“You only get once chance to make a first impression.”
You’ve heard the expression before, and just as it applies to job interviews and first dates, it also applies to your home. Whether you’re hoping to sell your house or you’re just looking to refresh your landscaping for something new, we have five easy tips to innovate your yard and up your property’s curb appeal without breaking the bank or taking up too much of your valuable time.
- Invite a fresh perspective. You look at your yard every day. Sometimes it’s hard to step back and see it through fresh eyes, so why waste time and energy trying? Invite a career landscaper to walk your property and help you take inventory of what you love, what you hate, and what you want to improve upon. Through their unbiased eyes, they’ll be able to make suggestions you never would have thought of or point you towards trends that are popular in their neighborhood. With a professional landscaper, they are especially in-the-know with the latest–and most tried-and-true–ways to spruce up your yard, taking it from good to great with minimal effort or investment.
- Clean up the yard. After getting some good ideas, start with the most basic but sure-fire way to improve your yard in a snap — cleaning it up. Throw away those bedraggled penny saver papers that have collected by the curb. Pick up pet refuse. Prune overgrown bushes and shrubs, and trim falling limbs on trees. Don’t forget to throw away the trimmings when you’re done! Cleaning up the yard may not be anyone’s favorite task, but it can go quickly, especially if you if you make it part of your weekly or monthly yard work schedule. Keep up with the cleanup, and it won’t be so daunting next time!
- Incorporate bold splashes of color. After your yard is tidied, it’s time to get creative. Adding colors to your yard, garden, and house can make even a plain property stand out and get noticed. Use planters in bright spring colors or bold terracotta themes. Don’t shy away from flowers that bloom brightly in many different colors. Tulips, gardenias, Gerber daisies, lavender, hyacinths, and all types of wildflowers can be incorporated across beds, in pots, or around the bases of trees. You can even use just a little bit of paint to freshen up the front of your house. Don’t worry about repainting the entire house, just paint your front door a bold red or a welcoming golden yellow; repaint the porch or just the rocking chairs and swing in a bright, cheery blue; update the trim or the shutters to a complementary–but sharply contrasting color–to the rest of your house. Don’t be afraid of bold colors; they will really make your property pop!
- Create intuitive lines and boundaries. Keep your bold, beautiful colors in check by delineating clear boundaries throughout your yard. Professional landscapers can create these boundaries with pavers or bricks to line flower beds or rock driveways. They can also incorporate mulch in circles around tree roots. If you don’t have a clear walkway from the drive to the door, they can lay stones or bricks to provide an established path for guests to cross through your beautiful, colorful garden. A simple wooden or picket fence creates a clear line, whether it encircles your yard, or just frames your driveway. Plant lines of sunflowers, fruit bushes, or shrubbery along existing fences to add texture and depth to the boundary line, and also to beautify plain chainlinks or wooden slats.
- Finish off with features that enhance your yard’s natural beauty. Your yard is clean, you’ve incorporated flowers and colors, and you’ve created clear paths and boundaries. Finish off by tastefully installing features that bring out your yard and garden’s natural beauty, and enhance your (and your guests’) experience outside. If you have hummingbirds in your area, consider installing bird feeders to welcome wildlife to your yard. For other birds, a colorful birdbath placed in the garden provides a welcome retreat from the hot summer sun, and gives hours of enjoyment to your indoor pets as they gaze out of your windows. Water fountains, fish ponds, fireplaces, pathway lighting, and trellises can be installed by professionals and all augment the natural beauty of the nature around them without detracting or cluttering your yard.
What other tricks have you used to increase the curb appeal of your home? Comment below with your tips, or send us a message to invite our professional landscapers to put fresh eyes on your property and get the refresh started. Whether selling your home or taking your neighborhood to the next level, now is your chance to make the best first impression! If you’re interested in contacting a professional to help with these improvements click this link.
5 Ways to Create Curb Appeal for Your Home