Even in housing, first impressions are important. Curb appeal and landscaping is important if you are thinking about selling, or just want to present your home in its best light.

Using Landscaping to add value

It can be hard to know which elements will give you the most bang for your buck when you are considering updating your landscaping and increasing the value of your home.

Whether you’re thinking about putting your house on the market or not, everyone wants their house to make a good first impression, and landscaping is something you can work on now to add value to your home.

Here are a few tips to make your property shine.

Create a beautiful barrier

While you can’t change the size of your property or how close you are to the neighbors, you can add a little privacy by creating or installing a barrier. While adding a fence is always an option, a living, green barrier can be more subtle and visually appealing.

Shrubs that are evergreen and grow quickly can create beautiful hedges. If you’d like a larger border, evergreen trees like pine, cedar or fir, will add the same level of privacy but grow much larger.

Add color

Flowers and established landscaping can do wonders for creating a positive first impression. Many buyers or visitors will instantly notice a blooming garden.

To quickly add color, consider annual planters on your porch or deck. Flowering trees, shrubs or perennial plants will add more long-term color.

Create balance throughout the season

One landscaping trick is to consider when plants will bloom throughout the season and making sure you have continuous color all summer long. If you only plant spring blooms, like daffodils and tulips, your yard will be looking pretty bland by July. So plant a variety of plants in the same area – daffodils and tulips for the spring, coneflowers for the summer and mums for the fall. By adding a variety of plants you should be able to have color all summer.

Try adding edging

What looks better than a lush and colorful yard? A colorful yard with carefully designed edging! Edging is a crip border of gravel, stone or brick that is added to a property. It shows people that you are meticulous about the care of your home, inside and out. Plus edging gives you a tidy design without any added weeds.

June is here, and with it, the warmer weather has finally arrived! It’s time to spend your free hours outside, soaking up the sun and fresh air. While you’re out there, give your yard a little love with our top do’s and don’ts of yard care.

Do: Plant hot weather vegetables

Use the hot summer weather to your advantage and grow some plants that will thrive in the heat and sunshine.

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Melons
• Squash

Don’t: Plant cool-season vegetables

There is a short window after the snow melts that cool-season vegetables will thrive before the heat gets to be too much for them. Usually, veggies like lettuce, carrots, peas, and radishes all do better in the early spring. As the weather begins to warm, they will quickly bolt, meaning that they will start using their energy to bloom and produce seeds, making their leaves and edible parts bitter.

Do: Water wisely and deeply

The early morning or late afternoon, when you’ll lose the least amount to evaporation, is the best time to water. Aim for the base of the plant to further reduce evaporation, and water your plants deeply and slowly.

Don’t: Waste water

While using a sprinkler timer is a great way to make sure your lawn and garden get watered on a regular basis, there are times that your plants simply won’t need the water. Let your plants tell you when they need a drink and only water then they are newly planted or have wilting or dropping leaves.

Don’t: Let your garden or yard go

In the summer, things in your garden can change quickly. Pests, drought, wet soil or disease can all have a terrible effect on your plants in a matter of days. Check on your garden regularly, especially after a heavy rain or a long dry spell. Prune any plants that seem to be taking over and when in doubt, rip it out.