planning our curb appeal

Spring has definitely sprung here and I am itching to finish my ongoing indoor projects to get outside. I already wrote about how the front yard is much easier for me to get my head around so most of my dreaming has been focused there. Today's current obsessive thoughts are aimed at the general curb appeal of our house. The front door color has to be changed first and foremost (see this post). I am 90% positive that I want to a dark blue/grayish color. Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball is a really pretty dark blue that would probably look almost black in shade. 

hague blue door via Tom Handbury Photography

My concern with the Hague Blue, while being a very true navy, might be too blue for me. Downpipe, also by Farrow & Ball, is another top contender. Its not blue but rather a gray that lends itself a little towards the blueish-greenish tone.  The below images from Hendy Curzon are super helpful as it shows how the color is transformed depending on the season. The furthest left is winter, the middle is spring and the final is summer. 

Farrow & Ball sells mini-sample pints so I think what I will do is just try these two and see what I like. I also might order the color Railings....

The other element I am really looking to add to our front stoop is some pots. Nothing two fancy just two larger scale planters either in zinc or concrete. I really like these front pots with the white bushy flower. 

via Leah Richardson

I want something sort of free form and wild. I am thinking mostly green with maybe just a hint of white or color. Lavender could be pretty...

via Pinterest

I also want to get a new door knocker as the current one says the name of the old homeowner. I would love to find something vintage and brass. There are, of course, about ten other things I would like to do to add curb appeal to our house but these things seem like a good place to start. 

08.21.2014

Bunny Williams and John Roselli's home via Mark D. Sikes

hydros

hydros app interface

One of my biggest challenges with my garden this summer has been inconsistent watering. Last night was a perfect example - I didn't check the weather and decided to water as we are in the middle of a heat spell in St.Louis as my tomatoes are looking a bit sad. And of course not an hour later it down poured! Next season I am definitely going to have to make watering on a routine basis a much bigger priority or I could get this incredible app called Hydros. This smartphone app developed by Simple Elements checks the forecast AND the moisture level in your soil before turning on your irrigation system. The way it works is that the app communicates with a sensor that is inserted into your yard and a controller at your water source. The sensor sends up to date information about the current moisture level in your soil while the app checks the weather to create a customized watering schedule for your yard. Your schedule can be further specified by inserting information about the type of soil and grass you have to tailor your watering to your particular conditions. Another cool feature is that you can use multiple sensors creating different zones of watering (i.e. a vegetable garden). The whole kit cost $230 which is a bit steep but considering Simple Elements claim you can save 25 - 60 percent of your water bill you would potentially recoup those costs pretty quickly. 

Hydros sensor

We don't have an irrigation or a garden yet big enough to warrant this purchase but I think it is so cool and would definitely invest in one in the future. 

Thanks to GARDENISTA for originally sharing this content with me.