Landscaping is no doubt hard work, but if you pace yourself you can really change the look of your home and raise its value and marketing appeal.

I sold a home a couple years ago and I worked on that property for 16 years. That was a long time and it gave me the time to really make that place look way better than when I purchased the home.

The original home owner did a few things but it was a hack job and there was so much around the property that was never touched.

Over time I planted trees with color, removed some dead or useless trees. I planted bushes, and several perennial flowers because they are easy to take care and they come back every year.

Well I bought a new place a few years ago that had not been lived in over 4 years so needless to say they really let the place run down when it came to landscaping.

I will say the lady who owned the home did plant a lot of stuff that blooms at different times of the year so there is almost a flower of some sort in bloom from the spring to the fall.

I kept most of the bushes that were on the property but this year I moved tons of flowers that were in random places so now even the barn looks better because that is where I planted them.

Last year I did the back of the house because that is where everyone walks in, plus I had looked at that a lot and new what I wanted to plant. I kind of stole my own idea from my last house for the back side of my new house. I really liked those bushes and flowers that I planted at my last place, then added a couple new plants and a rose bush and the back turned out great.

I have stared at my front landscaping for two years until I finally figured out what I wanted to plant. Yes I will use a couple bushes that I liked at the last place but everything else is all new plants for the front of the house.

When you do a job like this, its important to do it right because its such hard work, you don't want to have to do it over and you want to make it easy to take care of.

A good thing to do is remove the top soil about 4 to 8 inches if you can, especially if no new dirt has been in there in a long time. Once you clear that, put in your new dirt then invest in the material that keeps weeds from growing and don't be afraid to more on that the directions say. If you cover that soil good and have the run up on the wall of the house and whatever trim you use for your flower beds, it will eliminate 95% of you having to weed it all the time. Yes you will get some weeds once in a great while because of sentiment but that is way better than your plants being covered in weeds.

It also helps to leave some space between your plants and if you know their root patterns you actually sneak a little weed killer in between them that will help keep your plants weed free. Again, make sure you know the plants root pattern and never spray close to the plant.

Once you have your soil covered, cut your holes for plants. When you did out the dirt it never hurts to put some gravel underneath to help with drainage of your plants plus they will grow a lot better because of it.

When you get all your plants in that is when you can add wood chips or gravel that will cover your weed stopping material and it will make your landscaping look great.

It never hurts to drive around and look at other houses for ideas not to mention the plethora of ideas you can find online.

Good luck with your landscaping project. I have 18 flowers, bushes and trees to plant and the front of my house will look incredible, raise my home value and if I sell, it sure will make it easier to sell if it already looks awesome.

You will also realize how therapeutic planting can be as well as when you are setting in a lawn chair looking at your work, its pretty darn enjoyable when you get done.

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