Do you want to have the most amazing front yard landscaping on your block? Do you wish that people slowed down to look in wonder and envy? A well-planned landscape design and features not only makes your property look beautiful, but it can also increase your property’s value and help you sell your home quicker should you ever find yourself in that position. Whether you are planning to stay for years or looking to move sometime in the next few years, here are some great ways to get the best front yard on the block.

1) Fix Your Landscape Design by Planting Correctly

If your plantings are still small, some of them may be able to be salvaged and re-used. However, if they are overgrown pass the point of shrub trimming or aren’t the best species, you may need to tear them out and start all over. Do yourself a huge favor and hire a professional landscape designer and a landscaping company that knows their stuff. They will pay particular attention to the proper placement of plants so that they have room to grow without encroaching over walkways and window sills and into other nearby plants. A good landscape design will create multi-season interest with color throughout the year. There will be a balance of evergreen plants as well as varieties that flower or display fruit throughout the year, and provide great color in the fall and winter. Landscaping companies can create layers in your landscaping with taller plants in the back, layering down in height to the front so that multiple textures can be seen at all angles. They can even plant some unique trees, shrubs, or flowers that can be a little bit different from your neighbors.

2) Fix Your Ugly Lawn with Lawn Care Treatments and/or Seeding

Fixing an ugly lawn is one of the easier things you could tackle. Whether you attempt to do the work yourself or hire a lawn care company, be sure to apply the proper treatments for weed control, fertilizer, insect control, and disease control to remedy problems. Thicken your lawn up by having it aerated and over-seeded or even slice-seeded if it’s very thin. In some instances, it may be a good idea to kill off your lawn and completely renovate it. If you don’t want to wait the usual 6-12 months for a mature lawn you can even install sod for an instantaneous lawn. Just be sure to water your lawn correctly so it can establish and stay looking great. If you don’t have the time to drag sprinklers around, you can even have a landscape contractor install an irrigation system for you to automatically water your lawn when it needs it.

3) Add Professional-Grade Landscape Lighting

You can even display the beauty of your landscape and structure at night by installing landscape lighting. These features can up-light landscape specimens such as key ornamental trees. Landscape lighting techniques can also light walkways and provide a soft light on your structure to draw attention to its unique architecture. You may want to draw attention to decorative accents, stonework, or even create unique shadows and silhouettes of plants. While you may be tempted to save a little money and run to your local big-box store to grab some fixtures, know that professionals don’t use these materials. They have access to fixtures built with better components that will last longer and withstand the elements to keep their beauty longer.

4) Create a Landscape Maintenance Plan

The last thing you want is for your hard work to be undone in a few short months. Make sure you create a plan to trim your shrubs and cut back perennials and grasses throughout the year to keep them looking tidy. Likewise, be sure your landscape beds don’t become overrun with weeds by keeping on top of them with weed control materials and a fresh coat of mulch each year. If you don’t have time to keep up with these tasks, hire a landscaping service to perform the landscape maintenance work when it is advisable.

5) Replace Boring Concrete with Additional or Upgraded Hardscaping Materials

Concrete is the cheapest spend and also looks cheap. If you want to make a huge impact on your property’s curb appeal, you could consider removing old concrete walks or patios and replacing them with pavers or natural stone materials. Your new walkway, retaining walls, and/or patio will give your property an upgraded look and last longer than concrete which will eventually settle and crack. If you want to add some flair to your landscape bed edges, install edgestone materials, or decorative retaining walls to compliment your home or other hardscaping. This may be the most expensive improvement, but it definitely has the most impact.

6) Hire a Tree Service to Prune your Trees

If you have trees that are too thick, hanging too low, or encroaching on structures or plants, have a tree trimming service with Certified Arborists prune them. This not only is great for the health of your trees, it can reduce the chance of them breaking in storms and causing damage to them and other nearby plants. It can also provide more sunlight for plants and lawn areas below as well as adding an overall tidiness to the appearance of your property.

7) Plant Annuals, Bulbs, and Add Seasonal Pots

While a great landscape design can add color and multi-season interest, adding annual flowers, bulbs, or seasonal pots for even more vibrant color is a great way to make your front yard landscaping look like no other in your neighborhood. If you don’t feel confident in your ability to pull this off correctly, landscape designers can create a spring, summer, and fall plan by adding your favorite colors through using annuals, pots, and bulbs. It’s possible to have color from March through the end of November if this is planned carefully.