Homes always look better in the summertime. Lawns are green, trees have leaves, flowers are in bloom. But in the winter, it is hard to keep that beautiful curb appeal. Whether you are selling your house or just want to keep it beautiful year-round, here are 10 simple tips for winter curb appeal.
1. Remove Christmas decorations. The holiday has passed. Keeping your house decorated may “feel fun” but to the outside it looks like you don’t care.
2. Clean out gutters if you have them on your house. Leaves and pine needles spilling over the gutters make the house look sloppy.
3. Rake or blow away the dead leaves from the Fall season. Tidying up the yard will allow the new grass to start growing. You can also see where dead spots are and make your plans for seed and fertilizer.
4. Pull weeds. Bright green against the brown grass, weeds are more noticeable this time of year. And, with the soft ground from plentiful rain, they are also easy to pull.
5. Mulch your garden beds before ornamental grasses, daffodils and other bulb flowers start growing.
6. Plant some pansies around your mailbox or in other parts of your landscape for a splash of color. These are hardy winter flowers for the Oxford area.
7. Replace outdoor light bulbs while you can reach them since gardens and trees are not in bloom.
8. If it is warm enough, wash your windows, shutters and garage door for instant brightening. Replace shutters that may be missing.
9. Replace broken fence parts.
10. Trim your bushes, cut down the tall ornamental grasses. Spring in Oxford is closer than you think and these plants will be starting their Spring growth spurts before long. Start them with a great shape.
This should keep you busy one weekend and make your house shine while we push through a chilly, and sometimes bleak, time of year.
Eileen Saunders is a HottyToddy.com contributor who writes on curb appeal and gardening. A certified Junior Master Gardener Instructor and Master Environmental Educator, Eileen is also a realtor in the Oxford office of Tommy Morgan Inc., Realtors. You can contact Eileen at epsaunders20@gmail.com or call her at 662-404-0816. For more home tips, follow her Facebook page.
