Curb Appeal !

As you may know our house is on the market. We have been working on our curb appeal. I have never been gifted at landscaping or anything that might have to do with real plants. Although I do have several women in my life who are really gifted at it. After consulting one of those women I took the plunge reluctantly. I am always afraid to invest money in this area because I am certain I have limitations that will hinder me keeping things alive.  I have added a few before and after shots. It's not finished and will be an ongoing project as long as we live here. Any drought tolerant plant ideas are welcomed.

When we bought the house two years ago the lawn was covered in weeds. My Italian Man has worked quite a bit to eradicate them. The difficult thing now is to keep the lawn green throughout the summer months with a minimal amount of rain .

We wanted to put a paved driveway with a cover in but living inside the City limits, we would have to get permits to do so. Permits would require investing more than we want to. We decided to use a small pea gravel that is usually used for paving walkways. Interestingly we priced it at Lowes and it was going to cost around $240 to do what we needed. I called around and found it at a local sand and gravel company for $27 for a half of a yard, which was all we needed.

The stone you see outlining all the beds was given to us. Our sweet friends had an overabundance and wanted to share. All we had to do was bring our truck and load up all we needed. All it cost was a couple of chiropractor visits( I pulled my back out unloading them). I wasn't sure how it would look but it seems to accent the stone fireplace very well.

I also added a few window boxes, rather than planting a tree at the corner. They seemed a bit more decorative to me. Notice my sweet little flamingos. I was in Ballinger, TX and stopped at their True Value. I found the birds and thought they would be perfect but when I saw the price my mind said "Forget this", as I was walking away I saw a sign that said " All Accessories Half Off" then my mind said " These are mine!"

Just another view from the front.

...and another...

This is just a little project I have been wanting to do for years. I have had a picture of it in my project book for what seems like forever. The plates are actually suppose to be planted in the ground but because we might be moving I didn't want to leave mine behind so I used a container. Old chipped plates, platers, or saucers make great borders for flower beds,  for those of you who like a vintage touch to your landscaping. 
I hope you enjoyed  and hopefully are encouraged that anyone can spruce up their curb appeal even if you might be lacking when it comes to the great outdoors! On to the back yard... and then who knows what?
Making Memories,