Brilliant outdoor upgrade ideas – boost your outdoor space to increase your home’s value and charm.

Is your yard looking dull and in need of a little TLC? Well, there’s no time like the present to tackle your outdoor space. If your yard is uneven and patchy, or you lack areas that you enjoy, it can impact the whole space – and your home’s value. Breathing new life into your landscaping doesn’t have to blow your budget. There are plenty of simple, high-impact upgrades to boost your space without spending a small fortune. 

High-Impact Outdoor Upgrade Ideas

From well designed outdoor lighting to inexpensive perennial plantings, shaded patios to boulders, there are lots of simple ways to make your yard look good. All it takes is a little planning and prep and you can turn any boring lawn into a lush outdoor oasis, relaxing retreat, or stylish al fresco dining space. See what our landscape design experts recommend, to easily boost your home’s aesthetic, charm, and value. 

Outdoor Lighting Systems Illuminate Dark Spaces

We’ve all seen those cheap solar lights staked in the ground, that break easily and barely last one season. Your home deserves better than that! Permanent landscape lighting is one of the easiest upgrades you can make to add ambiance to your outdoor spaces. Shine a light on walkways and stairs for safety. Illuminate your trees, entertaining areas, and home’s best features with well placed outdoor lights. The impact is instant, and smart controls allow you to adjust timing, color themes, zones, and more. Just think how easy it’ll be to get festive for the holidays, parties, or just regular evenings at home.

Even well established landscapes can benefit from thoughtfully designed lighting. Unlike other outdoor upgrade projects, lighting can be enjoyed as soon as installation is completed. All you have to do is download your lighting app and let the custom-color changing fun begin! 

Perennial Plantings Pack a Punch

Everyone loves a colorful garden, yet most yards are lacking blooming plants that provide enough eye-candy to be interesting for more weeks out of the year. The fix is easy if you pick top performing perennials featuring vivid blooms or unique features. Popular choices are Garden or Creeping phlox for early spring color (excellent groundcover), Bee balm for almost-tropical summer blossoms, Rose verbena with long-lasting flowers, or Rattlesnake master for a truly unique garden display. Perennials are perfect for most properties because they grow back more established each year, and natives require even less maintenance, when planted properly. Perennials are an excellent choice for investment properties, Airbnb’s, or rental properties.

A perennial garden bed design requires much less upkeep and mowing expenses than traditional lawn. Overly expansive lawns are out; biodiversity is in. No need to mow the lawn every week when it’s covered with beautiful plants! Perfect for smaller, court-yard style yards common in neighborhoods like the Central West End, Shaw, Skinker/DeBaliviere, Clayton, or Lafayette Square. 

Discover even more of our favorite perennial plants & tree recommendations here.

Shaded Patio Space – Pergolas are Goals

Where do you currently hang out when you’re outside, in your yard? Do you have places to sit, relax, walk around, and play? If a space doesn’t come to mind, you’re not alone. Lots of homes lack an exterior layout that’s well suited to actually enjoy. Uneven lawns, overgrown plantings, harsh sunlight, and muddy areas are common problems that many homeowners face. That’s why a shaded patio space is one of the most requested landscape design requests we get. Everyone wants a protected place with seating that can be enjoyed year-round. Yards are usually graded to be even or tiered to install a paver patio and pergola overhead. A patio provides a sturdy, even surface that’s easy to clean and arrange furniture and seating around. Pergolas are a simple way to add dappled or full overhead shade to outdoor areas. Add a fan for hot summer nights, and lighting to keep the party going after dark. 

When you add an additional “living room” to your home, you increase home value, at a fraction of the price of an interior home remodel. 

Cool Boulders for Unique, Natural Interest

When we talk about landscaping, we aren’t just talking about living plants. We’re also talking about other materials and elements like boulders, bird baths, wildlife habitat and irrigation systems. Boulders can be a great addition to most landscapes because they provide year-round interest in outdoor spaces. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors to match any exterior design style. Boulders can be arranged and rearranged for a fresh look. They also provide visual interest and help to break up plant-heavy areas, large swaths of grass, or boring spaces around fencing. 

Boulders are especially interesting in winter, when most flowers and leaves have died back. Evergreens and boulders take the main stage when it gets cold outside in St. Louis! The above photo is a front entrance staircase surrounded by boulders and rocks that we designed for a homeowner in Clayton, MO. See more of our recent landscaping projects here. 

Other popular outdoor upgrade requests are for things like privacy plantings, brush or honeysuckle removal to create more space, or total hardscaping makeovers with beautiful pavers, like Techo-Bloc. Whatever your dream is, you can make it happen with a little planning! See what we’ve been working on lately.