3 Low-Effort, Big-Impact Ways To Improve Your Home's Curb Appeal

Your landscape plays a major role in the curb appeal of your home. Even the most beautiful home can look unattractive or boring if the landscaping is underwhelming. Winter is the prime time to start planning your spring and summer landscaping so you have plenty of time to prepare. The following are a few small-effort landscaping ideas that will have a big impact on your home's curb appeal.

1. Create Clean Edges

A clean edge between the lawn and any other area, including garden beds, trees sites, and sidewalks, can make a somewhat shabby yard instantly look more put-together and welcoming. Between the lawn and paved areas, use an edger to cut away any grass that is growing right against or over the pavement using a powered edger. This creates a smooth line at this border.

You can use trench edging between tree and flower beds and the lawn if you are in need of a quick solution. For trench edging, all you need is a shovel. Simply dig out a v-shaped trench along the border of the bed. The border creates a clean line, and it also keeps grass from encroaching into the beds. If you prefer an even more finished look, consider having permanent edging installed. Brick, rubber edging, or concrete curbing all work well. As a bonus, these edging options also keep mulch from spilling out of the bed and into the lawn.

2. Use Mulch for a Finished Look

Mulch is the key to an attractive yard, even if you haven't planted every square inch with beautiful plants. The contrast between the lawn and a dark mulch, such as chocolate brown mulch, makes the lawn look green and lush.

You can have mulch delivered by the pallet. Spread a 3-inch thick layer over garden beds and around trees and shrubs. Mulch can cover the patchy grass present beneath a tree or hide surface roots that are detracting from the lawn. Just pull it back so the mulch doesn't rest directly against the tree trunk.

3. Draw the Eye With Bold Colors

Bold colors provide a focal point in the yard, and they can also be used to draw the eye to aspects of your home's exterior that you want to highlight. Bright colored flowers will also pop more against the dark mulch.

For example, decorative urns planted with bright red annual flowers and placed on either side of your door create a welcoming feeling, as though the color is inviting people to visit. A row of bright yellow flowering bushes beneath the front windows adds a burst of color that highlights the graceful arc of the windows above them. Annual flowers are inexpensive, so feel free to play with colors and plant heights to find the ones that work best for your home.

With the help of landscaping services and a mulch delivery company, you can take your curb appeal to the next level with very little effort.