Created on:
April 12, 2024
A sunroom and porch are great assets to your home. They increase living space and invite the outdoors in, allowing you to enjoy nature's beauty without having to experience the elements. However, unappealing landscaping could not only diminish the beauty of the view from your sunroom or porch but also lower your home's curb appeal.
Don't hide your beautiful outdoor living space behind overgrown shrubs or trees that need pruning. Strategic landscaping can enhance your home's beauty and make your outdoor living space more inviting.
What is strategic landscaping?
A landscaping strategy is a plan for your outdoor space that goes beyond planting. It is intentional with every element, whether a flower, tree, piece of outdoor furniture, pathway, or lighting. Strategic landscaping helps highlight your home's features, creates a cohesive look with the architecture and style of your house, and feels welcoming.
Planning and Design
The first step is planning and design. You don't need to go as far as a formal and fancy garden with symmetrical hedgerows and grand fountains. Instead, look at your home's footprint, including porches or sunrooms. This can help you determine where you may want to place certain features. Could a large tree provide welcomed afternoon shade? Or might a water feature enhance the ambiance of your screened-in porch?
Next, choose an area or two on which you may want to focus your landscaping. For example, you could draw guests to an expansive front porch with vibrant flowers or ornate small trees. Plantings and features can help create a focal point out of your home's architecture.
Alternatively, these same things can be used to add privacy and beauty to areas of your home. Pergolas and trellises outfitted with flowers can make your sunroom or porch feel more private and add visual interest to the space when viewed from within.
Choose Your Plants
It is a good idea to choose plants that are both visually pleasing and functional. By functional, we mean those that don't hinder access to your outdoor space but facilitate movement. Planning out where you may put a path or how you can direct traffic with a border can guide your plant choices.
You'll want to start with plant basics, including their hardiness zone, light needs, and specifics like height, bloom duration, and ability to spread. Once you know which plants suit your location, you can select those that fit your preferences and style. Hanging baskets can be particularly beautiful on porches, as can thick borders of green foliage like Hosta. Sunrooms may benefit from an eye-catching focal point, like a vibrant floral tree planted near a window.
Whichever plants you choose, don't overlook their maintenance needs, ensuring you have the time and desire to keep up with them.
Hardscape Features
Hardscape features, which enhance curb appeal and landscape design, are the final touches. These include outdoor lighting, seating, or other furnishings like fountains or sculptures.
A paved walkway with pathway lighting can guide guests to and from your porch. Water features can also be welcomed additions near screened-in sunrooms or porches, creating a relaxing ambiance. Some individuals may put a stone fire pit a short distance from their sunroom, further blurring the line between outdoor and indoor living spaces.
Because hardscape features tend to have a certain style, think Victorian-style fountains or rustic natural stone slabs, it's important to consider your home's current look. Ultimately, you want landscaping that complements your house and appears cohesive.
Add Value, Livability, and Beauty to Your Home
Investing in enhancing your home's curb appeal through landscaping offers a beautiful view—whether from outside in your yard or enjoying nature from the comfort of your porch or sunroom.
