Landscape Mistakes to Avoid

You can add beauty and value to your home just by maintaining a nice lawn and landscape - and avoiding the most common landscaping blunders homeowners tend to make.

There's no reason why your yard can't have the curb appeal you would like it to have. If youre creating a yard for a new home, you have the advantage of being able to plan and do things right the first time. Those of us who buy older homes or have been living in the same place for a few years will likely find we have to correct a few things and make some simple improvements to add curb appeal.

Here's some motivation for you: According to the American Nursery and Landscape Association, avoiding mistakes and making good landscape choices can increase the value of your home by up to 15 percent. Landscaping projects can also provide a good return on the money you invest. According to the association, you can recoup 100 to 200 percent of your initial expenditure. You also get that great feeling of pride that comes from making improvements to your yard as well as the pleasure of seeing it every day when you pull into your driveway.

To get you started, here are the top five yard care mistakes you should avoid. For more ideas, watch our new video tutorial on curb appeal.

• Yard clutter. Few things detract from the look of your yard more than clutter - kids bicycles, balls and other toys, garden tools and garbage cans. Clean it up, and set family rules that eliminate clutter. A clean lawn makes a huge difference.
  
  
• Neglected lawn. A great yard begins with a well groomed, healthy lawn that becomes the backdrop for your other landscape additions. A healthy lawn is not that difficult to achieve. It just requires doing the basics right. When you mow, for example, only cut one-third of the height of the grass to encourage strong roots. Cutting your lawn too short (scalping) stresses the grass blades, creating an opportunity for weeds and disease. If your home is for sale and you want it to look its best for an open house, give your lawn a shot of urea, an inexpensive, pure nitrogen fertilizer, which will green it up within a couple of days (don't overdo it - follow package directions).
  
  
• Poor planting choices. Before you head to the garden center to purchase landscape plants, do your homework on the types of trees and bushes that you're considering. Determine how large they will grow and how much care they will need. Don't purchase a crabapple tree and plant it near a sidewalk or driveway unless you want to sweep up the fallen fruit on a daily basis. Don't plant bushes too close to the front of your home. Allow enough space around the foundation plants to be able to trim the landscaping, add mulch and otherwise care for the area. Don't be afraid to cut back or even replace overgrown bushes that have become overwhelming.
  
  
• Poor job of trimming. Mowing your lawn without also trimming is like getting half a haircut. Keep grass neatly trimmed around flowerbeds, decks, patios and other landscape features by using a string trimmer correctly. Let the tip of the string do the cutting, and avoid contact with tree trunks. Don't shear grass off at ground level - it will invite weeds to fill in the bare earth. Many string trimmers have attachments you can purchase, such as edgers, to help you keep your sidewalks, driveway and patio borders neat.
   

• No focal point. What do people first see when they look at your home? Every home should have a front yard focal point. It can be on the house - such as a front door painted a contrasting color to the home. It can be a landscape feature, such as a beautiful tree or cobbled pathway lined with flowers. The front yard tells people who you are, so go ahead and make a tasteful statement.

If you avoid these mistakes, your yard will not only look good, but your entire property will be more appealing.