Month: September 2017
Up Your Curb Appeal with Professional Landscaping Services
September 28, 2017It’s no secret that curb appeal landscaping can increase the value of your home and the likelihood that it will sell successfully. However, moving is already a stressful time for any homeowner and you may not have the time to sort through curb appeal ideas, let alone implement any of them.
Fortunately, hiring an experienced landscaping company can be an easy and affordable way to quickly increase your curb appeal and your home’s value. These are the services we recommend to homeowners looking to put their house on the market.
Get Your Lawn to Make Some Green
A healthy lawn is one of the most attractive features a home buyer wants to see – and the first that they see. A healthy lawn signals to the buyer that the house has been well maintained during your ownership.
Proper aeration and overseeding can assist in ensuring a lush, green lawn that buyers will adore.
Color a Buyer’s Perspective
Green isn’t the only color that can add value to your home. Curb appeal landscaping that includes colorful flowers, shrubs and trees will add some wow-factor to your yard. Buyers will perceive your home to be more welcoming if there are lively, colorful plants surrounding it.
To make your gardens and flower boxes stand out, request that your landscaper use darkly colored mulch. A darker shade of mulch will add to the perception that the soil is healthy, while also adding a great visual contrast to all of those colorful plants.
Providing a Clean Slate
Hardscaping is an important factor in curb appeal. Begin with a thorough pressure washing of your decks, patios and walkways. Once clean, inspect your hardscaping for any cracks or deterioration. Repair, replace and repaint as necessary. Having your hardscaping looking new and pristine will drive value into your home.
Light It Up
While most buyers will only see your curb appeal landscaping during daylight hours, installing outdoor lighting is a smart, inexpensive way to highlight your home. Landscape lighting helps reassure buyers that your home is located in a safe, desirable neighborhood.
Does your curb appeal need an upgrade? Contact Hively Landscapes about any of these services. Our experts can help you enhance your curb appeal so that your home is ready to sell.
Add Color to Your Landscape with These Fall Flowers
September 21, 2017Leaves are falling and Autumn is knocking at our door. For most fall color means the browns, reds and oranges of those falling leaves, but if you are wishing for more color, plants that are hearty enough to withstand the falling temperatures. To get you started, we’ve created a list of our favorite fall flowers.
Mums
With a variety of available colors and a reputation for being one of the easier plants to care for, Chrysanthemums or mums, have become a fall staple for many gardeners and homeowners. Reds, pinks, purples, oranges and yellows can be combined and arranged to create depth and dimension to your landscape.
Mums that can be purchased at the store tend to be of the non-hardy variety, and will more than likely die before winter. Selecting the right variety, along with early planting, can help you maintain that pop of color throughout the cooler months.
Pansies
Like mums, pansies are another fall flower favorited by many. While the plant family offers the warm colors of fall, it also offers cooler colors to balance out your landscape palette: blues, purples and even blacks.
One reason pansies are so popular is their versatility. Pansies can be used in container gardens, as ground cover or companion and border plantings.
Ornamental Cabbages and Kales
While these plant varieties do not produce blooms, they can still provide vibrant color to your landscape. Whites, pinks and purples are available in a range of textures.
Asters
If mums bring the warm tones of fall, asters give the cool colors of the season. Asters, or Michaelmas Daisies bloom in vibrant pinks, purples, blues and whites. As their nickname suggests, these flowers resemble daisies, but can be found much later in the year than the real deal.
Sedum
Sedum, also called Showy Stonecrop, takes a while to bloom, but is worth the wait. This shrub-like plant produces bright pink and purple blooms that become richer in color throughout the season.
Want to bring some color into your fall? Let the experts at Hively design and install a landscape that will keep its vibrancy all season long. Contact us today to get started.