Plant a Flower, Boost Your Homes Curb Appeal

By
July 30, 2024

National Plant a Flower Day

Spring is just around the corner and warmer temps should follow…hopefully.  What better time to spruce up your yard or homestead than now?  Some may not understand all the fuss of curb appeal, flower beds and gardens are about.  In my opinion, it is more than just an aesthetic look.  It is about providing food sources for birds, and beneficial insects such as honey bees, providing a creative outlet for the homeowner, and providing a potential source of income and food for your family.  For the most part, flowers just seem to make people happy.  


Adding flowers and plants to your property increases your curb appeal by adding a pop of color and texture.  Cheerful blooming plants can mask an area that houses trash cans, a water meter, or air conditioning units.  The blooms are a beautiful focal point as well as create  a peaceful environment making your property more inviting.  


Beautiful blooms are a great source of food for bees, insects and birds, but not just any flower will do.  Bee friendly flowers need to be chemical free, the perfect shape and color and preferably single blooms.  For birds, plant flowers that produce a berry or other soft mass.  Also, try to plant varieties with varied blooming times to provide flowers through the summer months and into early fall.


When putting in beds and gardens, many people prefer to do the work themselves giving them an outlet for their creativity, but the job can be hired out as well.  In either case, there is opportunity to let the creative juices flow so to speak.  While tending to flowers may add another item to the to-do list, it has its benefits such as sunlight increases vitamin D levels, and lowers blood pressure.  The physical exercise gets you up and moving and increases your activity.  The time spent in nature helps to lower stress levels in turn giving you a better outlook helping you to be more at peace. 

   

Many blooming plants can be used for cut flowers or can produce fruits and vegetables which can be used for a food source.  Growing your own flowers and food leaves you with the assurance that no chemicals have been added to what you are bringing into your home and feeding your family.  The extra bounty can also be sold for an additional income source making your hobby farm or homestead productive. So how do you get on with all of these benefits you may ask?  I plan to share just that. 


Before you begin, you will want to do a little homework to determine what hardiness zone your property is located in and also determine which plants will grow well in that zone.  Another decision to make, is whether you want to plant perennials that will return year after year or annuals that will die off at the end of the season.  Consider where your plants will be installed, the future growth (how big will your plants end up), layout such as spacing and color, which plants grow best together and don’t forget about container gardening (even within your flower beds or gardens).


Once your homework is done and you have prepped your space, let the planting begin.  Some of my favorite blooming varieties for Northeast Texas are the bluebonnet of course! Other flowers that I always have in my flower beds and gardens are sunflowers, zinnias and marigolds.  What are you waiting for?  Get a start on giving your curb appeal a face lift with planting a flower today, after all it is National Plant a Flower Day!