4 min read
Curb appeal is the first impression your home makes on visitors. Most real estate agents consider it a key factor in attracting buyers and recommend that sellers spruce up the outside of a home before it hits the market. Even if you aren’t selling your home soon, it’s worth spending some time on the landscaping.
If you want to make a big impact, focus on the changes that get noticed first, says landscape designer Adam Kober of Kober Design Group.
The First Things Designers Notice in a YardMature, Established Trees
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Before anything at ground level registers, designers are already looking up. “Our eyes are naturally drawn initially to vertical elements, before noticing what’s closer to the ground,” says Kober. “I first note the location and size of existing trees.” Those established trees do more than look good. They nestle the architecture into the landscape, give structure to the different spaces within a garden, and offer welcome shade from the hot afternoon sun. The right trees can also add privacy to a yard, another reason mature specimens carry so much weight in a designer’s first look.
Over-Trimmed Shrubs
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One of the fastest ways to spot a yard that hasn’t been well cared for has nothing to do with what’s been forgotten—it’s what’s been getting too much attention. “Over-trimming shrubs is a common mistake,” says Kober. “Unfortunately, property owners clip too often or too close, which can cause plants to grow into unnatural forms.”
That habit is one of the most common pruning mistakes homeowners make. In an effort to keep a yard looking tidy, it’s tempting to reach for the shears more often than a shrub actually needs. Frequent, close cutting can stress plants and push them into stiff, unnatural shapes instead of the fuller silhouette they’d have on their own. Give shrubs just one or two light trimmings a year, then leave them alone to fill out naturally, suggests Kober.
Topography and Grading
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Topography does more than direct water. It also shapes how a property feels to move through. “Grading and drainage are crucial components in the development of a site,” says Kober. “Topography can also be leveraged to create visual drama for a person maneuvering through it.”
Beyond keeping a yard functional after a rainstorm, the way a site is graded can build anticipation. Think about the driveway: Arriving at a home set at the top of a hill after traveling up a long, meandering driveway creates a far bigger emotional payoff than reaching that same home by a flat, direct approach. The climb and the curves add a sense of arrival that a straight shot simply can’t match, explains Kober. It’s a reminder that grading isn’t only a practical concern. Done well, it becomes part of the experience of a property, shaping the first impression before a visitor has even parked the car.
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Tree-Planting Problems
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A young tree might look perfectly proportioned to its surroundings on planting day, but a problem can show up years later. “The most common scale issue property owners make is planting young trees in spaces that will be too small for them within 10 years,” says Kober.
It’s an easy mistake to make since a sapling’s mature footprint isn’t always obvious at the outset. That’s why it pays to read the plant tag before digging, since it lists the tree’s expected height and spread at maturity. Skip that step, and the consequences can be costly. Damage to a home, a neighboring property, or even power lines can occur if a tree is planted somewhere it will eventually outgrow.
Hardscaping
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Patios, walkways, and retaining walls tell a story before anyone even notices them. The material alone signals a lot about a property’s overall quality. “Porcelain tile has become increasingly popular as it allows for simple maintenance and lower initial cost,” says Kober. “However, clients with high-end homes will typically opt for higher quality natural stone.”
The reason comes down to authenticity. Natural stone offers a durability and staying power, he says. Porcelain, by comparison, can read as an imitation to “the real thing” and make a property feel cheap.
Structure and “Bones” of a Yard
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Seasonal color is easy to change. A yard’s bones are not, which is why designers assess the foundation first. “When conducting an initial site walk, we first take into account existing architecture, natural topography, and the location of extant mature trees,” says Kober.
The order matters because of what can and can’t be undone. Shrubs can be redesigned relatively easily, but building placement, natural topography, and large trees are far more difficult to alter. Landscape designers typically work with and around those fixed elements, aiming to highlight a property’s existing features rather than fight against them.
Mulch and Aesthetics 
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Not every improvement requires a major overhaul. Sometimes, the simplest fix makes the biggest visual difference. Adding a fresh layer of mulch to your scrub beds is a simple DIY project that quickly tidies up the appearance of a yard, says Kober. “Always opt for the darkest color mulch to allow colorful foliage of shrubs and flowers to be the standout features.”
Debbie Wolfe is a writer, photographer, and author. She has contributed hundreds of home and garden articles and DIY tutorials to leading media outlets and retailers. Debbie covers all home and gardening topics and has published hundreds of DIY tutorials with step-by-step photography for leading home and garden media outlets.
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