The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the temperatures are finally starting to warm up! It’s great to see the first signs of spring, but winter can leave your lawn, gardens, and yard in a mess. If you are getting ready to sell your home this season, curb appeal plays a significant role in a quick and profitable sale. Starting early with spring gardening and lawn care will up your curb appeal and get your home sale ready.

Prepping and staging your home helps ensure a smooth and easy sale. When getting ready to sell, ensure you don’t neglect the exterior of your home. Neat grass, clean pathways, and pretty gardens grab the attention of potential buyers right from the start. Beautiful outdoor living spaces are becoming increasingly popular and are often found on a home buyer’s wishlist.

Spring Gardening Checklist for Curb Appeal

1. Lawn Care

Early spring is the perfect time to set your lawn up for a successful growing season. Cooler temperatures and rainy days give grass seed everything it needs to germinate. Overseeding your yard will give you thick, lush grass, making it tougher for the weeds to pop through. The best way to tell it’s time to overseed is to check the temperature of your soil with a kitchen thermometer – just stick it right in the ground. Once the temp is 15 C, you can seed your lawn this spring . Use topsoil, good quality grass seed, and a spring fertilizer, or try an all-in-one for more minor spots.

2. Prune shrubs & divide perennials

Many trees and shrubs will benefit from pruning in spring. It helps ensure a nice shape, encourages new growth, and improves airflow around the plant. As a general rule of thumb, prune summer and fall blooming trees and shrubs now. Avoid cutting back spring-blooming plants such as lilacs or forsythia because you can prune off this year’s blooms.

If you have large perennials that could be split into more plants (and moved to fill in spots in the garden), spring is the perfect time to divide them. If you’re getting ready to sell, you don’t want to spend a fortune on new plants. Maximizing what you already have is a great solution to ensure your garden is lush and green.

3. Clean, weed, and mulch gardens

Simply cleaning out any leaves, dead plants, and broken branches significantly impacts your curb appeal in spring. Pull out pesky weeds and add fresh mulch to freshen up your garden and discourage weeds from growing through. Mulch is a great way to fill empty spaces (such as those under trees where grass won’t grow). It’s a quick and easy way to freshen up messy areas of your yard.

4. Plan for your planting season

If you’re not ready to hit the market yet but want to sell shortly, it’s a great time to plan what you want to do in the gardens. Think ahead to the time of year you plan to sell. What do your gardens look like during that season? Adding perennials that will bloom when you sell will give your gardens a little extra boost!

Also, take stock of any plants you want to move with you. Take note of anything special you can’t leave behind.

5. Add pops of colour

People start to form an opinion of your home as soon as they pull in the driveway, so you want to make sure you’re making a great first impression. A few well-placed colourful annuals can boost the curb appeal of your home. Planters of pansies by the front door or spring blooming bulbs added to the garden give a burst of colour and brighten the front of your house.

Curb Appeal Checklist for Spring

• Keep the lawn mowed, edged, and pull any weeds
• Clean the gardens of debris, leaves, and dead plants
• Mulch gardens to freshen them up and deter weeds
• Plant fresh annuals to add a burst of colour
• Power wash the outside of the house and clean the windows
• Check your A/C unit, change the filter, and service if necessary
• Inspect the exterior of your home for cracks or leaks
• Clean downspouts and eavestroughs to ensure proper drainage
• Peek at the roof for any missing or loose shingles
• Check your driveway and walkways for cracks
• Look at the outside of the house at night to make sure everything is well lit
• Check seals around the windows and doors
• Don’t forget the backyard – setting up seating areas and making use of the space for outdoor living adds value for potential buyers
• Check your screens for holes – you don’t want flies or mosquitos buzzing around inside!
• Check and set up your outdoor hoses and sprinklers so you can be ready to water
• Look for any rot in wooden decks, fences, or windows
• Check your outdoor siding and trim for cracks

Preparing your garden, lawn, and home for spring sets you up for a successful season. Having excellent curb appeal helps get buyers into the right mindset with that first glimpse of your house. Clean, well-kept gardens and beautiful outdoor living spaces add value to your home. It’s the perfect time to focus on spring gardening and lawn care to up your curb appeal!