Do you ever wander around your neighbourhood and notice that some homes stand out more than others? Sometimes it’s hard to heighten curb appeal, especially if you don’t know anything about visually appealing landscaping elements. For people who love gardening and spend countless hours outside during the summer, even for them, making a beautiful home is hard work.

Many people will buy some shrubs and patio stones and place them around the yard on a whim and don’t really know how to align them properly or which materials will work best with one another. Check out some of the tips outlined below if you want a bit of guidance for your next landscaping mission. Whether it’s for a house you just bought, one you plan on selling, these tips will create objective beauty.

Landscaping Adds All-Season Appeal

One thing people often forget to consider when landscaping is how the property will look all year round. When choosing shrubs and other greenery in the summer, everything is in bloom and will look appealing. When the winter comes around, many of these plants will die and could look unappealing on your property for at least four months of the year. When landscaping, always consider all-season appeal. Choose shrubs that will retain their colour throughout the winter, like evergreens. Evergreens like cedar, and pine retain their leaves and needles and provide pops of colour when using them in tandem with perennial shrubs and trees. When planting, space them out advantageously in the corners of your garden or home so that you can soften up any harsh vertical lines. You will find that using these creates a more inviting atmosphere in the summer and even the darkest days of winter.

Use Lighting To Increase Your Yard’s Usefulness

Just because you’re outside doesn’t mean you don’t need light. While a garden can look gorgeous in the daytime, it doesn’t mean it has to look nonexistent at night. By using lighting, you can create a cinematic ambience around your home. Small, solar, “landscape” lights stick into the ground and can increase overall attractiveness.

Try using these lights to illuminate sidewalks or stepping stones. You can also put in small spotlights that illuminate a specific section of your garden that you are particularly proud of. Some people even opt for hanging lanterns and colourful glass lights to create a whimsical and luxurious feel.

Add Rustic Elements For Character And Charm

Plants and patio stones aren’t the only things that can be put into your garden or on the lawn. By adding rustic elements, whether it’s a driftwood fence surrounding a front yard perennial garden or an antique weather vane adorning a backyard garden shed, these elements will add playfulness and creativity to your outdoor spaces.

For outdoor areas where you spend lots of time, like a backyard patio, you can even add a vintage mirror hanging off a fence to reflect sky and sun throughout the day or an old iron bench nestled under a Japanese maple. Using these elements, you can create space in the yard that is not just pleasant to look at but functional. You will find that you are more drawn to these areas, spending more time outside than you may have been in the past.

Landscaping is a critical element of every home. It can make or break a home sale and attract and deter buyers. If you plan on selling your home in the future, you want to make sure your property looks as good outside as it does inside.

By speaking to a Realtor® you can figure out the best plan for your landscaping and other ways to enhance your property before selling.