With the House Flipper Garden DLC, you’re finally able to tame those wild lawns and create gorgeous landscapes with a number functional spaces. Even better, the addition of a garden can boost the sale price of your properties by up to 50%.
Start by mowing the lawn, then remove the remaining weeds and molehills. Cut down the trees if you want a clean slate (I tend to work around them) then choose the type of garden you want to work on. The key is to add as many elements belonging to each category for a high score, not just in quantity but also in variety. My magic number is usually five or six of each item, except plants and flowers, which I use lots of.
If you don’t reach the full 50% bonus when submitting your garden, you can cancel the auction at a penalty and add more elements, but you must wait 10 minutes to re-submit it.
English Garden
My favorite. The point is to achieve a natural, almost wild meadow type of look with the flowers, while creating areas that could inspire a series of spring paintings. Use curvy paths made of stepping stones (no slabs) and avoid tall trees. Roses are a must. You can watch some of this video for an idea of how to create one.
Item checklist:
– An assortment of colorful flowers, including roses.
– Vines against the exterior house walls.
– Metal gazebo, metal table and metal chairs.
– Wooden pergola and archways over paths.
– Stepping stone paths.
– Garden gnome.
– A swing.
– Decorative boulders.
– Fountains and ponds.
Japanese Garden
The Japanese Garden is a tranquil space used for relaxation. To make it work, combine the elements of wood, stone and water with traditional elements, such as a sand garden with gravel and boulders. Make sure to use bridges near ponds and the traditional sakura (cherry) trees.
Item checklist:
– Bamboo and bonsai trees.
– Rhododendron flower bushes, all colors and sizes.
– Japanese maple and cherry trees.
– Japanese benches.
– Japanese lanterns.
– Bridges, koi ponds, regular ponds.
– Stone owl and elephant figurines.
– Decorative boulders.
– Geteho pergola.
– Sand and gravel.
Crop Garden
Very time consuming since you have to plant one carrot at a time, especially if you intend to line them up perfectly! Must have all types of crops, vines and berry bushes, plus gardening equipment such as sprinklers and compost bins. Start by lining up the fruit trees along the back fence, and create spaces for the low vegetables using dirt, sprinklers and scarecrows. Watch our video of how to set up a perfect crop garden here.
Item checklist:
– Rows of all vegetables.
– Dirt for the vegetable plots.
– All fruit trees and berry bushes.
– All grape and tomato vines.
– Sprinklers between the rows.
– Compost bins, at least 2-4.
– Storage shed and two shovels.
– Chicken coop.
– Scarecrow.
American Garden
This is a low maintenance plant garden, so use bamboo, conifers and ornamental grass to decorate the front. At the back, use paving stones to create different patios or a single large paved area for family-oriented recreation: a swimming pool area with sunchairs and umbrellas, an outdoors gym, a playground, a place for outdoors meals and an open-air cinema. Watch this video to see how we made it work with the Old Lady’s House.
Item checklist:
– Conifer plants and bushes.
– Ornamental grass and bamboo.
– Gazebo, table and chairs.
– Grill and pizza oven.
– Swimming pool.
– Hammock, 4 sunchairs and 2 umbrellas.
– Projector screen and armchairs.
– Gym equipment, at least 6.
– Playground equipment.
Modern Garden
Forget curves, use straight lines and sharp edges. The materials should include wood, glass, metal, concrete and stone. Basically, you want your garden to have areas that resemble an indoors space, but in a minimalistic way. Symmetry and balance are key for a higher score, so make sure your furniture matches and that your paths have the same elements on both sides. Use only short conifer plants and grasses, no tall plants.
Item checklist:
– Conifer plants (no trees, just short plants).
– Short ornamental grass.
– Wooden paving paths.
– Modular sofas with corner sections.
– Matching square tables.
– Japanese stone sculptures.
– Modern fountains.
– Decorative stones.
– Gravel.