Tips for Adding Spring Curb Appeal to Your Home

Thinking about selling your house or just want to make it more attractive? Danny Triplett from Westland Landscape has some quick ways to add curb appeal your home.

Add color with annuals

  • Annuals are the easiest way to add color to your flower beds and pots.
  • Mix annuals with existing shrubs in beds to make color pop.
  • Flowering shrubs are also great, but they don’t flower as long so you won’t have the color as long, either.

Choose flowers carefully

  • Select flowers and shrubs based on exposure (shade vs. sun, exposure to heat and wind, etc.)
  • Visit the site where you plan to landscape at different times of the day to get a feel for light, etc.

Prepare the soil

  • Rototill the beds, and then add sand to create better drainage.
  • In Kansas City, more plants die from sitting in too much water than from drying out.

Choose from new planters

  • Traditional wood, concrete or clay pots absorb a lot of water.
  • Poly-vinyl pots are affordable and lightweight.
  • No salt stains from water (salt stains on traditional clay pots can be charming).
  • Durable, better suited for harsh temperature changes.
  • Recommend changing colors three times per year.

Plants pots

  • Planters on the front porch invite guests and potential buyers to look inside.
  • In early spring, make hearty selections like pansies, ornamental grasses, snap dragons, and flowering annuals (mid-March).
  • Plan to change-out flowers in pots around Mother’s Day
  • Three color changes a year (early spring, summer, fall) recommended.
  • Trick: Add packing peanuts at the bottom of pots before adding potting soil to aid with drainage.
  • Add gel polymers that absorb and re-release water out in the soil.
  • Use Osmocote®, Smart-Release plant food.
  • Water when soil feels dry to touch.

Don't Forget the Perennials

  • Perennials are also a great way to add color to your landscape.
  • Remember to pick flowers that bloom at different times – spring, summer and fall – so you don’t end up with periods where nothing is blooming.
  • Consult a lawn and garden expert when discussing planting locations to ensure the perennials you choose thrive in the spot where you plant them.