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Landscaping for curb appeal
Curb Appeal Sets The Stage
”Curb appeal” is actually what your front yard says about you. Some yards are carefully landscaped to add warmth and attraction; to draw attention; to invite passers-by to stop and admire.
Other yards appear, at first glance, to be overgrown with plantings in hodge- podge fashion but are actually planned that way and are quite colorful. Do you have a plan for your yard? Do you wish that your front yard had more curb appeal?
Take a good long look at the front of your house including the yard, porch, fence, etc. What is it saying about you and your home?
This is particularly important if you’re planning on selling your home because your front yard is what makes the first and very important impression on prospective buyers.
Your front yard is a stage and if it is attractively landscaped, prospective buyers will naturally think the inside of your home will be just as well cared for.
Creating an invitation is what curb appeal is all about and making the most of your property can be achieved quite naturally by focusing on the right hot buttons.
Realtors and landscapers can point these out in a second; features that can set the tone even before prospective buyers get in the door to see the granite counter tops and new appliances.
Plantings play a vital role as an accent for the house. Homeowners frequently lose perspective of how things have grown since they moved in, changing the whole setting.
Prickly bushes intruding on the walkway or overgrown foliage, wet with moisture, necessitating a detour through the grass, can be bad news.
A quick fix for taming overgrown foliage can be accomplished just by doing some selective pruning, resulting in an inviting look rather than enter-at-your-own-risk.
Are there places in the yard that look neglected? These too send the wrong message and can be easily improved.
But before you make any changes, consider your stage. Is your front yard in full sun, heavily shaded, half and half, etc.?
How much room do you have to work with? Shrubs and small trees are wonderful to use for softening all the straight lines found in a manmade environment; however, if your yard is only 8 ft square, plant the wrong shrub or tree and your whole yard will be full of just that one plant.
Owners of small yards may find that containers are fun to work with, filling in around evergreen plants for an attractive look year around.
One or two big pots brimming with colorful plants can provide a showpiece to bring zing! to your landscape.
The best thing about container plants? You can change them next year!
If you have a spacious area to work with, your selection is limited only by the sunlight received.
Not only do you have the opportunity to use various techniques to create a pleasing garden, you can actually group your plantings to create several distinct settings.
This is particularly advantageous if your yard has different degrees of sunlight during the day.
Don’t stop at the planting part of your landscape. How is your walkway? Does it go in a straight line from the street to your front door, cutting the yard into two grass squares?
Does it cut into the lawn from your driveway, make a right angle and continue to the door? You can make a dramatic difference just by changing the line and substance of your walkway.
One last suggestion: create a point of interest. Whether you use the above-mentioned containers, some quirky found objects (junk to some people), landscaping rocks or a piece of garden sculpture, a point of interest will add personality to your yard.
Who wouldn’t delight in spying a large concrete iguana peeping out from under the hostas?
