Add Curb Appeal with Low-Maintenance Perennials

Use low-maintenance perennials for dazzling curb appeal to your home.

When it comes to adding color and texture to your home's exterior, most of us want something that's easy on the eyes, minimal effort and won't break the bank. Luckily, there's a simple and cost-effective way to do this: using low-maintenance perennials.

Use perennials to boost your curb appeal and discover some of the top low-maintenance varieties that have been proven to thrive in many different climates. Perennials are the perfect way to add beauty and value to your home, without all the fuss!

Low-Maintenance Perennials

It's important to find the right plant for your purposes. Any of these options are a great choice for low-maintenance perennials that have thrived in multiple climates. Research your weather and soil type BEFORE purchasing your perennial plants.

• Boxwoods
• Peonies
• Lolli pop crab apple tree
• Lime light Hydrangeas
• Ornamental grasses
• White flowering bushes

Things to Consider for Your Low-Maintenance Perennials

When picking out the perfect plants, there are a few things you will want to consider to have the best success.

When Do They Bloom

In northern Utah, planting season usually coincides around Mother's Day, though it can be in early spring also depending on weather patterns. You'll want to know when your plants will bloom and how long they will bloom.

For example, in late spring - Peonies bloom. But there are plenty of plants and shrubs that have their bloom season in early summer and then carry it all summer long, sometimes into early fall.

Consider different low-maintenance plants that will bloom at different peaks so you will have a variety of colors your entire growing season.

Sunlight for Low-Maintenance Perennials

It's important to figure out when the front of your house gets sun and how much sun. Evening summer sun is much hotter than morning sun.

Or is the front of your house in partial shade? Certain plants will not do well unless they have full sun for at least 6 hours of the day.

Differences in Soil

Depending on where you live, your front yard landscaping may be more of a moist soil or a poor soil that is dry and crumbling. The ideal landscape is a well-drained soil.

We also got mulch from the dump to put on top of our flower beds. We used this to create mounds for planting. Putting a layer of mulch on the top of your garden beds also helps to keep weeds away and bring added curb appeal.

While the mulch does help with the weeds, they still find a way to grow. This weeding stick has been amazing. It gets down deep to pull all of the roots out. Plus, I don't have to break my back doing it. You can get yours here. And see how I use it in this video!

Picking the Right Low-Maintenance Plants

Make sure when planting that you keep at least a few feet away from your house foundation. For our low-maintenance perennials, we opted for a crab apple tree with peonies on either side. Peonies are beautiful when they bloom in the spring. Then they make beautiful bushes with gorgeous flowers.

Crab Apple Tree

Peonies

These beautiful pink flowers are an excellent choice for low-maintenance plants. Fragrant flowers like peonies are great cut flowers in the spring months. With a little care and water, these will look absolutely gorgeous in a vase on your kitchen table. After they are done flowering they are still beautiful bushes for the rest of the summer.

Boxwoods

Boxwoods are great versatile plants for your outdoor space. These low-maintenance perennials can be used as a bush or as as a hedge. They even stay green through the winter - the ideal low-maintenance shrub!

We pulled out the tape measure and planted our boxwoods 18 inches apart. This spacing will allow me to keep them as bushes or let them grow into a hedge.

To plant a boxwood, dig a hole twice as big as the roots. Take the boxwood out of the plastic container and loosen the roots. Then add root starter, this will help give the plant the nutrients to thrive.

Utah has extreme weather conditions. These perennials can withstand all the elements very well.

Landscape Design for Curb Appeal

Use curbing to outline your flower beds. Adding curbing to either side of the front approach is a great way to greet your guests. To line the walkway I used boxwoods.

Other Landscape Options to Compliment Your Low-Maintenance Perennials

• Incorporate rock gardens
• Use a ground cover with beautiful flowers
• Use perennials in your landscaping, but annual flowers in your pots
• Add in river rock for more texture

Perennials are the perfect way to make your home more beautiful and valuable without the high cost and hassle of a more traditional exterior update. Low-maintenance perennials come in a wide variety of vibrant colors and textures that can enhance your curb appeal, while being hardy enough to withstand even the most extreme weather conditions.

Brooke