If you’re thinking about sprucing up your yard, there’s no better time to do it than in spring. There’s a giant difference in a house without flowers and one with blooming beds and overflowing pots. You know which one you want yours to be! Adding color with blossoming shrubs, perennials, and annuals will add not only more curb appeal for passersby, but also a sense of tranquility as you go about your yardwork or view your yard through your windows or while you relax on your porch.

To get the most out of your time and money, you need to choose plants and correct placement of them to bring the most bang for your buck. Here are some tips for planting flowers in the spring that are sure to skyrocket your home’s curb appeal.

Know Your Zone

Before you start, you need to understand which plants grow best in your geographical location. A zone map can show you which plants are hardy enough to survive and thrive in your area. For example, most of Tennessee and Kentucky are in Zone 7. Most of Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama are in Zone 8. Once you know which zone you’re in, you can feel confident that you’re not shelling out your cash for flowers that are going to wilt instead of bloom.

Begin with Green

Mounds and mounds of flowers covering your entire yard may sound gorgeous, but it’s not realistic. Start with a good foundation of greenery throughout your yard. Evergreen shrubs, trees, and small bushes can give your yard dimension while also offering low-maintenance care. If you have large chunks of shady areas, plant some beautiful hostas for ground cover. A big plus about greenery is that it stays beautiful for years, so you get a good return on your investment.

Plan Your Planting

Section your yard off and decide which areas you want to plant flowers. Under windows, around trees, and beside the mailbox are all great places. After that, pick out the colors you like best. Pink and purple work well together as do orange and yellow. Don’t pigeonhole yourself too much with colors, as you can plant different hues in different sections of your yard.

Another thing to think about is the height of the plant. Start with taller growing plants next to the house or in the back of the flower bed, then a middle-sized flower, and lower-growing flowers in the front. This will maximize the visual effect of your plants and increase your curb appeal.

Related Read: Five Budget-Friendly Outdoor Décor Ideas for Spring

Keep Things Blooming ‘Til Fall

Some flowers only bloom for a couple of weeks, so you need to plant various types of flowers to have color in your yard from spring through summer into fall. This is easiest when you use a mix of perennials and annuals. Perennials are flowers that bloom every year. Annuals only bloom through one growing season. Perennials like black-eyed Susans, salvia, hollyhocks, phlox, and iris are smart choices. Add to them by planting some marigolds, zinnias, impatiens, begonias, and petunias for variety and color.

Create Attractive Trim

Use stones, bricks, wood, or small pebbles to make a border for your flower beds. Set them either in a straight line or an attractive curving pattern for extra interest. Flower-bed borders help the plants stand out the same way a frame accents a photograph. Borders also provide a distinct separation from your grass, which helps minimize the time you’ll spend weeding. Finish off the look with a layer of mulch to lock in moisture and to give your flower beds a neat, finished look.

Use Baskets and Pots

Not all the blooms need to come from the ground. Find some large pots and make some beautiful mixtures of blooms and vines. Set them on your steps or at the base of your garage. Find some outdoor baskets and add some blooming flowers to set at your home’s entryway, along the sidewalk, or to hang. These, along with what you plant in your yard, will provide powerful curb appeal for your home.

Related Read: Projects that Master Curb Appeal (That Anyone Can Do!)

Commit to Care

Get a routine of watering, weeding, pinching, pruning, and feeding your flowers to help them grow and maintain their beautiful appearance. Talk to an expert where you purchase your flowers and follow the care instructions. Try to water the potted plants every day if possible, especially in the heat of summer. In the fall, be sure to thin your perennials so they won’t get overgrown. Plus, you can plant the extras in another section of your yard for even more blooms next year.

Flowers work magic to increase any house’s appeal, and they can for yours, too. Find out which flowers grow well in your location, figure out where you want to plant them, and choose a mixture of perennials and annuals of different colors and heights so your yard will be covered in blooms all season long. Your curb appeal, and your mood, will thank you for it.