3 of the Best Landscaping Projects to Tackle Come Spring

Spring might seem a long while off, but the truth is that it’s never too early to start thinking about how you can improve your landscaping. And considering that landscaping can add almost 14% to your home’s resale value, this definitely isn’t something you want to sleep on. If you’re not sure where to start come early spring, here are a few must-complete projects.

Choose Perennials to Plant

If your garden looked a little bit bare last summer, then it’s probably a good idea to invest in some perennial plants for your yard. The great thing about perennial plants is that they bloom around the same time every year, which means there’s no hassle about digging them up and replanting them every spring. Not only that, but some perennial plants can grow to cover a lot of space in your garden, which means you’ll need fewer filler plants. The choice you’ll need to make sooner rather than later, though, is which perennials you’re going to plant come spring. If you’ve never shopped for perennials before, here are a few great options to consider for your yard:

Daylilies
Lavender
Peonies
Black-eyed Susans
Coneflowers
Chrysanthemums
Hydrangeas
Balloon Flowers

If you’re not sure which of these perennials you like best, don’t hesitate to visit your local florist and grab a bunch of each flower you’re considering. Since almost 50% of flower shop sales are for non-holiday purposes, you don’t need to worry about looking out of the ordinary.

Fix Any Uneven Stepping Stones

If you have a stone path that runs through your garden, it’s likely that alternating periods of freezing and thawing over the winter can lead to uneven ground beneath them. Since avoiding tripping hazards is a priority for most people, especially if you have younger kids, this should be one of the first projects you tackle in the early days of spring. Fortunately, it’s a pretty simple one! If you want to level out your stepping stones, simply lift the individual stones and add soil or gravel underneath as needed. If you really want to make sure that your stones are all even when you’re through, make sure you have a level handy. Using the level, simply check to see if all of your stones are level on the ground. Any uneven stone just needs a bit of an adjustment to the soil or gravel underneath it.

Prune Trees and Shrubs

Pruning your trees and shrubs is essential to make sure they grow safely around your home and in a desirable shape. Fortunately, you can do this at almost any time before your plants start their growth cycle for the spring. If you’re not sure where to start with pruning, begin by tying ribbon or string around the branches you’re thinking of cutting. Make sure your ribbon is tied at the point you want to cut, as well. Give it a good look and leave it for a few days, making a point to walk past it from different directions to see if this is really the look you want for your tree or shrub. Once you’ve decided whether to cut the branches you’ve marked or not, it’s time to grab the pruning shears. Because you waited a few days, you’ll be extra sure of which branches you want to cut and where you want to cut them.

Almost 67% of landscaping projects in the U.S. involve single family residential homes. IF you love the exterior of your home, you just might be part of that statistic. Just don’t forget to complete these projects come early spring!