They say April showers bring May flowers, but in many parts of the USA the month of May in general has a lot of rain, so we guess June is the month bringing them. Regardless, most of us know that spring brings around not only flowers but a complete landscape rejuvenation that includes our gardens. With the passing of a harsh winter, the warm weather and rainy days create optimal conditions for nature rebirth. But do you know what else experiences renewal? Our homes!
For many homeowners, spring revitalization means decluttering in order to make your home feel like new, and some might start looking around for cleaning tips. However, if you plan on selling your home this year, it might require you to go the extra mile, besides cleaning, in order to sell quickly and at a higher price.
Did you know that most home buyers decide whether they are going to buy a home in the first few minutes after seeing it? That is why landscaping can help improve your home’s curb appeal to create an excellent first impression that is most likely going to end up in closing a home transaction.
We’ve already mentioned that June will be the quickest month to sell a house and gave home buyers tips on how to buy a house quickly, so it’s only fair we address home sellers as well. With some spring landscaping ideas to improve the home curb appeal, their house can attract those fast buyers, and we all know that a pleasant garden décor is one of the most effective ways to do that.
Why garden decor and not interior design?
While reading, you might wonder why put so much emphasis on the exterior rather than focus on the interior? Aren’t we always told to focus on our appearance on the inside rather than the outside? While that might ring true from a social perspective, it is not entirely accurate when it comes to home curb appeal. As we already mentioned, the first thing home buyers see when they go to a showing is the exterior, and if it’s not on point, they might not even bother going inside. That is why backyard updates should be on your priority list.
It’s important to note that properly elevating your home garden design to the max requires you to consider your house’s style and, in this case, your intentions. What you want to accomplish here is nothing more than to make people look at your home, agreed? Everything you do to your garden décor needs to have one mission: driving people to your front door and, hopefully, making an offer. So, to do that, we’ll focus on front yard landscaping ideas, and we’ll separate them by distance: we’ll start with ideas for you to do it close to the house, along the pathway to the house, and finally, close to the street.
Front yard landscaping ideas close to the house
The addition of fountains
A small water fountain can bring a distinctive value to your house. But we’re not talking about monumental fountains; it will be too expensive and, if not done right, can actually backfire and just screw your overall home garden design. We’re talking about petite waterways just to add that delightful current sound and bring a nice touch to your entryway garden décor. The closer to the house, the better. You would be surprised to see how much your home value can increase by using water in the most unusual ways.
Do you have an unused space between the driveway and the home door? Populate it with low plants, rocks, and a small fountain (that drips from a pottery vase or a bowl), and you’re ready to go. Regarding the mechanics behind the fountain, there are some ready-made ones, but you’d be better off getting a custom one with a contractor. Fish? You might have them, but it can attract other animals, and animals don’t usually buy houses, but rather scare away people that do.
Flowers and plants
What about a floral border under the window? This one is so close to the house it’s actually ON the house, right? And it can be a great touch of color that draws people’s attention to it from afar with bushy plants and other hanging plants or just lovely little touches seen up close like succulent flowers.
Our last close to the home garden décor proposition is a somewhat vague one to people with two-story houses. Feeling overwhelmed by the size of the house is good – churches’ architectures do that since forever – but it’s a great idea to build some cohesion and a sense of togetherness between where your feet stomp and where your head wanders. Take a look at your roof and try to exclusively plant flowers that match its color near the home.
Front porch ideas
Front porches might not fall under the category of front yard landscaping, but it is one of the first things home buyers will stumble upon when they come around for a showing. Potential homebuyers are going to envision themselves sitting on the porch during the morning with a cup of coffee by their side, preparing for the day ahead. They probably won’t find it so appealing if it has a dirty look, chips, and cracks in the paint, or other visible damages.
Paint your front porch and make sure the colors complement each other if you are using more than two. This is going to ensure a fresh look and catch the eye. Flowers can be added to the porch to enhance curb appeal, and replacing damaged hardware is necessary. While benches and chairs on the lawn can hurt the looks, they could be a great addition to your front porch.
Porches can be a real win for a home sale if you implement all these ideas to freshen up the looks. Also, if you live in US areas with hot springs, you get bonus points for your front porch, because who doesn’t want to have a shaded place outside of their home where they can relax and enjoy themselves?
Landscaping along the pathway
Lawn, keep it simple.
First and foremost, all of our tips in this post exclude the lawn itself. With all of the flower and plant arrangements we propose in this article, we’re expecting the lawn beneath it to look perfect; it is the foundation of the home garden design. If you don’t have time and knowledge to do it, maybe try artificial grass? Don’t frown upon it; the truth is that in the Natural Grass vs. Artificial Grass, artificial grass comes out better than anyone would’ve expected.
Don’t overcomplicate things and keep it simple. A clean and well-maintained lawn goes a long way. This is going to enhance all the landscaping elements for a sharp look and well-rounded garden. Probably one of the first things you can do is not to mow the lawn but declutter it. Remove any unnecessary items that are going to distract the home buyer’s attention.
