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8 Ideas to Give Your Yard a Boost for Fall

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As fall settles in, our homes and gardens take on a new character — inviting us to enjoy them in fresh ways. A vibrant pot of chrysanthemums can brighten an overlooked part of your porch, while outdoor lighting or a patio heater can make it feel cozy to linger outside on fall evenings. With just a few thoughtful updates, you can extend the beauty and comfort of your outdoor spaces for the season. Read on for simple, high-impact ideas to make the most of your yard.

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1. Refresh Container Gardens

Container gardens are an easy way to bring color and seasonal interest to your outdoor spaces. Rework summer containers with fall perennials that are just coming into their own, such as chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum spp.,USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone) coneflowers (Echinacea spp., zones 3 to 9), ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, zones 3 to 8) and ornamental grasses. These hardy selections add color and texture, ensuring containers remain vibrant well into fall.

9 Ways to Refresh Your Summer Container Gardens for Fall

2. Plant a Fruit Tree

For a fall harvest you’ll enjoy for years to come, consider planting an apple, pear, pomegrante or persimmon tree. September and October are the best months to plant fruit trees in mild climates. (Cold-winter climates should wait until late winter or spring.) Soils are still warm, rain is more frequent and trees can settle in over the winter, establishing strong root systems that will fuel growth next spring.

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3. Update Entry Lighting

As the days grow shorter, exterior lighting can transform your home’s entry from dark and shadowy to warm and welcoming. Focus on your front entrance, where the impact is greatest. Lighting options include wall-mounted sconces, pendant lights, recessed fixtures, pathway lighting or a layered combination of several sources. If your current lighting setup is effective, fall is a good time to replace bulbs, clean fixtures and ensure everything shines its brightest.

What to Know About Adding Outdoor Lighting

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4. Rethink Outdoor Dining

With a few additions for comfort, your patio or deck can be a welcoming spot for meals and fall gatherings. Layer warm textiles to make seating cozy and inviting, and add soft lighting with string lights or lanterns to create ambiance as dusk falls. Bring in seasonal table settings with gourds, branches and fall colors. If your outdoor table is on an exposed deck or patio, you may want to consider moving it under the covering of a porch or solid-roof shade structure to provide more shelter.

10 Ideas for Styling Your Patio for Outdoor Dining This Fall

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5. Heat Your Deck or Patio

The addition of outdoor heaters can help extend your enjoyment of outdoor spaces as temperatures dip. Freestanding propane-fueled outdoor heaters (as pictured here) can provide an area of warmth 10 to 12 feet in diameter. You’ll need one heater for a small table or seating area and two to cover an eight-person table.

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6. Layer Cozy Throws and Textiles

If you’re not investing in outdoor heaters this season, bring out blankets and quilts for warmth. Tuck them into a basket near the door or drape them over chairs for family members and guests to enjoy. To further increase coziness in your outdoor seating area, consider adding a textured outdoor rug to define the space and create warmth underfoot.

New to home remodeling? Learn the basics

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7. Keep the Fun Going Outdoors

The end of summer doesn’t mean outdoor fun has to come to a halt. Even as temperatures cool, kids of all ages need space to stay active, explore and burn off energy. Encourage them to get outside by including play and sports equipment in the backyard. Install a swing set, rig up a badminton net or soccer goal and establish a new routine for after school.

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8. Fill Bare Spots in Garden Beds

Adding a few fall-blooming flowers, ornamental grasses or shrubs with colorful foliage or berries can help add interest for the season. Nurseries should be well stocked this time of year with plenty of seasonal options to choose from.

Don’t have the time for planting? A top dressing of fresh mulch can make garden beds look tidy and insulate bulbs and shallow roots over the winter. Choose a quality bark mulch (avoiding ones with dyes) and spread on garden beds about 2 to 3 inches thick, keeping mulch away from the trunks of trees and large shrubs.

