CS on Curb Appeal—Island vs. Peninsula

By Lori Cartwright

*Image from Better Homes & Gardens

Hopefully you have a good start on Lawn Care and you are ready to move on to some new curb appeal projects.  A great way to add impact to your landscaping and bring buyers inside your home is to add planting beds for shrubbery and flowers.  Beds that line your house and sidewalk are an obvious choice, but what about landscaping beds known as islands and peninsulas?

According to Utah Garden Blogs, a landscaping island is a big DON’T for several reasons:

“Landscape islands are psychologically uncomfortable and often improperly scaled or illogically placed. They go against your natural instincts and often camouflage the architecture landscaping is supposed to enhance. Sometimes, in an effort to avoid hiding the house, they are pushed to the edge of the yard, leaving bits of unusable grass that nevertheless requires a lot of water and maintenance.”

Instead of an island, consider creating a landscaping peninsula.  What is the difference?  An island is surrounded by grass, whereas a peninsula may be surrounded by grass on most sides, but is anchored to something like a sidewalk or driveway, like this:

*Image from Utah Garden Blogs

Here are some more great examples from Better Homes & Gardens.

If you already have a landscape island, consider the possibility of converting it into a peninsula by anchoring the island to the nearest solid-surface you have.  This may require some grass removal and additional plantings, but the initial effort will pay off in easier maintenance and increased curb appeal..