Some of these items can include benches, chairs, toys, or lawn art. Most of these items will move with you anyways, so you are better off removing them from the yard and storing them away. Just by taking this small step, you can give a clean look to your lawn and get ready to add elements and items that will improve curb appeal.
Pathway elements that lead homebuyers to the door
Now, moving on to the pathway, let’s start with a really common one: bushes. You can have both natural round-shaped ones or cut in a rectangular shape. They are great not only to subtly let people know they’re not supposed to walk on the grass but also to subliminally encourage buyers to walk to your door. Bushes are very low maintenance as well.
Another option – as low maintenance as this – is substituting the shrubs with plants in pots halfway buried to the ground. This is great for novice gardeners. Just go to Home Depot and buy several. If you manage to kill them all because you’re not trying hard enough on the gardening gig (shame on you), just go back, buy more and replace them. Or, try an unnatural one: use light lamps instead of plants to delimitate the pathway.
Outdoor lighting is a great front yard landscaping idea and, if used correctly, it’s not only going to luminate the pathway, but it can also be used to highlight some interesting features of your home. Besides being helpful at night, you can extend the curb appeal of your house until the wee hours.
Pathway leading to Patio
Pathways lead the way outside of the property, but they could also lead to a lovely patio. After a harsh winter, spending some quality time outside on a patio, soaking up the sun, and admiring the revitalized nature is one of the best things you can do. If you are looking for a new project, this might prove to be the best spring landscaping idea. But, if you have a patio, consider sprucing it up for spring.
As spring comes along, make sure you clean the patio surface and the benches, chairs, or swings. Cushions are a great addition and decorative elements that would enhance the look, such as a chiminea, fire pot, grill, or an outdoor TV. Soaking up the sun in the spring is ideal, but as the summer is getting close, you might want to consider creating some shade for your patio. A simple solution is an umbrella, but if you’re going to get fancy, you can build a framework that covers the patio.
Retro objects or antics
And how about having a practical object serving as a small garden décor station? This is great for people with long front lawns. You can have a cool little spot in the middle where you can place a wheelbarrow, a rustic wagon, a retro bike, or even a bench and then put some flower pots on it. Go for the type of plants that spill over the sides and decorate with retro signs; it will definitely be an eye-catcher. Maybe even put the “For Sale” sign close by to draw more attention and not look disconnected from the rest of your home garden design.
Moving closer to the street.
Fencing
This is for the homeowners with picket fences in their front yard. We understand the necessity of fencing your land and also the desire to have those beautiful white picket fences. It’s indeed the easiest way to get curb appeal points, and most first-time homeowners love that idea!
However, to the ones that are not necessarily looking for a fence, it kind of drives attention away from the house. Well, you can’t take it down, right? So we think you should go deep and double up the attention to the fence, so people driving-by get so attracted to it, they become curious to see what’s over the fence.
They can be used for delimitation, but you can also use them to add a bit of personality and style to the outdoor space. Have a low garden filled with colorful flowers under the fence and a few roses growing between the vertical pickets to lure them in and put the for sale sign nearby. Fences can be used to delimitate a garden inside the yard and set a focal point on the flowers or plants growing behind it.
Spruce up the Mailbox
And our last front yard landscaping idea to improve your curb appeal is the furthest from the home possible; it’s the only one that is actually on the curb: your mailbox! How about using your mailbox as a flower bed! Sometimes this one is not even considered to be on your premises, right? And that’s why it can be important to decorate it.
We are so accustomed to living in our own worlds with our iPhones and iPods that sometimes we just look straight ahead and miss opportunities around us - like, say, the beautiful house we could buy if we weren't so immersed in our own little world! Now, the mailbox is right there! If we don’t look at it, we’ll stumble on it! So, why not make it memorable, so people notice and spark their curiosity about the home?
Curb appeal improvement ideas
Before we conclude our spring landscaping ideas and you run to your favorite gardening store, a few quick curb appeal tips for people with a tree or more on their lawn:
You’ll need to take good care of it and try to make them work in favor of your home garden design. If it covers part of your house from the street, maybe add a swing or something that brings a sense of it belonging to the house. It’s a subtle notion, but you want to sell it as an asset of the house rather than an inconvenience.
If you have more than one, we recommend circular-shaped colorful flower beds around them to bring some unity. And, finally, if you have one that died and you’re allowed to cut it: make this an opportunity to use it as a practical object in garden décor: plant on top of the tree trunk; it will look lovely!
And for all of those front yard landscaping ideas, especially because summer is right around the corner, it’s important to know how to keep mosquitoes away from your house. Remember to drain the excess of water as best you can after it rains, and do all the proper maintenance needed. Having a lot of garden pests on your lawn will not be good when seducing home buyers.
Conclusion
Spring brings about renewal to the surrounding landscape, and it could also bring homebuyers to your doorstep if you implement some of the spring landscaping ideas presented in this article. From your mailbox to your front porch, all the garden decor ideas are intended to improve your home’s value and catch the attention of any home buyer at first glance.
Find a real estate agent near you to get help and implement these landscaping ideas, you are one step close to closing a good deal on your home. Do you agree with our spring landscaping tips? What would you do to improve the home curb appeal? Let us know in the comment section below!
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.