Front Yard Landscaping and Curb Appeal
Curb appeal landscaping frames the house and leads the eye to the front door, creating a unified, balanced look. Homes with great curb appeal landscaping have lawns are neatly manicured, shrubs trimmed and flowerbeds are free of weeds.
According to a survey published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, it was found that a well-designed front yard can add 10 to 12 percent to the value of a home. This particularly true in a subdivision where the homes look alike in other aspects,
The landscape designs that added the most value were those that used a sophisticated design scheme with a thoughtful combination of deciduous and evergreen shrubs. Consult with a licensed landscape contractor for ideas.
Six Landscaping Suggestions for Creating Curb Appeal
- Step into the street and take a good look at your home and front yard. Analyze its curb appeal as objectively as possible. Make a list of the yard’s good points, as well as any drawbacks. Perhaps the sidewalk leading to the home makes a sharp entrance that would benefit from the softening effect of landscape plants. Old, tired evergreens or shrubs may need renovation or even removal. Shrubs may be too large or small for their allotted space or look out of balance with other plants.
- Visually soften the hard surfaces of your home and driveway. Consider building mixed beds that wrap gracefully around the front of the house, perhaps extending along the driveway.
- Find a licensed landscaper to design your home landscape based on your site evaluation and research. Place trees and shrubs in the plan first because they act as the foundation for your landscape, giving it vertical depth and substance. Select deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees for year-round interest, but don’t use too many different types of plants. Mass groupings of one shrub or perennial are usually most effective. Plant shrubs or perennials in odd numbers for a unified effect.
- Remove sod and build new flower beds. Plant shrubs, trees and perennials, using annuals as filler plants. Add edging and mulch to finish the look and reduce maintenance chores.
- Install landscape lighting. Lighting increases curb appeal and thus your home value and also can make your home safer. Landscape lighting need not be ornate or expensive to create a dramatic effect. A few simple and cost-effective steps with basic landscape lighting fixtures can start you off on the right foot.
- Add flower boxes or pots to the front porch. They are a wonderful welcome to all of your guests. It’ll bring life, character and color to your home.
Tell us your curb appeal landscaping stories. Have you found that your house sold faster , easier and for more money after a front yard makeover?
