Every day it catches your eye — that brilliant green yard in front of your neighbor’s home.

Beautiful lawns benefit the environment, increase curb appeal, and even have been shown to improve wellness and reduce stress.

So get busy and use these six tips to create your own luscious lawn.


Tip No. 1: Plant the Right Grass for Your Region 
North Carolina consists of three regions: Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain. Where you live is a significant factor in deciding what type of grass to plant.

The Mountain region, which encompasses the city of Asheville, is on the westernmost part of the state. Here, grasses suited for cool seasons fare the best. These grasses grow rapidly in the spring and fall and less actively in the summer. Tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass are cool-season grasses that flourish in cooler climates and stay fairly green during the fall.

The Piedmont region, which includes Charlotte and Raleigh (though Ral ...

Practical front yard appeal
It’s never a good idea for a realtor to put your “For Sale” sign in a messy flower bed, un-edged lawn, and overgrown lawn.

If you are selling your home, your goal is to present an attractive, well-maintained landscape. Your lawn shouldn't look like it will take too much work, which might intimidate buyers. It also shouldn't look like it will be too expensive to care for.


Stage your landscape
In much the same way that you stage the interior of your home for sale, you should "stage" your landscape. Clean, refresh, and declutter. Then declutter some more.

Here are landscape staging tips to help sell your home, starting with the outside.



Remove debris, fallen branches, leaves. Pull weeds from both your lawn and your landscape beds. Deadhead your flower garden. Remove plants that look like they are struggling. 




Trim hedges and shrubs, especially those that are up against your home. Make sure that bushes ...

Welcome to our edge of North Carolina 
We have hot humid summers and daily rain storms that will make you dream about lush tropical plants: orchids and palms. The sandy soil is daunting, but the mild winters inviting. Magnolia trees and giant ferns year round? Salty air. Driving winds and summer storms. 

It’s all so confusing, especially for the transplanted gardener. If you moved to the Cape Fear area from inland or up north, tackling landscape tasks along the coast can be confusing.

The trick to successful landscaping in any region is matching plants with both your property and the plant hardiness zone. It’s ...