20 Favorite Flowers for the Fall Landscape

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9 Trends From the Maison & Objet Fall 2025 Show

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Pixa chair by Hugo Charlet

3. Uncurved Seating

Although chairs have been adopting comforting, wraparound shapes with domed curves for a few years, this fair saw the return of sharp, straight lines. That’s one of the things we noticed in creations by young designers, including Hugo Charlet, the young graduate selected by Paris Design Week Factory to showcase his designs for the first time.

The initiative chose to put the spotlight on his Pixa collection, a line of robust, rustic furniture designed for outdoor spaces. Their thick legs and oversized proportions are intriguing, but the manufacturing method also deserves attention. The collection is designed using a unique type of board made from pressure-treated pine for optimal resistance, making manufacturing as straightforward as possible while minimizing off-cuts and waste.



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In Research & Trends

Permits Fall in May 2025

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Housing permits continued a downhill trend for the fifth month in a row, pointing to a broader residential construction slowdown for 2025. This slowdown is attributed to factors like higher mortgage rates, tariff concerns, and challenges about future housing demand due to economic uncertainty.

Over the first five months of 2025, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 404,977. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is a decline of 6.1% over the May 2024 level of 431,196. For multifamily, the total number of permits issued nationwide reached 195,561. This is essentially unchanged from the May 2024 level of 195,932.

Year-to-date ending in May, single-family permits were up in two out of the four regions. The Midwest and the Northeast posted small increases of 0.9% and 0.7% respectively. The South was down by 7.6% and the West was down by 7.4% in single-family permits during this time. For multifamily permits, three out of the four regions posted increases. The Midwest was up by 20.0%, the West was up by 5.2%, and the South was up by 3.5%, Meanwhile, the Northeast declined steeply by 31.2%, driven by the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ MSA which declined by 42.0%.

Between May 2025 YTD and May 2024 YTD, 16 states posted an increase in single-family permits. The range of increases spanned 26.2% in Hawaii to 0.4% in Pennsylvania. The remaining 34 states and the District of Columbia reported declines in single-family permits with New Mexico reporting the steepest decline of 24.5%.

The ten states issuing the highest number of single-family permits combined accounted for 63.2% of the total single-family permits issued. Texas, the state with the highest number of single-family permits, issued 66,055 permits over the first five months of 2025; This is a decline of 8.7% compared to the same period last year. The second highest state, Florida, decreased by 12.2%, while the third highest, North Carolina, posted a decline of 3.9%.

Between May 2025 YTD and May 2024 YTD, 27 states recorded growth in multifamily permits, while 23 states and the District of Columbia recorded a decline. Iowa (+168.0%) led the way with a sharp rise in multifamily permits from 781 to 2,093, while Alabama had the biggest decline of 54.7% from 1,676 to 760.

The ten states issuing the highest number of multifamily permits combined accounted for 61.1% of the multifamily permits issued. Over the first five months of 2025, Florida, the state with the highest number of multifamily permits issued, experienced an increase of 14.5%. Texas, the second-highest state in multifamily permits, saw an increase of 12.7%. California, the third largest multifamily issuing state, increased by 1.1%.

At the local level, below are the top ten metro areas that issued the highest number of single-family permits.

For multifamily permits, below are the top ten local areas that issued the highest number of permits.

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Existing Home Sales Fall in April

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Despite the brief retreat in mortgage rates and increased supply, existing home sales dropped to 7-month low in April, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This unexpected decline suggests buyers’ activity continues to be constrained by economic uncertainty and ongoing affordability challenges even with improved market conditions.

While existing home inventory improved , the market faces headwinds as mortgage rates are expected to stay above 6% for longer due to an anticipated slower easing pace in 2025. These prolonged higher rates may continue to discourage homeowners from trading existing mortgages for new ones with higher rates, keeping supply tight and prices elevated. As such, sales are likely to remain limited in the coming months due to elevated mortgage rates and home prices.

Total existing home sales, including single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, fell 0.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.00 million in April. On a year-over-year basis, sales were 2.0% lower than a year ago.

