A Rented Garden? Another approach to the rental shrubbery could be to plant a 'native garden'. While this is a great project for the homeowner's own garden, some qualifications apply to a rental investment property. Firstly, it is a misconception that most natives are easy care and hardy. Australian flora has by and large adapted to specific microclimates and soils. Many native plants can be fickle when forced into a no maintenance suburban setting. Secondly, it is not wise to prejudge your tenant preferences. Many tenants are perhaps not the keen gardener that you may be, and may hardly know the name, let alone the origin, of the plants you carefully place in the shrubbery. It must be admitted that many natives have a harsher look and drabber colouration. While many do not, you should choose only those natives or exotics that help 'paint' your property as the perfect picture. Additionally, the rental garden should attempt to be a lush cool retreat. One of the main virtues of a dense shrubbery for the homeowner is in its ability to create enclosed and secluded places in the midst of the city. The quest for the 'secret garden' is many a overworked city dweller's dream. While it is commonly known that landscaping will enhance a properties' value by thousands, the less thought about extension of this is that clever landscaping can save yet more thousands on a 'defective' property. If you have an inner city rental house overlooked by encroaching flats, your property will appear exposed and incongruous to the average tenant. Convert its 1950's lawn into a winding tall dense shrubbery, focused on a vine covered private pergola, and those same tenants will feel they are renting an exclusive, secluded, inner city retreat. Brick walls can hide offensive views just as effectively, but their psychological effect is hardly equivalent. With careful planning the garden of your rental property can both add value to your investment and be easy care. Yet if all this landscaping seems too much work, then there is an easy way to keep the peace. Some smart owners offer tenants a discount, typically $10, for good garden maintenance. Money can work wonders in preventing disputes!