In Denver, it’s wise to wait until after Mother’s Day before doing any serious work on your home’s garden and landscaping. The last thing you want to do is tempt Mother Nature into destroying your lovely new flowers with a spring snowstorm or late freeze. Curb appeal matters, regardless of season.

Now that we are into mid May, it’s time to take a look at your property from a passerby’s point of view and identify where and how you can spruce up the curb appeal. Here are six easy tips for transforming your landscaping this spring.

Colorful Paths

For a dramatic improvement, upgrade a plain concrete walkway with a more stylish surface. One easy option is to simply stain the concrete a different color. You can find how-to videos on YouTube if DIY projects are your thing. Otherwise, expect to pay a contractor at least $2 per square foot to handle the job professionally.

Clean Edges

If the front and side edges of your property are not neatly divided from the sidewalk or driveway, installing a low barrier will create clean boundary lines. The lines don’t have to be straight, just neat. A dividing layer of mulch and low-maintenance plantings will further frame the lawn.  Be sure to use a string trimmer to keep the edges nice and pronounced.

Lush Lawn

Take a little time to get your lawn off to a healthy start in the spring and set yourself up for a lovely summer. Take time now to aerate and fertilize. You may also want to consider reducing the size of your lawn from a wall-to-wall grass carpet with more of a grass rug. Expand your patio and consider adding more hardscaping. Look to the new master-planned community Sterling Ranch in Douglas County for examples of plants and flowers (and grasses) that don’t require much water. And don’t forget to plant a tree! Trees can add significant value to your property and improve the urban canopy at the same time.

The Right Stuff

Denver has a semiarid climate, slightly alkaline soil and lies within USDA Zones 5 and 6. For best results, choose native plants that do well in these conditions. Local nurseries will be stocked with appropriate plants including perennials like lilies, poppies, and butterfly weed that have the benefit of attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. Choose plants like red valerian, which blooms from May until the first frost. The blanket flower also has an expanded bloom time and will bring color at different times to keep your place looking interesting all spring, summer and fall.

Accents Add Up

Add touches of coordinated color, such as flower pots. Container gardening may actually be easier on your back, and you won’t have to deal with weeds. You can place them around your patio’s perimeter and rearrange them when you want. Add outdoor pillows in a seating area, and a stylish umbrella for a look that says “welcome neighbor!” A fire pit is an excellent place for s’mores and conversation on any Colorado evening. And then just for fun, actually invite your neighbors over for refreshments and conversation.

A Little Lighting

Don’t forget to consider how your home looks at night. A few well-placed solar-powered light fixtures can be staked along your footpath and around the patio to add some magic to your outdoor space in the evening. Add some rope lights along your garden and plants to highlight your hard work.

A little work this spring, and a little maintenance along the way will make your exterior an inspiration for others to get outside and do some work on their places too. Good fences make good neighbors, but great landscaping makes great neighbors!

(This article was provided by Lucy Crawford of Lawn Starter, a company providing residential lawn services. Within seconds, you can book skilled landscapers who have years of experience dealing with grass, weeds, pests, flowerbeds and anything else in your yard).