The first-time buyer share was 34% in April, up from 32% in March and 33% from a year ago.

The existing home inventory level was 1.45 million units in April, up 9.0% from March, and up 20.8% from a year ago. At the current sales rate, April unsold inventory sits at a 4.4-months’ supply, up from 4.0-months in March and 3.5-months in April 2024. This inventory level remains low compared to balanced market conditions (4.5 to 6 months’ supply), but it increases growing competition for home builders.

Homes stayed on the market for an average of 29 days in April, down from 36 days in March but up from 26 days in April 2024.

The April all-cash sales share was 25% of transactions, down from 26% in March and 28% a year ago. All-cash buyers are less affected by changes in interest rates.

The April median sales price of all existing homes was $414,000, up 1.8% from last year. This marked an all-time high for the month and the 22nd consecutive month of year-over-year increases. The median condominium/co-op price in April was up 1.4% from a year ago at $370,100. This rate of price growth will slow as inventory increases. Existing home sales in April were mixed across the four major regions. Sales fell in the West (-3.9%) and Northeast (-2.0%), rose in the Midwest (2.1%), and remained unchanged in the South. On a year-over-year basis, sales were down in the Midwest (-1.0%), South (-3.2%) and West (-1.3%), while remaining flat in the Northeast.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) is a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts. The PHSI jumped from 72.1 to 76.5 in March, the largest monthly increase since December 2023. This increase suggests homebuyers are highly sensitive to even small changes in mortgage rates. On a year-over-year basis, pending sales were 0.6% lower than a year ago, per National Association of Realtors data.

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Jobs Openings Fall as Economy Slows

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Consistent with soft sentiment data, the count of job openings for the overall economy and construction fell in March as employers slowed hiring plans amid a broader economic slowdown, per the March Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).

The number of open jobs for the overall economy declined from 7.48 million in February to 7.19 million in March. This is notably smaller than the 8.09 million estimate reported a year ago and reflects a softened aggregate labor market. Previous NAHB analysis indicated that this number had to fall below 8 million on a sustained basis for the Federal Reserve move on interest rate reductions. With estimates remaining below 8 million for national job openings, the Fed, in theory, should be able to cut further despite a recent pause. However, tariff proposals may keep the Fed on pause in the coming quarters.

The number of open construction sector jobs fell from a revised 286,000 in February to 248,000 in March. This nonetheless marks a significant reduction of open, unfilled construction jobs than that registered a year ago (338,000) due to a slowing of construction activity. The chart below notes the recent decline for the construction job openings rate, which is now back to 2019 levels.

The construction job openings rate moved lower to 2.9% in March, significantly down year-over-year from 4%.

The layoff rate in construction stayed low (1.7%) in March. The quits rate declined to 1.8% in March.

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Consumer Expectations Fall Again

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Consumer confidence fell for the fourth straight month amid growing concerns about the economic outlook and policy uncertainties, especially potential tariffs. Uncertainties continue to weigh on consumer sentiment as consumer confidence dropped to a 4-year low and expectations for the future economy fell to a 12-year low. The persistent decline in sentiment has raised recession concerns as consumers have grown pessimistic about economic conditions.

The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, is a survey measuring how optimistic or pessimistic consumers feel about their financial situation. This index fell from 100 to 92.9 in March, the largest monthly decline since August 2021 and the lowest level since February 2021. The Consumer Confidence Index consists of two components: how consumers feel about their present situation and about their expected situation. The Present Situation Index decreased 3.6 points from 138.1 to 134.5, and the Expectation Situation Index dropped 9.6 points from 74.8 to 65.2, the lowest level since February 2013. This is the second consecutive month that the Expectation Index has been below 80, a threshold that often signals a recession within a year.

Consumers’ assessment of current business conditions turned negative in March. The share of respondents rating business conditions “good” decreased by 1.4 percentage points to 17.7%, while those claiming business conditions as “bad” rose by 1.8 percentage points to 16.7%. However, consumers’ assessments of the labor market improved slightly. The share of respondents reporting that jobs were “plentiful” remained unchanged at 33.6%, and those who saw jobs as “hard to get” decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 15.7%.

