Landscaping Tips for Every Season

Showcasing a property's beauty takes a unique approach for each season. From spring to winter, there are dozens of options to customize a property based on the region, climate and the home's individual style. With this seasonal guide toward landscaping, home sellers can create curb appeal that is both intriguing and inviting, no matter what the weather looks like outside.

Spring

Late spring is difficult to distinguish from early summer in many regions, but early spring can be a tough nut to crack. Spring connotes a new year, and buyers are looking for signs of life on the property. The trouble is that early blooms transplanted while it is still frosty outside may be complicated to maintain over a period of weeks or months. Sellers who are starting their spring landscaping designs during the fall should consider planting bulbs in autumn that are likely to sprout and flower in the early spring. Adding snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, and tulips are a wonderful way to bring out spring's rebirth in a home landscape.

Summer

The warmest season of the year is often the easiest to feature a pleasant landscape with nothing amiss. However, buyers do expect a lot out of summer landscaping, and so it is a good opportunity to let the grounds truly shine. Native flora in a variety of hues will feature the best of the area. A water feature may be a delight if it is well-kept and free of excessive algae growth. This is also an excellent season for outdoor entertaining, which can be made on an inexpensive or extravagant budget. Ranging from simple seating on paving stones to an entire outdoor kitchen, the outdoor entertainment space becomes an extension of the home for those long summer nights.

Fall

While autumn still has a great deal of life left in it before winter's chill arrives, the change of the season poses a few complications for the home seller. Leaves are falling everywhere, settling on top of the roof, on the lawn, and in the driveway. This is a season for upkeep as much or more than adding anything new. However, new blooms can also help to show off the home's beautiful view on a crisp, autumn evening. Flowers such as chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and black-eyed susans will remain hearty as the weather gets cooler. These plants typically bloom in the summer, and may require special pruning over the months to keep them from growing too tall and falling over.

Winter

There are two fundamental obstacles faced by the winter home seller: natural light and temperature. It is simply hard to grow and maintain beautiful flowers that cannot survive the temperature. The trick is to add greenery where possible, and make sure that the lighting points out the most beautiful aspects of the home's exterior. Buyers who visit the home during the many dark hours of winter may not be able to see everything clearly. Adequate lighting gives them a sense of the home's size and unique design, not merely to guide their way up the walk. For a home sale in the later part of winter, there are a few winter blooms that are hardy enough to handle the frost, like winter pansies or a Lenten rose.

Selling a home requires, whether you're far north or selling in Admiral's Cove, a landscape that encourages buyers to step out of their cars, past the driveway and into the home. With an encouraging landscape that makes the most of every season, home sellers can rely on the exterior property to put a wonderful face on the home.