Whether you’re preparing your home to sell or simply looking to improve the look and functionality of your outdoor space, landscaping can have a major impact on how your home presents. Here are some ideas to have your yard and landscaping looking its best as we head into the summer months.
1. Maintain your lawn. Let’s start off with the most obvious choice. Odds are you’ve noticed your lawn turning greener and growing faster after these past weeks of rain. If maintained properly, you can preserve that healthy lawn all the way through the hot summer months. Lawn maintenance is part science and part art — here are some best practices to perfect your mowing technique.
2. Add colorful flowers throughout your landscaping. Flowers are a great way to add color to your landscaping and are great for the environment. Take note of whether you are planting perennials, which come back each year, or annuals, which typically die off after one growing cycle. Not sure which flowers are best for our Texas climate? Here’s a great article from Better Homes and Gardens highlighting 15 flowers that are well suited for our southern climate.
3. Add some low-maintenance plants or succulents. We all want a stunning yard, but many of us simply don’t have the time to keep it up. One way that you can have the best of both worlds is to add some low-maintenance plants and succulents that will look great, even if your maintenance routine is not.
Here are a few plant options to consider: 8 Low-Maintenance Plants That Thrive In North Texas
And some succulent options as well: 5 Sun-Loving Succulents That Love the Texas Climate
4. Add curbing or pavers to your landscaping. Need to add a bit of structure to your landscaping? Curbing or pavers are a great way to add clean separation from your lawn to your landscaping. Installation is simple and the result can be dramatic. One key note: make sure to flatten the ground where you intend to place any curbing and then pack around it to prevent movement.
5. Create a vegetable garden. You can choose to plant within your current landscaping or create a dedicated space using garden boxes. Either way, a vegetable garden can both look great and feed the family. Vegetables do best in full sun, so keep that in mind when selecting a location. In general, keeping up a vegetable garden can be more work than other landscaping endeavors (pest control, soil composition, watering, etc.), but if you’re willing to put in the work, the yield will be well worth it.
6. Build a hanging or wall garden. Short on space but want to put your green thumb to use? These gardens may be just what you need! Hanging and wall gardens can be built in as little as a day, and can make great use of a smaller space without sacrificing part of your yard. Need some inspiration? Here are 55 ideas to get you started.
7. Highlight your landscaping with decorative lighting. Lighting your property increases visual appeal and can make your outdoor spaces more usable in the evenings. There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to landscape lighting, such as overhead string lights or ground light options. If you’re keen on conserving energy, there is even solar lighting available!
8. Install a fire pit. Fire pits come in a variety of styles and price points and can create a great space to gather around or enjoy a bit of warmth on those cooler evenings. Installing one can be as easy as buying and placing a ready-made fire pit, or you can choose to build your own. Here is a DIY tutorial from Lowe’s.
9. Give your old shed some love, or “shed” it altogether! It’s all too easy for an old shed to become a dilapidated eyesore. Consider applying a fresh coat of paint or planting some flowers around it for a refreshed look. If it’s beyond saving, you may even consider tearing it down and repurposing the space for something different, or starting from scratch and building a new one!
10. Create a garden seating area. Normally when you think of outdoor seating, it’s often in relation to your patio furniture. Consider adding a bench or a small seating area in your garden to create a space where you can relax and connect with nature.
Hopefully, these ideas have got you thinking about some fun projects that you’ll be taking on this summer. If you have any ideas of your own, or projects to share, we’d love to hear from you! Simply email your ideas and/or photos to tony@vanpoole.com!
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