Landscaping your yard

Now that you’re planted, add some curb appeal to your house by improving the landscaping. Studies show that landscaping is one of the few home improvement investments that appreciates over time.

 

Pick a small area near the front door to blanket with color, which gives visitors a nice first impression.

• Spend less than $100 on flowering plants such as impatiens, petunias, pansies and other small annuals.
• Trim back shrubs to a tidy, neat shape.
• Weed beds and add a fresh layer of mulch.
• Nourish the grass with fertilizer to promote a lush, green lawn.
• Review and edit your flower beds. If they have little variety of color, height and texture, consider replacing half with more distinctive, interesting foliage.
• Choose plants with striped, grey, purple and fuzzy leaves to add pizzazz to your yard.
• Consider greening up a bare fence with mature bushes, a trellis with climbing ivy or plant new healthy evergreens along the space.
• If your foundation plants have grown, consider widening the beds to make the shrubs seem smaller and more appealing.