7 Landscaping Mistakes that Ruin Your Curb Appeal
Landscaping can make or break your house's curb appeal. It influences both the look and the function of your home. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss to discuss some mistakes to avoid when landscaping your front yard.
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Front yard landscaping plays a surprisingly large role in the overall appeal of your home. Whether you’re looking to raise the value of your home for a sale or simply want to enjoy your front yard more often, it’s worth the effort to avoid certain landscaping mistakes.
Landscaping in your front yard takes some careful thought and consideration. It’s the first thing that visitors see when they arrive, and the sight that welcomes you home every day. Making it an attractive, well-cared-for space can make a big difference.
When selling, a well-landscaped front yard can increase your home’s value by as much as 15%! First impressions are important, and an aesthetically pleasing house can alter the mindset of buyers significantly. Not to mention, coming home to a beautiful front yard reduces stress and offers a sense of pride to you, the owner.
A well-landscaped front yard will have functionality and flow, in addition to creating harmony with its surroundings. Choosing the right plants, scaling, and placing them properly can make or break the space. Here are some common landscaping mistakes to avoid in the front yard to increase curb appeal.
Mistake 1: Overplanting for the Space
Overplanting is one of the most common landscaping mistakes in any space. It happens for a few reasons, and it’s easy to fall prey to if you’re not careful. It can leave your yard looking cluttered and overgrown in a matter of a few years.
Many homeowners underestimate the mature size of the things they’re planting. The plants you purchase may look small at the nursery, and even smaller when you plant them. But once they hit about their third year, many of the things you plant will hit a significant growth spurt.
Another related issue is wanting the instant gratification of a yard that looks finished right away. This often results in overplanting. To achieve a finished look right away, many homeowners will plant shrubs and trees too close together.
Results of this mistake include poor airflow and diseases, blocked entryways, major maintenance time, and competition for resources. This can actually lower your curb appeal instead of improving it.
Make sure to research the size and type of plants you add, as well as how much space they need to grow. Create layers instead of lining things up to add depth without overcrowding. To prevent these landscaping mistakes, leave space for things to fill out.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Scale and Proportion
Ignoring scale and proportion is another landscaping mistake that crops up when we’re planning for the front yard. It can mean the difference between a yard that feels balanced and one that doesn’t. Your plants should complement the style and proportions of your home.
Scale is the size of individual elements in relation to the house and the yard itself. Proportion is the balance of elements that are in proximity to one another. A small path with a huge hedge will always end up looking overgrown, for example. When these two aspects are off, you can end up with a yard that looks off-balance, bare, or overfilled.
Take the size of your home into consideration and make sure that you plant things that will fit when they are mature. Don’t plant shrubs in front of windows they will obscure once mature. Small plants get lost against a large home or wall space. Large plants can overwhelm a smaller home or space.
Mistake 3: Poor Plant Selection
Selecting the right plants for your space is important. Selecting the wrong ones is a common landscaping mistake that is easily avoided. Yes, scale and proportion are important, but there are other factors that make a plant right or wrong for your yard.
The most important factor in choosing the right type of plant is identifying your climate zone. You don’t want to choose plants that don’t thrive in your climate. If it won’t overwinter, you need to know before you buy it. Likewise, not all plants are well-suited for hot summers.
Make sure that what you plant is well-suited to the level of sun exposure in the space. Otherwise, you’ll end up with plants that never live up to their potential or languish in the hot sun. Soil type and moisture conditions are also important factors to consider.
Mistake 4: Neglecting Seasonal Changes
If you live in a tropical climate, most plants are beautiful year-round. Anywhere else, it’s important to consider the seasons when you select your plants for the front of the house. If you plant only things that are pretty in the summer, you’ll have a flat, lifeless design for much of the year.
This is often the result of choosing plants that look their best at the time of planting. It’s easy to let the seasonal beauties distract you from the task at hand. Don’t make this landscaping mistake; you want your landscape to be beautiful all the time, not just for a season.
I recommend starting with winter. Evergreens are wonderful in the foundation of your landscape. They reliably add interest all year, and help maintain a mature appearance when many plants are bare. Consider things that either bloom in winter, like camellias, or have berries, like holly.
For spring beauty, flowering trees and shrubs make a huge impact. Don’t underestimate spring-blooming bulbs either. Out of season, it’s hard to envision what these will look like. However, many of the first flowers of the season come from bulbs. They also colonize over time, so they will take up more and more space, and you can transplant them to other areas.
Long-blooming perennials will keep your front yard beautiful in the summer. Add salvia, coneflowers, hydrangeas, and roses for plenty of color against the green summer landscape. Summer is a good time for annuals, too. Leave a bit of space for adding big pops of temporary color. This is part of the garden you can switch up each year for a different vibe.
Finally, don’t neglect fall color. Autumn is a magical time in the garden if you do it right. Make sure to add some trees and shrubs that change color in the fall. You can also plant late summer to fall blooming perennials to keep things lively.
Mistake 5: Blocking the Entry
This hearkens back to overplanting and understanding scale and proportion. Be extra aware of how your plants will grow in relation to the entrance of your home. Blocking the entrance is a mistake that undermines curb appeal and functionality.
Covering the entrance to the home feels unwelcoming. It’s also potentially unsafe, as overgrown shrubs provide hiding places near doors. You’ll end up pruning endlessly to keep things clear. Not to mention, hiding the entrance takes away from a home’s architecture and personality.
Mistake 6: Incohesive Design
This is a mistake that I run into often, as I have a hard time limiting myself. There are so many beautiful plants to choose from, but they don’t all go together in the same space. You want to account for shape, style, color, and architecture. This goes for plants as well as hardscaping.
Adding one of each of many plants can look messy and disorganized. Instead, try some repetition in your foundational plants. Avoid using plants that work with completely contrasting styles and climates. Don’t plant a cactus next to a bird of paradise.
Layering your plants is a good way to incorporate more different species. If your goal is to attract pollinators, there will be different things you want to add. Make sure to add those larger foundational pieces that tie it all together.
Your landscape should also complement the architectural style of your home. Planting palm trees near a cottage-style house will feel off. Try to stick to a cohesive design that is functional and pleasing to the eye on a large scale.
When it comes to hardscaping, avoid the landscaping mistake of using too many materials. If you start with brick paths, make all the paths from the same brick. The more consistent you are with plant selection and other materials, the more harmonious your overall design will be.
Mistake 7: Neglecting the Walkway
This final landscaping mistake is a surprisingly common one, and it can make a significant difference in your home’s curb appeal. Your front walkway isn’t just for show; it’s an important and practical landscape element. If it’s obscured, poorly maintained, or gets lost in the shuffle, it will take away from the overall aesthetic.
Make sure that your front and any other walkways are clear and visible. This is a great place to make use of lighting elements. Leave some space when you’re planting around the walkway. If you plant too close, you’ll be constantly maintaining, or things will become overgrown.
It should be wide enough to walk on, clearly visible, and attractive. Utilize low shrubs that are slow-growing, flowers, or ground covers to add style and beauty. Avoid anything that will overgrow or obscure the path with more than an occasional pruning. This is the red carpet to your front door. Make it a warm, welcoming, visible path.
