Tips for Brightening Winter Curb Appeal
Nothing kills curb appeal like a drab and dreary winter. Since good landscaping can add up to 28% to the value of your home, try these ways to resuscitate your yard during the deadest part of the year.
What: Waterfalls, ponds, and fountains are landscaping upgrades that keep running in winter.
Why: Moving water is an attention-getter when everything else is hushed and motionless.
How: Above freezing: Cut back water plants; clear debris; run the pond pump all winter. Below freezing: Keep fish alive by installing an aerator ($150) and floating de-icer ($21-$40); keep fountains running with a heater ($66).
Cost: A 6-foot-by-8-foot liner pond: $2,500-$3,500.
Image: Larry Bourgeois
Tips for Brightening Winter Curb AppealFabulous Flowering Plants
What: Shrubs that bloom when all other plants are asleep.
Why: Winter-bloomers add color and provide living privacy borders.
How: Plant these winter color contenders:
• Camellia (Camellia japonica): Some varieties bloom through early winter and make great shrub borders (zones 8-10).
• Winter hazel (Corylopsis): Delicate, yellow flowers hang from bare branches (zones 6-8).
• Blue holly (Ilex x meserveae): Bright red berries look stunning against snow (zones 3-9).
Cost: $40-$55 (2 gal).
Image: Tongshan / iStockphoto
Tips for Brightening Winter Curb AppealColorful Entry Door
What: Splash your entry door with bold color to brighten the facade.
Why: Entry door upgrades are good investments — switching a vinyl door for a steel one recoups 85.6% of its value at selling time.
How: Pick a semi-gloss, exterior paint; don’t apply below 40 degrees (oil-based paint) or 50 degrees (acrylic-based paint). Cold temps prolong drying times and produce a brittle finish.
Cost: $40/gal.
Related: What Your Front Door Says About You
Image: Erin L. Schanen / The Impatient Gardener
Tips for Brightening Winter Curb AppealBrightly Painted Fence
What: A well-maintained fence that meets neighborhood standards.
Why: Fences are great additions to landscape plans and can help prevent property line disputes with neighbors.
How: Paint or stain your fence every 2-3 years to protect it against the elements. A stain/sealer combo will cut your work in half.
Cost: Paint: $40/gal; stain/sealer combo: $37/gal.
Image: Little Maple Leaf blog
Tips for Brightening Winter Curb AppealColorful Annuals in Temperate Climes
What: Plant cold-hardy annuals along borders and under trees.
Why: Colorful plants make you think “spring” in the dead of winter.
How: For winters that don’t fall below freezing, plant:
• Calendula (Calendula officinalis): Bright yellow/orange; deadhead often to prolong blooms.
• Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana): Blue-family stunners that can last eight months.
• Dianthus ‘Ideal Violet’ (Chinensis x barbatus): Scarlet beauty that’s cold and heat-tolerant.
Cost: $4/qt.
Image: Barbara Peake Wise
Tips for Brightening Winter Curb AppealHoliday Lights Throughout Winter
What: Wrap holiday lights around trees, birdbaths, and fountains.
Why: Lights brighten a winter landscape, while enhancing property safety and security.
How: Pick strings of LED holiday lights that use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Bonus: If one goes out, the others stay lit.
Cost: $20 for 100 lights.
Related: Holiday Lights Gone Out? There’s a Recycling Program for That
Image: Sandra Angers-Blondin
Tips for Brightening Winter Curb AppealColorful Mailboxes
What: A mailbox of many colors adds a distinctive flair to your front yard.
Why: Attractive mailboxes signal that these homeowners care about their property.
How: Make sure you don’t paint over house numbers, which impedes mail delivery and emergency responders. The U.S. Postal Service requires mailbox coatings to be free from “flaking, peeling, cracking, crazing, blushing, and powdery surfaces.”
Cost: Spray paint: $7.
Image: Ocean / Corbis
Tips for Brightening Winter Curb AppealLooking for more ways to jazz up your yard?
