Summer is a great time to redesign your home’s scenery. No small amount of work goes into creating curb appeal between all the trimming, planting and a whole lot of sweating. To get started, follow these few helpful landscaping tips to transform your lawn from ordinary to the neighborhood's "Lawn of the Month."

A Little Off The Top

One of the keys to having an eye-catching green lawn is learning the proper height to cut your grass. When cut too short, your grass dries out, allowing weeds to grow (because there are no long blades to block the sun) and can make your lawn vulnerable to diseases and pest invasions.

A good rule of thumb is to never cut off more than one-third of the grass blades at once. This may mean you need to mow a little more frequently, but the result will be a much healthier-looking lawn. It is also important to note that different types of grass require different attention. 

Give Your Garden An Edge

With the help of an edging tool, you can create shapes and boundaries for your lawn and garden alike. Without a proper edge, your lawn will eventually invade your garden. Plastic or steel edging can quickly and easily be implemented as a nice divider between the two. More than just a simple barrier, edging is like an accent piece to your wardrobe. Your outfit would not be complete without a great belt or the perfect watch. The same can be said about edging. It’s the subtle touch needed to define your garden.

Go Wild!

One way to rejuvenate your garden is to let it go wild. Planting wildflower seeds will help bring a colorful explosion to your flowerbed that is well worth a weekend spent kneeling in the dirt. All you need to do is pull up any existing weeds, turn over the soil and rake it flat. Next, sprinkle wildflower seeds throughout the newly prepped bed. Finally, walk across the freshly seeded bed to compress the wildflower seeds slightly into the soil. Now with a little watering and some good old-fashioned TLC, you will see beautiful lupines, coreopsis and Shasta daisies blooming in two to three weeks.

Summertime Best

Summer is a great time to get out and work on your lawn. With a few quick tweaks to your lawn maintenance routine, you can be on your way to the best-looking yard on the block. Take care of your lawn and garden with the help of these easy-to-implement tips, and be sure to check back with Asphalt Life often for more DIY-inspired ways to redesign your home sweet home.