Landscaping Small Plants

The most difficult economy in decades has curtailed consumer spending on most everything, and landscaping is no exception. Professional landscapers said homebuyers who purchase properties in need of a face-lift are still spending money on landscaping - but they aren't spending as much. Landscape contractors can still do good business, but must think small, as it plants, to get these price-conscious jobs.

''I would say in general that compared to years past, people are scaling back or phasing in projects,'' said Doug Bibb of Doug Bibb's Landscape Co. in Sterling. ''A lot of projects are smaller. People are paying more attention to price.''

''I've seen it with trees,'' Bibb said. ''Especially if someone is putting in several trees. They are spending less per tree to make their money last longer.'' Pat Gillette of Wheat's Lawn and Landscaping in Vienna said sometimes it means homeowners select smaller plants to save money. If you don't want to do that, but are trying to economize, spreading a project out a couple of years is okay,'' he said. ''What we've found over the years is that something like a really attractively landscaped backyard is a definite asset that helps make the sale,'' Bibb said. ''People love a house, they love the location, they love the schools, and the backyard clinches the deal.'' But people can overspend on landscaping when it comes to return on investment.

''People don't want to be in a position where they have spent too much that they'll never get their money back,'' Bibb said. But if people plan on staying in a house for the rest of their life or a long time, then something like a swimming pool can make sense. ''You are hardly ever going to get your money back on a swimming pool,'' he said. ''But what you can get are a lot of years of enjoyment and quality of life from an investment like that. It holds its value in other ways than just money.''