When we moved into our home I knew right away that I wanted to change the front yard. The front garden was nothing but stones and some pretty ugly bushes. That was probably some pretty good luck for us since everyone knows that creating curb appeal is a great way to increase the price of your home! During that first summer, we made a few changes, we put in a little pond and ripped up those ugly bushes. Small changes but enough to make me happy!
Creating Curb Appeal to Upgrade Your Home
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Unfortunately, this small bit of progress quickly fell back into chaos. We had kids, changed jobs, got pets. Life pretty much took over and now the roses are growing wild and the porch needs some work. But that’s just life right?
While we are not currently looking to sell our home (although future job opportunities may change that) the fact remains that we need to do some upgrading! If you’ve been following the blog for a while you might have read about my home improvement goals for 2019. Now that spring is here it’s definitely time to start working on things. The front garden and pond area is where I would really love to start. Here are the plans so far!
Upgrading Your Front Garden
While I love my rose bushes they have proven to be a bit difficult to deal with. They grow very quickly and no matter how much we trim them back a week later the kids are snagging their coats again. The flowers are pretty but they were overall a poor choice for our narrow front garden.
Having a bright and colorful front garden is a great way to improve the curb appeal of your home. But, it’s also important to keep future maintenance in mind. Both perennials and container gardens are popular choices that have both pros and cons to consider. In the end, I find myself leaning towards a container garden but maybe Perennials are better for you! If you have large trees that need trimming or removal it might be best to call in some professionals. Local companies such as https://www.thelocaltreeexperts.com/wa/seattle/ can make this process quicker and safer for everyone!
Container Gardens
Container gardens usually have to be replanted every year and will likely require more watering and feeding since containers dry out faster then the ground does. However, they also require less weeding and you can change the colors and container arrangements every spring if you want! These are big pluses to me since I hate weeding and I love being creative and changing things up!
Perennials
Perennials, on the other hand, are more of a plant them and leave them situation which is great for families. Spring and summer are busy times of the year when you have small kids. However, they also require frequent weeding and most likely some pruning.
Updating The Stonework & Pathways
Having a beautiful and well-defined pathway to your front door is a really great way to increase the curb appeal of your home. You can do this in many ways, some of which are more budget-friendly than others.
Using lighting, planters, and borders is a great budget-friendly way to do this but what I would really love to do? Replace the stonework we laid around the pond and incorporate the design into a stone walkway.
I have always loved the look of stone walkways and while I enjoy the patio stones we laid around the pond, incorporating them into a larger design will probably require the help of professionals. At the very least I would want to make sure that they are sealed properly after installation so that they look their absolute best. According to Georgia Paver Restoration pavers and stonework looks best when they are properly sealed and cleaned, a process that should be done every three to five years. Sealing your pavers helps keep the weeds away! And, as I mentioned before I really hate weeding!
Updating the Small Details
While redoing the front garden and walkway will make the biggest impact at first glance all the little details are equally important! Give your lawn a bit of a boost if needed by reseeding any bare patches and pulling up any weeds that might have snuck in. Keeping your lawn well maintained might be a bit of a pain – especially in the summer! But it can really add to the beauty of your home.
Many popular home decor sites also recommend adding a pop of color to your home by repainting your front door. Pick a color that stands out but still compliments your overall home. As with all painting projects, it’s always best to try out a color by hanging swatches before going all in!
It’s also a good idea to update dated light fixtures or scones if you have them, look for something that’s a touch more modern but still fits the overall style of your home.
As a final thought, you might also take a look at your mailbox. Mailboxes are an easy item to overlook but since they spend so much time out in the elements they are often a little rough looking too. If your mailbox is rusty and dented this is a really cheap item to replace that can make a surprisingly big impact on your home’s overall look. You can even look for a cute new stand or post design and even consider adding a small garden around the bottom for an even bigger change.
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Beautiful suggestions! It’s in the deeds that the houses on my street are only allowed plain grass and no hedging/ walls or planters on our front gardens so all we could really do is update the path! Which actually might be getting done this summer x
Sophie
Aww! There are some neighborhoods around here like that too and I always lament at how much nicer they would be with some color. Still, those neighborhoods always tend to look super neat and tidy too which in itself can be really appealing! I hope your walkways upgrade goes awesome!
You have an absolutely beautiful home. Thank you so much for sharing your secrets with us, I will definitely be trying them out. 😊
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful!
It sounds like you have some exciting garden plans coming up, Kristin! Thanks for sharing your ideas 🙂 Your flowers are beautiful! I live in a flat and have a very small garden so can’t really do much. Although I have recently brought some flowers to brighten it all up and it’s made a big difference. Hope your garden work goes well, looking forward to see your updates! <3 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
Even a few small pops of colors from flowers can make a huge difference! I bet your little garden looks lovely!
Great information. Since we are hoping to move this year, I need to put some effort into upping our curb appeal. The front of our house is pretty darn plain, but it shouldn’t be too much work to make things look better.
It probably won’t! It’s much easier to work with a plain start then have to rip up a bunch of wildly overgrown things and start over haha!
Some great suggestions! I’m not a homeowner yet but I love how plants can transform a yard into something truly beautiful.
they really can and if you pick the right ones (unlike us the first time around) then they aren’t a whole lot of work either!
The flowers look so beautiful! Such great ideas! My mum wants to sort out the front garden, plant some flowers and have a tidy up. The perfect time of year for it! Thank you for sharing 😊
Thank you! It all looks so nice once it’s done too, totally worth it!
These are some great ideas. My parents front garden is laid with gravel and they use potted plants and garden ornaments to sprice it up a little.
That sounds a lot like what I’m thinking about doing for our front garden. It just seems like it would take a lot less maintenance.