Lockdown challenged our outdoor spaces. Around the world, gardens that had previously been just fit for purpose were found lacking. Many people’s gardens will emerge from the pandemic transformed. Outdoor kitchens and pavilion entertaining. Fire pits. Integrated seating. We look at the most popular landscaping trends for the year ahead. Read more, ‘Key Outdoor Trends To Make The Most of Your Garden All Year.’
Less lawn, more garden. Smaller pools. More useable gardens.
Less lawn, more garden
Homeowners want gardens with less maintenance. The aim is to embrace plants within the landscape, not just use them as borders along the fence line or around the lawn.People actually want that now and see the value in it whereas 10 years ago people would ask for minimal plants and a really large lawn. Read more, ‘Want A Gorgeous Garden Fast? Here’s What To Plant.’
Outdoor kitchens and pavilion entertaining
We’re now seeing the demand for fully-fledged outdoor kitchens that open fully to the outdoors, that encourage dinners to spill onto the terrace in good weather. Favoured outdoor spaces have décor and lighting that wouldn’t be out of place indoors. It’s about covered cooking areas with built-in grills, rangehoods, sinks, and fire pits with comfortable seating and dining areas to make it easier to relax or to work outside. Read more, ‘How To Improve Your Outdoor Space.’
The patio and the deck are really just another room in the house.
Many homeowners are asking for easy-to-open walls that can create indoor-outdoor spaces to bring in fresh air and make it easier to entertain during a pandemic.
The size of pools will shrink as we increasingly put in smaller pools and entertaining pavilions to make gardens more useable and social. A Mexican vista via @cremedenuage.
More Natives and Plant Biodiversity
While gardens worldwide have always been influenced by English or European styles, outdoor spaces are moving away from this and more of us are embracing the plants that are suited to our specific climate. There’s a much greater focus these days on people getting more interested and sensible about using local plantlife and seeing how that can work for them. Read more, ‘Making A Modern Garden.’
We will see more native gardens, but they will become more biodiverse as we use natives mixed with European, South African and South American plants such as succulents and cacti. The idea is to combine them with other plants that are relatively low maintenance and don’t require a lot of water which is a lot easier on the environment and a lot easier to look after.
There’s often a misconception when it comes to using natives – that they may not look as appealing, inviting or lush – but they work well when teamed with exotic plants.
A Portofino vista via @cremedenuage
The Meadow Garden
A meadow-style garden is a layering of shrubs, grasses, perennials and trees and is a great way to bring biodiversity to your yard.
The smaller your garden, the more a little meadow makes sense.
And in a small space, you can create a lot of interest in a meadow. In a small garden, keep the design simple. Choose a grass or grasses based on how you want to use a space: Do you want to walk across the meadow every now and again, or do you want to use it as a lawn, or mow a path through it? Read more, ‘How To Improve Your Outdoor Space.’
Actor Patrick Dempsey’s outdoor garden by Scott Shrader, who says, “”When devising a backyard kitchen for actor Patrick Dempsey and his family, the challenge was that the space was some distance from the actual residence. So we put in a lot of storage for everything they might need to cook and serve a meal.” Photo: Roger Davies.
Crazy Paving is Making a Comeback
Also known as random stone paving, this design feature is making a comeback in a big way, but probably not as we remember it. There’s new exciting materials with grey, almost granite-looking random stone, and those grey colours work really well with concrete and timber. Random paving in natural stone makes a strong visual impact when paired with natural timbers and a smooth-finished concrete, creating a textured, clean and contemporary look. Read more, ‘Your First Garden: How To Start A Garden For Practically Nothing.’
Useable Gardens: Outdoors as an extension of the indoors
Everything in the outdoors is driven by what’s happening inside the house. Because of lockdown, people are starting to look at their outdoor areas a lot more instinctively and will say ‘how can we make it more practical and more useable – we are valuing every centimetre of our outdoor area. Read more, ‘Designing A Garden? You’ll Need a Plan.’
The Size of our Pools will Shrink
We are increasingly putting in smaller pools but making them more useable and more social. The key is to make sure they’re properly designed for the available space and that they’re practical and functional.
It’s about making people want to use it, and use it for longer.
A Corsica vista via @cremedenuage