Consumers were pessimistic about the short-term outlook. The share of respondents expecting business conditions to improve fell from 20.8% to 17.1%, while those expecting business conditions to deteriorate rose from 25.5% to 27.3%. Similarly, expectations of employment over the next six months were less positive. The share of respondents expecting “more jobs” decreased by 2.1 percentage points to 16.7%, and those anticipating “fewer jobs” climbed by 1.9 percentage points to 28.5%.

The Conference Board also reported the share of respondents planning to buy a home within six months. The share of respondents planning to buy a home rose slightly to 5.4% in March. Of those, respondents planning to buy a newly constructed home increased to 0.5%, and those planning to buy an existing home dropped to 2.3%. The remaining 2.6% were planning to buy a home but undecided between new or existing homes.

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Building Material Prices Increase While Other Input Prices Fall

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Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—decreased 0.2% in October according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compared to a year ago, this index is up 0.3% in October after a decline of 0.1% in September.

The inputs to the new residential construction price index can be broken into two components­—one for goods and another for services. The goods component increased 0.7% over the year, while services decreased 0.4%. For comparison, the total final demand index increased 2.4% over the year for October, with final demand with respect to goods up 0.2% and final demand for services up 3.5% over the year.

Input Goods

The goods component has a larger importance to the total residential construction inputs price index, representing around 60%. The price of input goods to new residential construction was up 0.3% in October from September. The input goods to residential construction index can be further broken down into two separate components, one measuring energy inputs with the other measuring goods less energy inputs. The latter of these two components simply represents building materials used in residential construction, which makes up around 93% of the goods index.

Prices for inputs to residential construction, goods less energy, were up 2.0% in October compared to a year ago. This year-over-year increase was larger than in September (1.4%) and was the first percentage point increase in the year-over-year rate since April. The growth rate in October 2023 was 0.8%. The index for inputs to residential construction for energy fell 13.1% year-over-year in October, the third straight yearly decline in input energy prices.

The graph below focuses on the data since the start of 2023 for residential goods inputs. Energy prices have continued to fall over the past year, with only two periods of growth in 2024.

At the individual commodity level, excluding energy, the five commodities with the highest importance for building materials to the new residential construction index were as follows: ready-mix concrete, general millwork, paving mixtures/ blocks, sheet metal products, and wood office furniture/store fixtures. Across these commodities, there was price growth across the board compared to last year. Ready-mix concrete was up 3.7%, wood office furniture/store fixtures up 3.6%, general millwork up 2.8%, paving mixtures/blocks up 2.4% and sheet metal products up 0.6%.

Input Services

Prices of inputs to residential construction for services fell 1.0% in October from September. The price index for service inputs to residential construction can be broken out into three separate components: a trade services component, a transportation and warehousing services component, and a services excluding trade, transportation and warehousing component. The most significant component is trade services (around 60%), followed by services less trade, transportation and warehousing (around 29%), and finally transportation and warehousing services (around 11%). The largest component, trade services, compared to last year was down 1.5% in October after increasing 0.6% in September. The decline in October was the first decline since August 2023, when the trade services index was down 1.2%.

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Construction Job Openings Fall in September

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After a period of slowing associated with declines for some elements of residential construction, the count of open construction sector jobs trended lower in the September data, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The data indicates the demand for construction labor market remains weaker than a year ago.

In September, after revisions, the number of open jobs for the overall economy declined from 7.86 million to 7.44 million. This is notably smaller than the 9.31 million estimate reported a year ago and a clear sign of a softening aggregate labor market. Previous NAHB analysis indicated that this number had to fall below 8 million on a sustained basis for the Federal Reserve to feel more comfortable about labor market conditions and their potential impacts on inflation. With estimates now remaining near 8 million for national job openings, the Fed has begun a credit easing cycle should continue lowering rates.

