Landscaping—Worth the Time and Energy?

Create Visual Appeal: Adding great landscaping takes a home from being ordinary to inviting.

• Create ambiance, even going so far as giving you the feeling of being on vacation even though you are home. You know the feeling when you pull up to a vacation resort and everything is colorful, green, and lush? Develop a plan that allows plants to show off all year long.

• Your yard should feel “livable”, with different landscaped areas. Designate walkable areas, spaces bursting with color, and some that are filled with winter growing plants.

• It’s important to use a variety of plants, including annuals and perennials for pops of color. Use shade trees, evergreens, and shrubs to provide depth, shade, and winter color.

• Design different areas like a walking path, a seating area, a kitchen, or space for dining. All of these areas need unique species of plants and flowers to complement the activities they will accommodate.

• A fountain, pond, or outdoor lighting can add amazing visual appeal.

• Consider your personal style; are you more or less formal? This might help dictate the direction you go in creating the total visual appearance of your home.

You have a beautiful home – the interior is everything you want it to be and the exterior is flawless, but what about the landscaping? Is it just as important as the home itself? Is it worth spending time, energy, and money to make it look as beautiful as the rest of your home? The design team at RDS says 100% yes! Your home doesn’t end with the structure itself – the yard and surrounding landscape are a natural extension of your home. And keeping your landscaping consistent with the look and feel of your home can have a tremendous impact on enhancing the visual appeal of your home.

So what do you need to think about when landscaping your yard? Start by creating a plan to accommodate visual and curb appeal that works within your budget, the time and energy you’re willing to spend, and your personality.

Create Curb Appeal: According to data from the NARI 2018 Remodeling Impact Report, 99% of NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) members believe curb appeal is important when attracting a buyer. Even if you aren’t ready to sell, if it’s important to a potential buyer, shouldn’t it be important to you? Customizing a yard to your tastes and adding features to improve livability are top reasons cited for doing landscaping projects, according to the report.

• When creating walkways, follow natural patterns of the yard and home to allow it to look seamless and more natural.  It might be a straight path or curve along the driveway or front of the home.

• Walk to the street and approach your house from different vantage points. Where is your eye drawn? Where do you need to hide something like an air conditioner or downspouts? What architectural elements do you want to highlight? Where do you need to add visual height to balance the scene? Where do you want an architectural element to stand out? Use these ideas from your different vantage points to create a plan that will increase the curb appeal.

• Consider the size and character of your home when choosing plants. Don’t choose plants that overpower the space or plants that are too small for the planting beds.

• Make your home’s entrance welcoming. Do you need to add plants to the front porch? Add a trellis or portico? A bench for people to sit? Lighting to make it easy to navigate the path to the front door? Your front door sets the mood for anyone coming to your home, so make it inviting.

• Do you want your landscaping to fit the style of your home and blend in or are you someone who wants to make a statement? Either way, choose what works for you, your personality, and the design of your home.

• Seasonality is also important to think about. You can create visual and curb appeal with plants that bloom and are full of color during each of the seasons.

• Consider adding pots on your porch filled with seasonal plantings to provide visual appeal. You can even use branches, evergreen cuttings, and ornaments in the pots during the winter months.

Landscaping your property is equally as important as creating the inside and outside of your home. Our designers here at RDS work hard to make your new or renovated home a reality and landscaping is the last piece to that puzzle. Please reach out today at 614.430.0027 if you have any questions. We are ready to help!