Do you know what I love most about spring aside from the beauty of flowering trees? Gardening. I love gardening. It releases all my stress — well, except for the weeds!
My family likes to walk regularly. We sometimes drive to different neighborhoods just to change the scenery and see different homes. The homes with curb appeal are the ones that catch our eye.
You’ve seen homes with unkempt bushes and overgrown grass. When I see that it gives me a sense of what’s inside. Home exteriors are, after all, first impressions.
Whenever we shopped the housing market we paid attention to the immediate surroundings. Hubby always tells me how beauty moves his soul. He cares more about the surroundings than the house itself. I just want a nice and spacious kitchen.
Many prefer to spend their time indoors whereas we prefer the outdoors. (My husband is part Black-eyed Susan and needs lots of sun.) And maybe that’s why we tend to notice exteriors more.
A well-ordered exterior makes you feel good about your home.
If you’re like me, I have a greater sense of peace when things are neat and orderly. Messiness is a distraction. There’s something about keeping your surroundings well ordered that centers you — I’m channeling my inner Marie Kondo. Well, the same goes for the outside of your home, esp. if like us, you regularly spend time there.
Let’s see what needs done. It’s certainly not rocket science, but here goes.
Cut grass and trim bushes & shrubs.
What do you notice when you walk past a house that has a nice curb appeal? It looks well-maintained. Don’t get me wrong, even we can’t keep up with everything. But spring or fall is a great time to trims.
I leave the gas-powered hedge trimmer to Hubby since I am not comfortable with using it. I use regular shears, but I enjoy the work and just being outside when it’s nice. Plus it’s a good way to free your mind from your cares.
Find a way to enjoy the journey.
Hubby
Hubby always tells me to enjoy the journey. I’m usually after the result, but he’s right. The journey is where most of your time goes. I want the results. He wants to find a way to enjoy it, even if it’s just doing yardwork.
Paint shutters, trims and/or doors.
I recently painted our window trim dark and I was thrilled with the outcome.
You don’t have to change the paint color. A little cleaning or touching up painting goes a long way to freshen things up.
I like when the doors are a different color than the shutters. I front door with a popping color is more appealing and inviting.
Add plants and mulch.
I love plants.
I buy new ones every year. My current favorites are hydrangeas, peonies, Solomon Seal, ornamental grass and succulents. Honestly, I love all of them.
I get them at Walmart and Lowe’s and often near the end of the season when they are 50% off.
We freshened up the mulch at the start of spring. I love how plants pop against the black. Plus, it helps with weeds.
Replace your worn out roof.
Roofs are costly. I’m not suggesting your replace your roof before it needs it. We let ours run its full course. All I’m saying is few things go so far as a new roof to boost curb appeal.
Replace light fixtures and burned-out bulbs.
I am smiling as I type this. We replaced our light fixtures when we moved in and after the lights burned we couldn’t figure out how to open the fixture to get to the bulbs.
I’m embarrassed to ask the handyman to replace our bulbs, but it may be necessary. LOL.
Accessorize.
Ahh, my favorite: decorating.
When we moved here it was in the days before Pinterest and Instagram. I clearly didn’t know what to put on the porch. I added a plant but it didn’t look right.
We soon got patio furniture. The set included a small bistro table which I immediately located to our front porch and its been there ever since finally got new outdoor furniture and I moved the bistro set in our front porch and it’s been there since.
We use it to sit out front and watch the girls ride their bikes.
I added a wreath, door mats and planters.
Why do I do all this?
I like the way I feel when things look good. And with all the comings and goings of daily live you’re always driving up to the front of your home. You’re going to notice whether it’s cared for or not and that will affect your mood, even your state of mind.
There’s something about spending time outside that restores my soul.
It may determine whether you even feel like spending time outside. If there’s nothing inviting outside, you’re likely to just stay inside. And to my way of thinking, that’s no good. There’s something about spending time outside that restores my soul.
Spend more time outside. Make it worthwhile. Start by putting things in order and upping your curb appeal.
Have a great summer and happy gardening.
Jennabel
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