The number of open construction sector jobs fell from a revised 328,000 in August to a softer 288,000 in September. Elements of the construction sector slowed in prior months as tight Fed policy persisted. The September reading of opening, unfilled construction jobs is lower than that registered a year ago: 422,000.

The construction job openings rate fell back to 3.4% in September and continues to trend lower.

The layoff rate in construction edged higher to 2.1% in September after a 2% rate in August. The quits rate in construction decreased to just 1.4% in September as job churn slowed.

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Existing Home Sales Fall to 14-Year Low in September

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Despite recent easing mortgage rates and improved inventory, existing home sales fell to a 14-year low in September as elevated home prices are causing potential buyers to hold out for lower rates, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Sales remained sluggish as the lock-in effect kept home prices elevated. However, we expect increased activity in the coming months as mortgage rates moderate with additional Fed easing. Improving inventory should help slow home price growth and enhance affordability.

Homeowners with lower mortgage rates have opted to stay put, avoiding trading existing mortgages for new ones with higher rates. This trend is driving home prices higher and holding back inventory. With the Federal Reserve beginning its easing cycle at the September meeting, mortgage rates are expected to gradually decrease, leading to increased demand and unlocking lock-in inventory in the coming quarters.

Total existing home sales, including single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, fell 1.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.84 million in September, the lowest level since October 2010. On a year-over-year basis, sales were 3.5% lower than a year ago.

The first-time buyer share remained at 26% in September, matching the lowest level since November 2021 and August 2024, but down from 27% in September 2023.

The existing home inventory level rose from 1.37 million in August to 1.39 million units in September and is up 23.0% from a year ago. At the current sales rate, September unsold inventory sits at a 4.3-months supply, up from 4.2-months last month and 3.4-months a year ago. This inventory level remains low compared to balanced market conditions (4.5 to 6 months’ supply) and illustrates the long-run need for more home construction. However, the count of single-family resale homes available for sale is up almost 22.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Homes stayed on the market for an average of 28 days in September, up from 26 days in August and 21 days in September 2023.

The September all-cash sales share was 30% of transactions, up from 26% in August and 29% a year ago. All-cash buyers are less affected by changes in interest rates.

The September median sales price of all existing homes was $404,500, up 3.0% from last year. This marked the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year increases and the highest level for the month of September. The median condominium/co-op price in September was up 2.2% from a year ago at $361,600. This rate of price growth will slow as inventory increases.

Existing home sales in September were mixed across the four major regions. In the Northeast, Midwest, and South, sales fell by 4.2%, 2.2%, and 1.7%, respectively, while sales in the Midwest rose by 4.1%. On a year-over-year basis, sales decreased in the Northeast (-6.1%), Midwest (-5.3%) and South (-5.5%). Sales in the West increased 5.6% from a year ago.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) is a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts. The PHSI rose from 70.2 to 70.6 in August due to lower mortgage rates. On a year-over-year basis, pending sales were 3.0% lower than a year ago per National Association of Realtors data.

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11 Easy-Care All-Foliage Container Gardens for Fall

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4. Butterscotch Beauty

Purple ‘Midnight Fire’ ornamental peppers and cool blue-purple ‘Peacock Red’ kale help set off the butterscotch-colored foliage of a ruffled coral bells (Heuchera sp.) in this fall container design by Stephanie Town of Garden Stories. For more textural interest, the designer added dried dogwood stems, clips of bittersweet berries and wispy Red Rooster sedge (Carex buchananii ‘Red Rooster’).

To transition the container from fall to winter, Town says: “I would transplant the Coral Bells and kale into the bed somewhere. This particular client loves red and a bit of ‘bling,’ so I’ll add spruce tips, red glitter lotus pods and bright red ‘Cardinal’ dogwood, with a skirting of white pine and pepperberry.”

Water requirement: Moderate (watered by hand two to three times a week)
Light requirement: Full sun

Note: Oriental bittersweet can be invasive; American bittersweet is a good substitute. Both species are toxic.



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