5 Best Trees to Add Curb Appeal to Your Home

By Pro.com

Trees add curb appeal and property value; realtors will tell you that if a buyer looks at identical houses, and one has well-planned landscaping, it will sell more quickly and at a higher price than the one without.

(Credit: Hannamariah/Shutterstock)
(Credit: Hannamariah/Shutterstock)

Before you start digging, think about what you want to accomplish with your landscaping. If you want trees that will last for years, then hardwoods are the best, but they are slow growing. If you want to establish some privacy relatively soon, then you’ll want to look at fast-growing varieties, but know that they won’t last as long as the hardwood species.

Think about scale: if you have a smaller home or yard, you’ll want trees that are of smaller size and scale; a large yard or house will dictate a larger growing tree for balance and proportion.

Make sure that the trees you pick grow well in your area. If you plant exotics, they may not thrive and down the road, they may be considered a threat to native plants and trees, and may need to be removed. So consider these best bets for trees to plant in your front yard.

1. Magnolia Trees

After the winter doldrums, most of us will welcome a pop of color. There are several varieties of magnolia trees that offer different sizes and colors of blooms.

(Credit: Ann Baldwin/Shutterstock)
(Credit: Ann Baldwin/Shutterstock)

2. Dogwood Trees

Flowers in the spring, dogwood trees have wonderful shade in the summer and wonderful color in the fall.

(Credit: rck_953/Shutterstock)
(Credit: rck_953/Shutterstock)

3. Birch Trees

The leaves on birch trees provide delightful movement in a summer breeze and have interesting markings on the bark.

(Credit: Eillen/Shutterstock)
(Credit: Eillen/Shutterstock)

4. Maple Trees

Varieties range from Japanese red maples that have distinctive leaf color to sugar maples that provide nice shade in the summer and beautiful fall leaves.

(Credit: karamysh/Shutterstock)
(Credit: karamysh/Shutterstock)

5. Evergreen Trees

Even in winter, you’ll want some color in your yard. Among the many varieties to choose from are blue spruce, dwarf pines that are sometimes planted in containers, and, if you want to use landscaping for privacy, Arborvitae trees, a member of the Cypress family, are sometimes planted as a living, green privacy wall along property lines or in place of fencing.

(Credit: rSnapshotPhotos/Shutterstock)
(Credit: rSnapshotPhotos/Shutterstock)
 
 

Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services -- especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.

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