Whether you’re prepping your home for a "Real Estate Home Tour" or simply want a beautiful place to unwind on the weekends, your yard shouldn’t feel like a second job. The secret to a lush, vibrant landscape isn’t found in a bottle of harsh chemicals...it’s found in working with nature. By choosing plants that actually want to live here and using pet-safe, natural alternatives for maintenance, you can create a thriving oasis that is as easy to care for as it is to look at. From native blooms to eco-friendly pest control, here are five simple ways to beautify your outdoor space this season.
🍃Beautify your yard with low maintenance native plants. Plant as many as you can! Native plants love to live here! They will require less water once established, need less coddling, and be more likely to thrive. For more exploration, check out this helpful native plant finder (you can even input your desired bloom time!) https://scnps.org/plants/
🍃Use mulch with natural materials like pine straw or bark. Be careful of “recycled wood” as a source, as they can include pressure-treated wood which has harmful chemicals.
🍃 Use hot water or cleaning strength vinegar to kill weeds. This makes your yard safer for your family and pets and avoids putting toxic chemicals into our soil and waterways.
🍃 Use essential oil-based bug repellents, like sprays with peppermint or neem oil on your outside spaces. (Neem oil is also a great natural pesticide for your flowers and vegetables). Additionally, planting perennial herbs like sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano in your yard naturally deter mosquitos while encouraging butterflies and other pollinators to visit. (Plus you won’t have to buy them at the store!) Just make sure to plant mint and lemon balm in containers or a confined area…otherwise they will take over your yard.
🍃 For fast growing color that’s really inexpensive, plant hardy zinnias or cosmos from seed. They will bloom all summer (especially if you cut them more often). Even though they are annuals, they will reseed for the following growing season. They make beautiful flower bouquets to give to friends, or to spruce up your indoor space for company (or a real estate home tour ;-) They also attract tons of butterflies and bees!
Adriana Teodoro-Dier, REALTORⓇ https://www.bluefieldgroup.com/