Curb Appeal: The Best of the Southwest

"Our property used to be a pecan orchard. There is still a big tree in our front yard that offers a lot of shade — important in Texas!" say homeowners Patrick and Angela Gaither. The standout eyebrow arch over the door was inspired by a historic house nearby. "It makes ours look old-fashioned, even though it isn’t." The striped awnings have retro candy shop vibes.

Fort Worth, Texas, is in the migration path for many butterflies, so Angela chose lots of pollinator-friendly plants. Black diamond crepe myrtle has classic crepe paper–like blooms and unique dark purple-black leaves. Sombrero rosada coneflower can grow up to 2 feet tall and is a favorite stop for visiting butterflies.

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Built in: 2009

Size: 2,600 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Chamomile and (door) Bold Brick, Sherwin-Williams

"We love living in a small house," say homeowners John and Talley Scott. "We downsized and realized that we don’t miss the extra space — or the extra work." When they bought the house in 2012, it had red brick and iron columns; a coat of white paint totally transformed it. Talley designed the front door, and the couple had a local cabinetmaker build it. "We’re known as 'the pink door house' in the neighborhood."

"We brought the boxwood, peonies and roses from our old house — they were too pretty to leave," say John and Talley. The soil on their new property had a lot of clay in it, so Talley, a master gardener, added field dirt and compost. Now, the plants are thriving. Dusty Miller, a pale-color perennial, brings variety to the greenery in the garden beds. Dianthus in the flower bed on the right grow easily from seed and thrive in many climates.

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Built in: 1940

Size: 1,400 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Simply White and (door) Wheatberry, Benjamin Moore

"We’re history and architecture buffs, so we kept as many of the 1930s details as we could, like the stained-glass window next to the door," say homeowners Jose Lucas and Brittany Goode. The previous owners added the copper awning, which also adds a traditional feel. Over time, it has developed a rich patina. The door looks original, but it came from a local salvage store. "We had to sand and repaint it; we chose this shade of green because it complements the bricks," they say. About those charming mismatched bricks: the couple's real estate agent told them the bricks had originally been discarded because of scorch marks. "They’re actually very valuable — we get letters from people wanting to buy them."

Foxtail fern (in the planters) isn’t really a fern at all — it’s an evergreen perennial in the asparagus family. Zinnias (in the flower beds) are hardy enough to survive hot, humid summers.

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Built in: 1939

Size: 1,129 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (shutters) Tricorn Black and (door) Alexandrite, Sherwin-Williams

“When we moved to this area, we didn’t want a cookie-cutter suburban house, and this home, with its interesting H-shaped layout, delivered," say homeowners Ann and John Damele. A pair of chimneys adds height to the facade and emphasizes the home’s perfect symmetry. Ann and John added a new front door, which they stained and sealed.

Fast-growing mandevilla plants fill the urns flanking the front door. The cheerful yard features orange marigolds, yellow zinnias and pink and red periwinkles.

Location: Dallas, TX

Built in: 1926

Size: 2,012 sq. ft.

Paint colors: (house) Lover's Hideaway, (brown trim) Cannon Ball and (white trim) Whitest White, Kelly-Moore