits in the middle of welcoming gardens, healthy, well pruned trees and maybe a sweet pond or water feature while dead weeds and broken concrete surround the other.  With the exception of the small percentage of buyers who will see the yellow lawn as a blank pallet, the thoughtfully planted house will win more hearts and probably more offers.

*And if anyone knows of an effective non-toxic defense against maddening pest (chicken wire around the root ball is essential), PLEASE let me know…many frustrated gardeners will salute you!