It is incredible, just how important curb appeal really is. Whenever someone passes by your house, they place their judgements based on what they see from the outside. Is your front porch tidey? Are the colours nice? How is your lawn and garden looking? These all seem so superficial, but it is the first thing we see without knowing the story behind the front entryway. Whether or not you’re going to put your house up for sale, ensuring your curb appeal evokes certain, positive thoughts is something that will make you feel good, and it will certainly help your investment
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  If you are considering landscape paving, this excellent Houzz.com post by landscape architect Falon Mihalic includes guides to 10 of the most popular materials.  Focused on cost, climate, maintenance and functional application, the guides explain the pros and cons of cast-in-place concrete, the cheapest option, pre-cast concrete, gravel, limestone, brick, slate, tile, bluestone, granite, and travertine.  Mihalic also notes that many of the materials can be reused and suggests where the cost and/or environmentally conscious consumer can find them.  To read more click here. This article was first published on https://www.teamrealty.ca.
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  Shrubs bestow privacy, a sense of enclosure and a splash of colour during winter.  In this houzz.com post, Brian Barth gives hope to discouraged homeowners who are tired of watching the local deer population feast on their shrubs.   Needle-bearing shrubs like the juniper will survive deer grazing, but they can lack artistic appeal.  Barth identifies 8 other options that have at least one redeeming aesthetic trait besides being evergreen.   Heath and heather are an unusual group of low shrubs with colorful flowers and needle-like leaves that change colour as the weather gets cold.  Doghobble spreads as it
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Home owners may be surprised to discover that fall is the most important season for lawn maintenance.  But, as we learn in this houselogic.com post by Lisa Kaplan Gordon, it is much more important than spring.   Aeration allows water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach roots, and gives seeds room to sprout.  Turf roots grow best in fall and winter when the soil temperature is cooler, so fall seeding ensures optimal growth.  Fertilize in late fall with phosphorous or nitrogen rich (10% – 15%) product.  Finally, mulching, rather than raking and removing the leaves is preferred because the shredded leaves will
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