Plant Research Is Important When Renovating Homes

Spring is the most popular time of the year for buying and selling houses. Perhaps you are in the market for a new house, renovating a historic house or are looking for a fixer-upper.  No matter what type of home you are looking for, take some time to research the plants in the landscape. You may have some real plant treasures without knowing it.  

Recently a woman tore out the 150-year-old English boxwoods in front of her newly acquired 1840 house due to her fear of prowlers using them as a hiding place.  Some plant research would have revealed the historic treasure she possessed and allowed her to maintain the historic integrity of the property. 

The main focus of property renovation has generally been on the primary dwellings, while the plant material, old gardens and other portions of the landscape are often neglected or ignored altogether.

Incorporating plant renovation into your home renovation plans requires answering several questions. Are all plants worth saving?  Are they of historical significance?  How can they be protected during the construction process of the house?

To get a more accurate picture of the value of your landscape, first determine the historical period and significance of your property.  This can sometimes be accomplished by looking through old public records or photographs from previous owners or by contacting your local historical society or garden club.  If there are no documents or if the house appears to have no historical significance, it will be up to you to make the final determination regarding your house renovation and landscape.

Due to current interest in garden history and heirloom plants, many books and magazines provide plant lists of appropriate selections for specific historical periods.

After initial research has been completed, the next step is to prepare a site analysis and rough drawing of the property, including the location of existing plants. You may need to determine the original appearance of the property.  Try to identify specific plants, even if their condition is not good, as well as old pathways, bed lines or any other elements that appear to be  significant.  Doing a scale or rough drawing will familiarize you with your property and facilitate development of the final plan. 

At this point you may be saying, “I can’t draw, and I don’t have a clue what these plants are, except that they are green or look dead.”  Don’t despair!  Many Internet sites, gardening magazines and books are available to help you identify plants and plan your garden.  If you still feel uncomfortable with this portion of the process, obtain a copy of the plat map from your local courthouse or contact a landscape gardener trained specifically to renovate historic gardens.

Another resource that can be of tremendous help is your Alabama Cooperative Extension System county agent.  Often an agent is able to make a brief visit to your house, at no charge, to identify the plants on your property and their condition.  Master Gardeners, who work as volunteers through county Extension offices,  are another source of help.

Once plants have been identified and their historical importance determined, you are ready to bring an architect or builder into the picture.  Many plants may be in the direct line of heavy equipment or trucks as construction begins. If this is the case, these plants may have to be put in a temporary holding position, to avoid damage, until your renovations are complete. Hot pink tape can be used to mark plants that are to be left undisturbed. Maintaining continual contact with your builder is essential.  Some marking or locating quests are more difficult than others.  For example, discovering where bulbs or perennials are buried during winter may be impossible.  Alert your builder to this possibility.  Although some plants may look barren or dead, they may flower and leaf out in glorious color in the spring and be well worth the effort the rescue effort.

If you have no choice but to move an heirloom plant, your Extension agent will again be of enormous help.  He or she can tell you which plants can be transplanted and the best way to accomplish this.  This may entail some effort, but the dollars saved to replace a large plant may bet well worth the trouble. 

If your lot is small, you can place many smaller plants in pots or in the ground temporarily until they can be replanted.  Your Extension agent can give you advice regarding their care during this time, especially if they are actively growing.  If prior planning is possible, the best time to move plants is in the winter.

If there is no way to save an heirloom plant, try taking a cutting or saving some seeds if possible.  Although many heirloom plants are treasures, not all of them are worth saving.  For example, old roses are much more disease resistant, but often don’t bloom as long.   Some heirloom plants are susceptible to disease and pests, and new varieties may have other characteristics that make them more valuable than earlier versions.  Just be certain that the replacement plant fits within the historic period of your house. 

If you do choose an heirloom plant to replace an existing plant, there are many catalogues available that sell these as well as heirloom seeds.  The Internet also has sites where people exchange seeds.

Now that you know how to save plants at your new address, think about leaving a plan and a list of plants at your old residence for the new owners.   Take cuttings and seeds from your former property and pass along heirloom plants to others.  Photographs of the old and new house can leave a valuable record for future generations.  You can place these, along with your plans and drawings, in a scrapbook with other documentation describing your renovation decisions, creating your own slice of plant history.