First impressions are important when selling your home. Some people mentally write off a house they’ve not even seen from inside if they don’t find the exterior appealing. Make sure your home’s curb appeal doesn’t get wrecked by improper landscaping.
Clumsy and neglected landscaping can bring down the value of your property substantially and it might languish in the market for a long period without a buyer. Most importantly, if the landscaping is not properly maintained, it can hurt the way you enjoy and look at your home.
Here are some pitfalls to avoid if you don’t want to boost the curb appeal of your home.
1. Unplanned Planting
Certain landscaping choices last for a season; for example, a row of begonias. Other options, say trees, are likely to last for a lifetime. Spend some time in planning and plotting a yard so as to get the maximum curb appeal and enjoyment.
If you’re not a very creative designer yourself, hiring an expert is the way to go. The charges of landscape architects are well worth the investment. They can provide samples showing you how your yard will look in the future if you use plant lists they suggest.
2. Too Much Closeness
I agree that plants growing in clusters look better than individual plants which stand like lone soldiers in your yard. One thing you need to ensure is that there’s enough room for groups of shrubs, perennials, and trees to spread. They might look overgrown and choked otherwise. Another problem with an over-crowded landscape is that it competes with itself in order to get enough water and food. Especially during a drought, clusters are subject to greater risks.
3. Consider Your Hardiness Zone
Some catalog plants which look fabulous on paper may not be suitable for your hardiness zone. You might land up with prematurely dead plants or plants that require intensive efforts such as daily watering or winter covers to be kept well and alive. Check out plant labels to ascertain the best hardiness zones for your plants.
4. Too Much of the Same
Try to resist the urge of carpet-bombing the yard with your favorite shrub or plant. This is likely to create a monochromatic, boring-looking landscape. Your yard may look great when your favorites bloom and look drab for a greater part of the year. Strive to get a four-season color effect by mixing things up.
5. Refusing to Bury the Dead
Lines of dying or dead perennials and shrubs can wreck curb appeal really fast. Make sure you remove the dearly departed landscaping as soon as possible. You could use spent plants that died naturally to create a compost pile — grinding them first will make them decompose faster. If your plants were hit by an infestation or disease, it’s best to put them into the trash.
6. Contain Critters
Backyard pests like rabbits and deer can leave you with topless perennials and denuded branches. To solve a critter problem:
- Use plants of the rabbit- or deer-resistant varieties.
- Install electric fencing around the area you wish to protect.
- Spray critter repellents on plants.
7. Wild Weeds
Weeds wreck the appearance of the landscape and additionally, they compete for food and water with your other pricey vegetation. Weeds are known to shorten the lives of stone, brick, and pavers when they grow in mortar cracks. To prevent weeds, spray a pre-emergent a few weeks before their seeds generally germinate.
Be sure to consider the advantages of knowing the true value of your home. You can obtain a free home valuation report from Neighborhood IQ to find out how much a property is worth, especially you boost your home’s curb appeal! Also, the Home Loan Advisor can analyze your property, current market conditions, local market comps, and other variables in our proprietary algorithm, and match you with potential lenders.
