5 Ways to Boost Fall Curb Appeal

The simplest and quickest way to welcome fall is to hang a fall wreath that makes a statement on your front door. Try a wreath that will take your door and porch decor through Thanksgiving.

Be sure to use a wreath hanger to protect the door. Design experts recommend using at least a 26-inch harvest wreath on a standard-sized front door.

Add welcoming touches like outdoor pillows and a fall display with hay bales, pots of mums and an array of pumpkins to complete the abundant harvest look.

Make the transition from a summer to fall look by adding some planters with colorful fall mums and pumpkins to your space. For a rustic look, fill a whiskey barrel planter with a mix of annuals and perennials, shrubs, grasses, herbs and even succulents.

For lush window box planters and vertical gardens, fill with potted ornamental peppers, grasses, cabbages and kales. Top with decorative moss or a light mulch. In spring, move ornamental grasses and other perennials to a permanent location in your landscape. Pansies and mums are classic options for fall container plantings that last all fall season.

Curb appeal starts at the street and that makes the space around your mailbox perfect for colorful flowers like mums. Creating a mailbox garden can be as elaborate or as simple as your creativity allows.

Tip: You can keep plants like mums in their nursery pots and place them in larger planters filled with soil. Look for self-watering planters that will reduce the need for watering on hot days.

For colorful curb appeal beyond planters, make outdoor decor come together with outdoor seating, throw pillows, a patio side table or garden stool. For more instant ambiance outdoors, try well-placed outdoor lighting options to give the space an intimate look.

Outdoor lighting can also include lanterns, string lights, ceiling fans and pathway lights.

As the days grow shorter, your lawn and garden need some love. Here are a few ideas to spruce up your green spaces:

• Dig up spent annuals with a hand trowel and compost anything unaffected by disease.
• Rake away any landscape debris and use a leaf blower to clean up the outdoor space.
• Aerate the lawn to improve grass health.
• Pressure wash the driveway, walkway, porch, deck and patio.
• Add a fresh 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch around new trees, flower beds and other plants.