The bloom may be a long way from making its way to the rose, but there's nothing like last weekend's switch to daylight saving time to get Albertans thinking about what their yards could look like with the help of a garden plan and some serious attention to hard and soft landscaping.

Just don't expect your first phone call to rouse you up a garden design and installation project that'll be ready in time for your first major barbecue of the summer, says Mike Haberl, Jr., owner of Prestige Landscape Construction (1998) Ltd. of Calgary and president of the Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association (LANTA), a voluntary trade association for Alberta's ornamental horticultural industry.

Haberl's company specializes in urban development landscape installation. It's been part of residential construction projects from McKenzie Towne in Calgary's deep southeast to Hanson Ranch in the far northwest, completing everything from boulevard construction to road right-of-ways and parks.

Even with 2005 new-home construction expected to drop over last year's levels, Haberl's company remains busy as new suburban neighbourhoods come onstream, pushing Prestige's labour force to about 80 employees during the landscape construction season, up substantially from the 13 employed year-round.

Larry MacDougal, Business Edge
Michael Haberl, Jr., president of Prestige Landscape, focuses on urban developments such as this green space in southeast Calgary's McKenzie Towne.

Although his company doesn't work on individual residential landscape projects, Haberl's plugged into a larger landscape industry that's been in growth mode for the better part of the last decade. He says the residential segment of the industry is responding to heightened consumer demand across high-end and mid-range residential markets.

But the reality of Calgary's short growing season means a lot of landscaping is done in a relatively short period of time, with many companies booking several months in advance.

And climate isn't the only concern, adds Gord Trenaman, manager at Homescapes, the residential landscaping division of Calgary-based Alpha Better Landscaping Ltd., who views a shortage of qualified labour as one of the industry's biggest hurdles.

With a company plan based on continued growth, Homescapes expanded its operations by 25 to 30 per cent in the last year. This summer, the firm will run four crews, each led by an experienced foreman. The extra staff gives Homescapes some flexibility in terms of booking clients who want work done this season. But much of the company's work is booked a year in advance.

"Calgary is still the hottest economy in Canada," notes Trenaman, who credits that heat for the growth in demand for professional residential landscaping services.

With residential home appreciation expected to hold to about five per cent for 2005, homeowners who plan to put their homes on the market within a few years may be wise to ask if landscaping is the kind of investment that will pay for itself.

Residential real estate appraiser Allan Zindler of Zindler and Associates Ltd. in Calgary says 25 years in the business have taught him landscaping is more of an amenity than an investment. Since appraisals are based on what's typical for a particular neighbourhood, landscaping additions may add value if they're atypical but desired, such as a backyard fence in a new neighbourhood where residents are just starting to fork out the cash for fences, says Zindler.

Sharon Batonyi, a real estate agent with the southwest Calgary branch of Royal LePage Real Estate Services, cautions clients against thinking they're going to get their money back on landscaping investments; a position she also takes when asked about kitchen or bathroom renovations.

But that doesn't mean landscaping is not worth the investment. Like other renovations, landscaping "should be done for the homeowner to enjoy," insists Batonyi.

Although there are no guarantees of investment recovery, Batonyi is convinced today's homebuyers recognize the value of quality landscaping. And that recognition can positively impact a home sale, since a well-crafted design "certainly will make (a house) easier to sell."

Thus, while curb appeal may be an elusive concept to describe, it definitely affects a sale. In late March, Batonyi's listings included what she described as a rather nondescript home. But she didn't expect it to sit on the market for very long, thanks to a spectacular yard.

Different people will buy different houses for different reasons, admits Batonyi. "Whoever's going to buy (that house) will buy it for that yard."

With 10 years of experience in the Calgary real estate industry, Batonyi says landscape-savvy homebuyers definitely value low-maintenance landscape additions, including finished patios or decks, built-in irrigation systems and perennials. Indeed, Batonyi recommends homeowners plant perennials in garden beds if they're landscaping homes they hope to sell in a few years.

Perennials can help a sale when prospective buyers realize they won't need to buy expensive bedding plants to fill up their flower beds. Instead, they'll have a couple of years to get to know their new garden before they landscape to meet their own tastes.

Considering Calgary's long winters (typically flanked by long falls and springs), vendors who know their houses will be on the market in the off-season should also make sure they've got photographs to share with potential buyers, adds Batonyi. The photographs can boost appraisals - and speed sales.

Batonyi stops short of saying whether she'll tell clients to spruce up their front yards or, in warmer months, pot up some pretty flowers for the front step of a home they plan to market.

But one landscaping tip she yields with ease is spoken with the conviction of an agent who's got some experience in, umm, steering prospective clients around the problem.

"Always pick up after the dog," says Batonyi. "Nothing turns people off faster."

Web watch: www.landscapealberta.com (Joy Gregory can be reached at joy@businessedge.ca)