The vacation-accommodation industry is booming. One in ten Canadians owns a vacation cottage, and there are ten million ‘second’ homes in the US— but most owners know that owning a rental property involves a heady list of responsibilities.

These responsibilities start with landscaping since your exterior landscaping is often the first thing a person will see upon arrival. Truth be told, your cottage’s landscaping is what makes its first impression.

When you own and frequent a cottage, landscaping maintains its value and is a representation of how you feel about the property. When you rent your cottage through a platform like RentCottage.com, your landscape will be your calling card and will have a direct impact on its appeal and how many people want to stay there as, often the cover photo of a rental cottage will be of its exterior.

Needless to say, landscaping is important, so it’s also important to consider how much time you can dedicate to maintaining it. It’s a good idea to ensure the surrounding landscape is low maintenance. For many owners, securing a professional to maintain a rental property makes more sense.

Consider how you can maintain your landscaping throughout the seasons to make your cottage a welcoming home for both yourself and for potential guests and renters.

Consider Seasonality

If you’re redoing pathways around your property, consider how much snowfall you receive. While pea gravel looks pretty in the summer, it’s not the easiest to shovel, nor are bricked driveways —which have a tendency to buckle. Instead, opt for asphalt on driveways and large paving slabs for walkways.

Organize snow-clearing services if you’re not within travelable distance to the property. Clearing your drive and sidewalk areas is a necessity and, in some areas, a legal requirement. Secure a team in advance before they book up for the season. The same applies to lawn-mowing services in the warmer months.

Opt for Perennials

While it’s understandable to want your property surrounded by cheery, colourful annuals, this requires maintenance, ongoing purchase costs and consistent watering.

Instead, opt for hardy native perennials that provide seasonal beauty throughout.

Here are some examples of perennials cottage owners in Ontario, Canada, should consider:

• Sedums: Sedums are hardy, resilient and retain their structure throughout the winter months, giving your yard some interest in the snowier seasons. They’re also bee-friendly, require little-to-no maintenance and can be easily split should you want to spread them in the spring.
• Ornamental Grasses: Ornamental grasses provide shape and interest in your garden, even on the snowiest of days. They’re easy to grow and require little maintenance.
• Black Eyed Susans: Black Eyed Susans are lovely plants to grow. In the summer, they provide bursts of honey-yellow flowers and require little upkeep throughout the winter.

Lay Pathways

If there is no pathway from an exterior door to a pool, fire pit, waterfront or driveway, consider laying one.

A path provides an element of safety for guests (as the walkway will be even), and it will keep guests off the greenery, leaving the grass lush and the flowerbeds unscathed.

Use Ground Cover

Lay ground cover like mulch or pebbles around plants. This is a great way to not only block weed growth — just be sure to lay landscape fabric below. Ground covers like these also work as insulation for plants in the wintertime, minimizing the need to travel to the property to mulch as temperatures drop.

Furthermore, ground cover minimizes the need for regular watering as evaporation is reduced.

Install Automatic Irrigation

If you don’t visit the property for multiple weeks at a time and have grass and plant life that require regular watering, an automatic irrigation system with a built-in rain monitor might be a good fit.

A note to keep in mind: pipelines like this can leak, so if you don’t plan to visit the property for a long time, it’s worth connecting with a maintenance team to check intermittently on it for you.

Final Thoughts

Owning a second home — be it for leisure or income — is a fantastic privilege. By taking a few measures with landscaping, you’re setting yourself up for a beautiful, stress-free future.