Many people forget curb appeal is important year-round. Just because the weather is cooler is no reason not to add hardy flowers and bushes along with seasonal décor to your home’s exterior. Now is also the time to include routine yard maintenance to help protect lawn coverings, trees and perennials. 

Maintenance First

• Begin by doing some fall cleaning. Rake up fallen leaves, acorns and loose twigs. Remove dead or dying summer flowers and get rid of any weeds. Trim shrubs and perennial plants. 
• Mow and weedeat one last time before aerating and feeding your lawn. Helpful tip: don’t put your garden equipment away without first cleaning, checking the oil, mower blades, weedeater string and sparkplugs. Have your professional lawn equipment checkup done now instead of waiting until spring when everyone else is trying to get an appointment scheduled. 
• Mulch is definitely your landscape’s best friend when the temperatures drop, and if you have trees and a shredder, you have easy access to a great source of mulch. While leaving fallen leaves on your lawn can cause problems, mulching them and using them around trees, bushes and to cover dormant flower and vegetable beds helps control future weeds and during periods of inclement weather, works to keep the roots warm. Then as the mulch leaves decompose the rich organic material feeds the surrounding vegetation and root system. 

Let’s Add Some Color!

• Ornamental kale and cabbage are easy to plant, easy to care for and add a touch of wintery décor to walkway borders, planter boxes and can also be used as ground cover. While they can be eaten, they leave a bitter aftertaste and are better served as an interior table centerpiece or garnish. 
• You can never go wrong with pansies. Available in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes pansies are one of the hardiest winter flowering plants. Even in extreme cold, pansies simply go dormant and then rebound once the temps get above freezing. 
• Snowdrops grow from a bulb which requires early planting but once they are ready to make themselves known, not even snow or ice can keep them from rising up and dazzling with their delicate teardrop shaped white blooms.

Include Some Eye-Catching Hardscape

• Don’t hesitate to create a cozy seating area, a warm (literally) and welcoming firepit patio, or even add a new multi-level deck complete with an outdoor kitchen. Just as with lawn equipment, now is the perfect time for deck or patio construction without having to be put on a waiting list. 
• Already have one of the above-mentioned outdoor living spaces? Get maximum usage by including comfy fleece throws, change those pastel summer pillows and cushions to something more seasonal and include decorative outdoor lighting and mushroom patio heaters to add warmth and illumination. 
• Send the garden gnomes someplace warm for the winter and replace them with something a bit more season appropriate. A custom bird feeding and watering station?  A piece of metal sculpture? Perhaps a new trellis waiting patiently for spring ivy? The ideas are endless! 

Now is the perfect time to schedule a complementary meeting with Compass Construction to discuss your thoughts on a custom home or possibly rejuvenating your current residence. The builder you can trust, Compass Construction works to make your dream a reality. Please connect with us today by calling 864-627-8804 or scroll to the bottom of our home page and fill out our secure online contact form. We look forward to meeting with you!