MENUMuch emphasis is placed on backyard landscaping. That’s because it’s where we live. Let’s not forget about the front yard, though. It’s what visitors, passersby and neighbors see. Their reaction to your front landscaping is called curb appeal.Some believe that curb appeal is a real estate term that applies only to houses that are on the market. It doesn’t. It applies to all homes all the time. They say that we only get one chance to make a good first impression. Your front yard is often the first, and only impression visitors and passersby have, and that’s how they judge you and your family.
The photos are from one of our customer’s home. The long rock garden was planted when the house was built 17 years ago. It turned out to be high maintenance and eventually detracted from the curb appeal. The owner had us replace the over gown rock garden with the oval garden around the post lamp. Now this space is attractive year round, even in winter. This was all that was needed to improve the curb appeal.Now back to your front yard. Take photos now and again when everything is nice and green and in bloom. Take them from the curb but from different angles. Does your front yard look dull, drab or dated? If so, it’s time to spruce it up
this spring.Look for such things as overgrown gardens. unpruned shrubs and trees, grass growing into the sidewalk, driveway and planting beds. Broken, chipped, cracked or heaved pavers can be a hazard as well as unsightly. Overgrown shrubs may be blocking your house. A small tree that your child brought home from school on Arbor Day and planted in the front yard may now have grown so large that you can’t even see the house from the curb.Overgrown foundation plants can pose a security threat as well as a curb appeal issue. Security and law enforcement agencies warn that these plantings provide burglars and other unsavory characters with cover to lie in wait for you. If these plantings block a window, a burglar could enter your house undetected.If you would rather not update your home’s curb appeal yourself, one of our designers would be happy to visit your property, look at your photos and make recommendations for improving the curb appeal. If you agree with his verbal recommendations, he will then prepare a design for your approval and for our installation professionals to follow.
