Garden trends develop when experienced gardeners add an innovative spin to established ideas, broadening their creative horizons. In 2018, vibrant hues are taking center stage.
As another trend, yards are being enhanced with stylish mason jar seed and humming bird feeders crafted out of mason jars, while young men get down and dirty by grilling and growing hops and grapes to craft beer and wine for home consumption.
1. Decorative Screens
decorative screens have become one of the hottest garden trends recently, adding both privacy and decoration. Not only can decorative screens add height and structure to a garden space, they’re also great for creating an environment that feels calming – a welcome retreat from everyday stressors.
Planters made of natural materials are also popular, particularly those featuring understated patterns. From high-end Bergs Italian terra cotta pots to the inexpensive ceramic planters available at big box stores, these pieces add an air of nature into any outdoor space.
Color has emerged as a prominent trend in gardens over the last year, as designers embrace bolder hues in order to create more interesting and distinct spaces. While neutrals had long been preferred by gardeners, more creative designers are now turning towards using vibrant hues for creating eye-catching and captivating garden spaces.
As people become more conscious of their environmental footprint, they seek ways to live more sustainably – hence xeriscaping’s increased popularity: an environmentally-friendly gardening practice which utilizes native plants in an efficient and water-saving manner.
2. Patterned Foliage
One of the newest garden trends is patterned foliage. From blotches and stripes, to spots and chevrons, plants with unique leaf patterning have become increasingly popular. While using such designs requires additional consideration than simply planting green gardens, their results can be eye-catching and beautiful.
Professional gardener Fi Boyle has noticed an upswing in demand for vibrant jewel colors in her designs, reflecting our need for vibrant designs that still reflect nature. She sees this trend as evidence that our desire for vibrant styles are changing in parallel to nature itself.
Pollinator-friendly gardens have become an increasingly popular gardening trend, helping protect bees and other pollinators while adding beauty to a garden. Some gardeners even set up beehives in order to increase pollinator populations while collecting honey themselves!
Tommaso del Buono predicts a more practical garden trend is using darker natural stones for hard landscaping and paving, according to landscape designer. These stones add texture and contrast, as well as look more natural and provide contrast within a garden space. He further predicts looser garden paths less structured.
3. Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas have become one of the hottest garden trends at present. Their beautiful flowers make a striking focal point in any planting scheme and can even be dried for floral arrangements – particularly popular varieties are Iceball (lemon yellow and white) and Lavender Swirl varieties.
Hydrangeas’ widespread popularity stems from their ability to thrive in British climates. A hardy shrub, they can be grown anywhere between Zones 3-7 in any soil condition imaginable and make an easy addition to any garden – simply trim after flowering to keep their look fresh while cutting back any foliage in winter to maintain them.
Another growing trend is gardening with pollinators in mind. Doing this shows your support for wildlife while helping them survive an increasingly uncertain world. With new hybrid varieties that produce extra-large blooms to draw bees and butterflies into gardens, or add pollinator friendly hedges. Growing vegetables in containers has become especially popular among millennials seeking their own produce.
4. Container Planting
One of the hottest garden trends right now is container planting, which can take many forms from terra-cotta pots to repurposed wagons. Not only can this trend add flair and visual interest but its practical benefits also extend well beyond mere aesthetics; larger containers provide greater watering control that keeps gardens healthy and vibrant.
Homesteading and gardening trends go hand-in-hand, so this trend goes hand-in-hand as well. “People are looking to produce more of their own food, which has led them to redesign their gardens accordingly,” Will says. This includes growing veggies and herbs on arched trellis structures or creating kitchen gardens featuring raised beds fitted with cooking surfaces.
This year’s trend of xeriscaping continues, as homeowners attempt to reduce water usage through native and drought-tolerant plants. “People are becoming more conscious of their impact on the environment when it comes to gardening,” Micetich notes, especially with pollinators plants. Ensure you plant flowers that attract these essential little creatures!
5. Naturalistic Planting
After months of drought, water conservation is of increasing concern to gardeners. With this in mind, xeriscaping could make a major comeback this year as garden designers look towards hardy plants that thrive in dry conditions such as Jean Genie Colorado Blue Spruce, Blackhawks Big Bluestem and Seaside Serenade Glacier Bay which all thrive under these conditions.
Naturalistic planting involves choosing plants that thrive in your particular site and then repeating them throughout your landscape to form an attractive design. This technique uses evergreen shrubs, perennials and self-seeding annuals for added colour and interest – with minimal upkeep requirements needed!
This look extends into winter as well, with an “low maintenance” maintenance regime allowing some grass fronds and seed heads to remain for texture and added interest. This style of gardening also offers an ideal way to create a green oasis in an urban environment.
6. Natural Swimming Ponds
Natural swimming pools have been growing increasingly popular as gardeners seek to connect back with nature in 2012. Tucked into lush gardens, these natural swimming pools create an idyllic space for family fun, al fresco dining, relaxation and reconnecting with nature. Plus, its chemical free water can even promote health and wellness! If mosquitoes are an issue for you don’t worry – natural ecosystems near ponds will attract predators that feed off them like dragonflies which in turn attract predators of stinging insect larvae such as dragonflies which feed off mosquito larvae!
Container gardening will remain popular, yet two distinct styles will become increasingly prevalent: colorful pots filled with nonstop flowering annuals and large containers used for cultivating herbs and vegetables will flourish this season. Be on the lookout for heirloom tomatoes and berry-bearing bushes mixed into perennial beds as well as basil, sage, or rosemary in your landscape design to complete this trend!
More and more homeowners are turning their front yards into mini-farms, featuring arched trellises for beans and peas in place of traditional wooden raised beds, eye-catching corrugated steel or concrete gardens, green roof gardens and vertical gardening (where plants grow upward on trellises or walls instead of outward) among other elements.
7. Vertical Gardens
Vertical planting has quickly become one of the hottest garden trends today. Vertical planting brings life and greenery into any environment in an eye-catching and unique manner, from covering plain exterior walls, decorating balconies or creating an urban garden space. Each selection is tailored specifically for that environment’s climate and sun exposure; making for truly special pieces of garden art that stand the test of time.
Garden trends like vertical gardening can range from the simple to the complex, depending on your goals. A vertical garden could consist of hanging pots from a wall, or using an old drainpipe divided into sections as mobile vertical gardens that can be relocated as necessary.
More intricate designs may incorporate plants like clematis, roses and jasmine into stunning floral walls for stunning visual impact. You could also try growing fruit trees at home to cultivate your own produce as part of a greater desire to be self-reliant and spend more time outdoors. This trend goes hand in hand with other sustainable initiatives like water butts, rainwater collection and gravel gardens which require minimal upkeep yet are resistant to drought conditions.
8. Water Features
Water features such as fountains or ponds can create an attractive focal point in any garden, as well as attract wildlife and help your plants thrive. Installing a waterfall also adds another relaxing element to your backyard space.
Garden owners who seek natural barriers to noise and pollution, climate change, and changeover often employ indigenous plantings suitable for the growing conditions in their region – using hurricane-resistant species and those that thrive under drought or extreme cold. You may even discover native varieties which thrive under shade or partial light.
Fi describes natural swimming ponds as another trend, noting their popularity with families as fun activities for all and an ideal watery habitat for wildlife. Building such a pond without chemicals is simple with rocks, pebbles and gravel as base material; alternatively you could create a flowing stream surrounded by lush vegetation for added visual interest or opt for more formal stone fountains with statues for even greater effect.
Comments