How do I improve the look of my house through landscaping?

Answer 1

Ride around your neighborhood and others in your area to get a sense of what you like. Do you want color, texture? Do you want to attract butterflies and birds? Do you want a low maintenance, easy to care for yard?

Contact your County Extension Office for information about native plants and courses they might offer.

Go to your local library and check out some gardening books. Your library will have general gardening books and books specific to your area.

Visit your local home improvement stores and look at plants that are appropriate for your area.

Even if you decide to hire a professional it is a good idea to have a sense of what you want visually and knowing that wil help you with budgeting.

Here are some gardening resources:
National Gardening Association: http://www.garden.org/
National Arbor Day Foundation: http://www.arborday.org/media/map_change...
Texas Parks & Wildlife: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wil... (This one isn't really general, and the focus is on Texas. The state you live in may have a similar website.)

Here are some suggestions from the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/garden...
(or tiny url: http://tinyurl.com/2ktkfx)

Answer 2

Hiring a landscape architect would of course be the best thing to do. However, this could cost you plenty of money.

As a start I would suggest that you take a good look around your property and see what looks sad, neglected and poor.
1. Is there trash lying around? Remove it.
2. Is the grass thin and/or weedy? Get "weed and feed" (brand name) material, apply it and water the grass.
3. Is the lawn kept at 3.5" in height or is it long and dangely? Mow the grass weekly. If you don't have a mulching mower, mow remove the clippings.
4. Do you have any flowerbeds near the house? If not, place a few large pots with annuals near your entrance.
5. Now go around the neighborhood and check out what other home owners have done to spruce up their yards. For the next season you can implement some of these things on your own property.

Small changes can enhance the appearance of your property and don't need to cost much. This would be a start!

Good luck.

Answer 3

To improve the look of your house through landscaping will require a landscaping design that is appropriate for your house. If you live in a Dutch Revival, a lawn, hedge, and some flowering borders will do. If it is a 1950's Eichler, you'll want a little bamboo, some tall trees, and a small dicondra lawn.
For an Edwardian cottage, a fence, a gate with an arch, and loads of flowering plants will be lovely - they should all have lovely fragrances and bloom at different times of the year.

Answer 4

Hire a landscape designer or landscape architect. First get references and a list of the most recent jobs they have done in your area on a home similar to yours. Check out the references and the jobs they have done. A good designer or architect will sit down with you and determine how you will use the space; to entertain, to get away, to look at, as an extension of the homes interior, etc. They will ask for a list of plants you like and colors you like. They will ask for a ballpark budget. They will then do a conceptual plan., perhaps several with different options and price ranges. The plans should include drawing(s) of what the project will look like when completed. Some will have hand drawn plans and some will have computer generated plans and of course an itemized spreadsheet.. Chose the plan and the designer you feel the best about, not necessarily the low bid...you get what you pay for. Many times the designer will sell you the plan and you can do the work yourself. I do design work, sell the plan to the customer and then rebate money back to the customer if they buy their plants and materials from me. I'm a designer, installer and plant nursery owner. One thing to keep in mind....a good landscape will return all it's value and probably more when the house is sold. Best of luck.

Answer 5

hire a good landscape architect,/ Landscape contractor - Licensed and a member of the Landscape Contractors Assoc.,. Ash him/her to design an environment that incorporates native plants, low maintenance, cost effective, value minded greenery and enhancements that increase curb appeal and raise the property value, AND from the view withing the house --- creates an environment and view from all windows looking out, a beautiful, tranquil view out onto the world. Even if you are selling - keep in mind you want to design and install a landscape that is based on you staying - for a long time. Ornamental carpentry that is functional and durable adds necessary barriers, etc., and can add to beauty -- in such interesting, and functional ways.

I don't know where you are located, but if you are interested in more info, or consulting, you can email me at

[e-mail], you can view my 360 page for some of our landscape photos as well.

Not trying to sell you - just some helpful info.

Good Luck!

We own, operate a landscape business that does just exactly this. We design the architecture AND we can install the plan we draw. We are licensed, bonded, and a member of the CLCA, - California Landscape Contractor's Assoc.,

Answer 6

Bushes, placed in right area, trees, landscaping around tree,s and other noticable area,s of your lawn. Make sure front door/porch looks inviting and accessable. Go around and look @ other well groomed yards and try to incorporate some of their landscaping in your yard,altho it will look a little different in yours due to house style etc., but may even look nicer in your yard! Buy landscaping books for idea,s your can @ least find 1/2 idea,s that could work for you. Remember, your house is also part of the landscape, so do some updating with it too!

Answer 7

Because I don't know what your landscape set up looks like it's hard to give you any ideas. What could be very helpful is too look through self help landscaping books. They give you ideas from sidewalks, to patios and decks, to the proper trees and bushes and flowers for your area. Many books even have some blueprints to help you put plants in the right areas with the right things.Landscape lights help with accenting the yard. The yard should look just as good in the eveing as in the day. Good Luck!

Answer 8

who ever can do landscaping even didn't have any qualification. doing landscape is a very exiting work. any question will be answered in the subjective way...means,. you can apply your own idea amongst so many ideas. for example, if you are doing landscape to your house, you can follow your own taste. but there are several tips you must remember. your plan must have a concept. then you choose the plants. where you place your plants must be in good decorations. but choose the plants that can grow around your climate. maybe you can apply a bit hard scape for example... water features. even though your surrounding is not so big, you still make a good landscape. a nice landscape will make you feels relax and will cure your working stress.

Answer 9

Planting lots of flowers.Add some bushes and some roses.Make sure that the soil is well prepared for for your plants.Add some lava rocks or some other kind of rock or mulch.Adding a border around your plants etc.will make it look really nice.You might even try putting some plants and flowers in a big pot and then setting it on your porch.I have used a big half sized whiskey barrell to put an arrangment of plants and flowers in it and then put it in your landscaping or where ever you prefer it to be set.I think that landscaping can really make a house look really nice.

Answer 10

It depends on what shape your current yard is in. If you have a yard and foilage in place, want to improve it but don't have any ideas, there are a few possibilities:
1. Get some cheap software at any office supply, computer, or electronics store and play with that.
2. Go to a nursery, look at the available greenery and talk to the employees there. Warning: when going to a nursery for ideas and advice, go to an expensive one, write down plant names and ideas you picked and liked, then go to a cheap nursery to make your purchase. The employees at the large chains pay their employees poorly and don't hire "experts".
3. Have one or more landscapers look at your yard and discuss possibilities with you. Although they may not actually draw up a plan for nothing, you can get great ideas from them. Any really worth their salt should NOT charge you anything to come and look and talk.
4. Get a SUNSET Garden Book. Covers geographic regions, climate, lighting, arrangement, detailed info on plants, special problems...a wealth of info you can apply.
Good luck.

Answer 11

I'm a landscape designer in Denver and have found a few simple measures to improve curb appeal. Add color.....it just looks valuable, even with the small investment. Keep things tiddy....mowed, trimmed and looking nice. Don't skimp on irrigation...keep things green and looking healthy. Lastly and most importantly.....make the landscape low maintenance. Not a lot of trimming, mowing, weeding, watering. People are too busy to spend all weekend in the yard and they take value in a property that is simple to take care of!