After buying a new home and decorating the inside to suit your personal taste, it’s time to set your sights on the outside of the home and its curb appeal. If you’re planning to sell the home in the future, the landscaping should be appealing for the next buyer. Performing landscaping chores should be done to improve the home’s current value.

Resale value is not the only deciding factor in choosing to update the old landscaping and clear out the dead plants and shrubs.  Working outdoors is a relaxing hobby, and an easy one for the whole family to enjoy. And, a well-manicured lawn provides the perfect backdrop to a patio or porch.

Testing the soil

The first step is to determine what kind of soil is in the yard. Any landscaping from trees and shrubs to grass and flowers starts with good soil. It is the foundation of a beautiful yard. A healthy yard needs nutrients, but without testing the soil it can be difficult to know what the dirt is lacking. Soil testers can be bought that allow homeowners to see what was missing. The homeowner can then make adjustments to their fertilization plans based on the missing components.

Brown patches and missing grass

The grass covers the majority of most yards. If it is not healthy, that can undermine the look of the property. The brown spots or holes in the lawn may have been from the previous owner’s pet or bad landscape maintenance. Patches of missing grass and large brown spots are easily fixed. Brown grass should be dug up, and then you can aerate the soil and sprinkle new, grass seed into the spot. After the initial watering, keep an eye on the growing grass and water when needed.

Dead foliage

Inspect the landscape for old, dead and dying plants, shrubs and trees. Trim back overgrown areas. They just look messy and detract from the beauty of the yard. Remove the dead or dying plants and plant new ones. The plants you use to replace the old ones depends on the location itself. The amount of sunlight and the soil needs to be considered before planting. A plant that needs full sunlight throughout the day should not be planted in the shade.

It will take some time to get the landscaping in pristine condition, but the work can be relaxing and once finished, it will be extremely rewarding to see the nurturing you performed on the plants come to life.

Author Bio

Melisa Cammack has been freelance writing for several years. She loves writing for home improvement and parenting blogs. She and her husband recently had a brand new aluminium fence installed on their home property by Fencemakers, and it gave Melisa the idea to write this article.