Low-Cost tips to spruce Up Your Front Entry
Giving your yard's front entry area a face-lift will make it more inviting when you come home and add value when it comes time to sell your home.
- Add Mounds to a flat flower bed
If you are stuck with a very flat yard, a raised 'island' is a great way to show off isolated flowers or beautiful bushes or other eye catching features in your yard. A yard with 'curves' look more natural and makes your yard and home stand out, specially when you add beautiful color flowers or accessories.
- Feature a few boulders or larger rocks
Boulders or decorative rocks look natural, bring your eye to that area, or could be used to hide soil when planting. You can find them from $25 to over hundreds of dollars, pick out colors that accent your home.
If your a seasoned gardener or a new one, have someone help picking colors, mulch, bushes that will match your yard and home. Ask how to add depth, mixing tall and short flowers and bushes.
This could work against you if you choose so many different flowers, heights and bushes.
Create a theme and design around it, cut out yards from magazines you like and show the greenhouse staff to help you create that look.
- Consider putting up stone walls
Low stone walls are striking features, low walls around trees or the front of your home to accent your flower beds really brings out your yard work. Make sure your stones match your home or your homes brick or stone accents.
Mulch is very important, it moisturizes your flowers and potted treasures, mulch adds color and it again sets your yard apart from others. In most cases, mulch greatly simplifies your gardening chores. Mulch includes a variety of materials that you use to cover the bare soil in your gardens. Most often you think of it as organic materials such as wood chips, cedar bark and compost, but it also includes materials like stone and gravel.
- Adding a layer of mulch pays off by:
Reducing water loss from the soil. It slows evaporation and improves water absorption when it rains or you turn on the sprinkler.
Slowing weed growth.
Improving soil quality. Organic types enrich the soil as they decompose.
Protecting plant roots from hot and cold temperature extremes and sudden fluctuations.
Adding color and texture as part of your overall garden design.
Whether you’re an ardent gardener or a casual one, you’ll have less watering, weeding, fertilizing and general maintenance.
What Type Of Mulch Should I Use?
You’ll find a variety of mulches at your local nursery.
But no one type of mulch does it all.
Use an aged organic mulch (partially decomposed wood products) to improve the soil and encourage all-around plant growth. It will continue to decompose and add nutrients to the soil. It’s often sold in bulk. You may have to bag it yourself. Haul it home in a pickup or have it delivered.
Use fresh organic mulch (wood chips and bark) where you want to control weeds and improve appearance, but where soil improvement isn’t needed, such as around trees and shrubs. While organic, it hasn’t begun to decompose and will last longer than aged mulch. It’ll also enrich the soil as it decomposes.
Use stone to stabilize garden areas vulnerable to washout, for example, on hills and around downspouts. Or use it to improve the appearance of your garden.
Most sellers today know the importance of curb appeal, but what about the home’s entryway? Create space with decorating accents, such as mirrors and rugs. It’s also important to make sure the doorbell works and the front door and screen door open easily. Just remember, you want to make your home something that draws attention to your home and separates YOUR home from all the others to the buyers!
Inside flowers are always a big hit too! Beautiful colors in the spring and summer will make the buyers feel a sense of warmth and that you have truly taken care of not only the outside of your home but also the inside.
Hope this helps!
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