Ah, autumn. Cozy sweaters, colorful foliage, and pumpkins galore. But despite the charms of the season, many homes aren’t exactly showing at their best during fall. Summer flowers have faded, and the trees are quickly losing their leaves. Luckily, you can add instant autumn curb appeal with these simple, budget-conscious projects!
Pumpkin Planters
A quick and simple project—that’s also fun for kids—is to create pumpkin planters. These planters look fantastic on porches or front steps, or clustered around the mailbox. Purchase a few potted mums or other fall flowers and then look for pumpkins big enough to accommodate the pots.
Hollow out your pumpkins, then just place the potted plants inside. If the weather is cool, your pumpkin planters will last several weeks. They’d be fantastic décor for an open house!
Ornamental Kale Centerpiece
Ornamental kale is a fascinating plant. They thrive in autumn and even mild winters, adding incredible color. They start out green but eventually reveal teal, purple, or even hot pink leaves that resemble giant flowers.
A lovely way to add a little autumn curb appeal is to plant ornamental kale in a large basket on the front porch along with ivy and some spiky ornamental grasses.
Autumn Window Box
We love window boxes for their versatility and instant curb appeal. A combo of violas, trailing ivy, and tall, colorful snapdragons will flower through early autumn. Remember the container garden rule of thumb: thriller, filler, and spiller. Choose an eye-catching thriller to showcase, an attractive filler plant to keep the container from looking too sparse, and a vine or trailing plant to spill over the side.
Spooky Petunias and Pansies
Petunias are one of the easiest ways to add color to a property. They grow like wildfire and produce countless blooms. If you’re having a Halloween-themed open house, pick up some dark red or white petunias and pair them with deep purple and orange pansies. A few Halloween floral picks from the craft store—think sparkly ravens, witch hats, and bats—will create a quirky yet appealing bit of curb appeal.
For an extra-magical effect, add a strand of battery-operated rice lights to the arrangement. These tiny lights strung along a thin wire look like fireflies or fairies.
Coral Bells Shade Garden
If your property is heavily shaded, never fear! Coral bells (also known as heuchera) will grow in pretty much any amount of sunlight. The plants grow quickly into attractive, low-lying mounds with a stunning variety of colors. Darkest purple, shimmery silver, or acid green—coral bells offers them all. The perennial plants produce tall, spike-like stalks with tiny, delicate flowers in the spring, too.
