What is the first impression a visitor has of you? Is it the outside of your home? Most likely it is. What does your home’s exterior say about you? The curb appeal of your home, including landscaping, makes it easy for people to compare your house to those in your neighborhood. The following tips and tricks can help homeowners create a welcoming home exterior.
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Landscaping and Yard Design
There is such a thing as simple elegance, a trick that is design-oriented. Yard design is the first step along that path. Without a good plan for how the yard will develop, you will experience difficulty in creating a welcoming entry. Keep in mind that it takes time for landscaping to grow into graceful trees and trellises that are full of flowering vines.
When planning landscape design, examine the time frame involved as well as the stages along the way. Consider those beautiful Wisteria-covered homes in New Orleans. It took decades for those plants to beautifully add to the charm of those properties. Think about the tree-lined driveways and the decades those required to flourish. The only thing that grows immediately in landscaping is weeds.
Plan your design for the first, third, fifth, and tenth years. This tactic helps prevent a decade of awkward landscaping. Another good tip is to plan your landscaping based on the months of the year. In so doing, you create a landscape where something is always producing color.
Here is a good tip. In colder climates, consider plants like the red twig dogwood. This is a small tree that produces delicate flowers in spring and summer and beautiful foliage in the fall. Finally, its red twigs brighten up snowy yards in winter. In this manner, the tree provides some color all year long.
Paint the Front Door
Your front door is one of the first parts of your home that people notice. A weathered door shows its worn and chipped finish. Each summer, paint the door. For those homes with stained doors, evaluate the varnish for cracks and splits. If needed, have a carpenter strip and refinish the door. If you are the DIY type, this is not a difficult project. While you are evaluating the door, take a gander at the door mat, too.
Keep the Wildlife Tame
Yards offer amazingly wild opportunities to view wildlife, even in suburbia. When you evaluate potential landscaping plants, consider the types of birds you want to attract. YardEnvy.com offers some of the most beautiful birdhouses, too. If you love hummingbirds, set out feeders. If you love cardinals, set up a few birdhouses. The size of the opening is important. So, when shopping for a birdhouse or five, make sure to buy one recommended for the types of birds you want to attract.
A good addition to summer yards is sunflowers, especially if you are a bird lover. The beautiful blooms decorate your yard, and the birds love the seeds. Another important feature is a bird bath or fountain. A water feature is soothing, attractive to guests, and loved by birds.
Upkeep and Maintenance
Keep your home painted. Paint is an excellent protector of your home’s exterior. Inspect the boards for signs of pest invasions, such as damage from carpenter bees. A good bird to attract to your yard is the flycatcher. These handy insect-eaters will help keep your yard pest free.
Keep the landscape trimmed. Shrubs and trees can make even the most beautiful home look shabby. Prune trees and shrubs periodically throughout the year. Some trees and shrubs need pruning at special times of the year. If you have outdoor sitting areas, make sure the seating is clean. It’s lovely to entertain outdoors but only if the area is clean.
These tips should help homeowners make their house a welcoming and inviting destination for guests. How inviting is your home’s exterior? Take a walk through the yard and down the sidewalk and use a critical eye.
