A Welcoming Entry

Entryways at your commercial property or residential home serve an important purpose in the landscape. Ideally, they invite visitors in, but they also add value to your property. If your entryway is less than welcoming, follow a few of these ideas to spruce up the welcome appeal.

RESIDENTIAL HOMES:

• Repaint or refinish the front door, and consider adding a new knocker, doorknob, lock, hinges and/or doorbell
• Make sure your front porch is free of clutter such as excessive flowerpots, shoes, decorations, etc.
• Decorate your porch with container or hanging plants. Don’t overdo it! Two, nicely planted, large flowerpots are better than many small pots.
• Include planting beds on either side of your front entryway to draw visitors in and improve the view from the street. This (easy to do on a Saturday) area should have some color from annual and perennials. There is a wide variety of plant material in all different shapes and colors.
• Finally, make sure your entryway is well-lit at night. Nothing turns visitors away faster than a dark home!

COMMERCIAL SITES:

• Make sure entry gates are fresh with paint and in good working order. Don’t turn away guests with improper gate openings or rusty gate finishes.
• Pressure wash entry signs, curbs, columns, etc. to remove algae or mildew. This will help add a clean, fresh appearance to your property.
• Keep the entry plantings pruned with a neat, well-kept appearance. Skirt trees up to open the views and prune plants so they do not cover the entrance signs.
• Include color in the landscape. Have a nice green pallet of plant material in the backdrop of your plant bed or container that sets off the color display of annuals or perennials in the front. The color displays should attract the eye and invite people in. Seasons and/or temperatures usually dictate the choice of plant material so don’t forget to change out annuals when needed.
• Like the residential home, no commercial site should be without a well-lit entrance at night. Light up the gates, columns and the landscape. Allow your property to be the best in your area!