Landscaping Ideas Trending in 2019
From designing gardens that look more like a forgotten corner of paradise to growing your own food so you can be sure your family is getting the very best, gardening in 2019 leans heavily to solutions that improve your health, relaxation, and happiness. Here are the most prominent landscaping features this season.
Asymmetrical design
Asymmetry in garden design tends to have a more natural feel and works beautifully in sites that are less structured. Apart from being less formal, asymmetry suggests that the garden is easier to maintain. What is more, by combining elements of varying weight you can create a more interesting landscape. New generations of homeowners and landscapers prefer non-traditional landscapes and like the diversity of vegetation. However, it takes a bit of know-how to make sure those asymmetrical designs and plant groupings are installed with paying attention to the specific irrigation root zone.
Staycation spots
Why splurging on vacation once a year when you can make your garden a prime vacationing area that is free all-year round? Homeowners and garden enthusiasts are finding more ways to enjoy staycation in the comfort of their own landscaping, preferring it to queuing in airports and living out of a suitcase. The first prerequisite of a backyard staycation is to be low maintenance, so you can maximise your time off. It needs comfortable outdoor furniture that doesn't just look nice but makes you never want to get up. Also, include outdoor lighting to make use of those beautiful evenings. If you love to cook, consider an outdoor kitchen with amenities like a built-in grill or pizza oven. If not, at least find a strategic place for a fire pit for the days that turn a bit chilly.
Focal backyards structures
There are structures in every garden that are simply necessary, such as sheds, walls, pool, maintenance boxes, stormwater collectors, etc. Since these are something you have to look at every day, it makes sense to make them beautiful. In other words, instead of eyesores, you need to make them the focal points. For example, you can use salvaged materials such as barn wood or wrought iron gates to create a rustic tool shed. Mask the rainwater collector array with a trellis with climbing plans, or a strip of wooden fence with mirrors on the back side, facing the house.
Low maintenance
More mess, more stress is an adage that isn’t only heard indoors. With the busy world we live in, gardeners are looking for simpler ways to maintain their landscapes. In 2019, home gardeners are more likely to hire professional landscapers to do their pruning, mulching, and planting. Mowing is still a favourite landscaping chore, and with an abundance of online-sourced parts for Briggs and Stratton mowers, even amateur gardeners can get their machines buzzing again in no time. Lawns aside, perennial plants that come back each year and can be grouped based on their watering need are becoming increasingly popular, while messy trees and shrubs that don’t provide any ecological benefits are often removed.
Growing food
Even though growing your own vegetables and herbs is by no means a new trend, it seems that more homeowners are becoming interested in the way their food is grown and where it's coming from. The best thing is that growing your own food doesn't require having acres of land. If used properly, even limited spaces can grow surprising amounts of food. For example, if you don’t think you have enough room, consider extending the edibles garden by adding a few clay pots on your front or back porch, or see what edibles can be implemented in your current planting design. Planters hung from your home’s eaves or a kitchen window can take many of your herb plants, as would vertical planters on your walls.
Giving back to nature
Today’s homeowners are becoming aware that their gardens aren’t just pretty plots of land, but potentially a way of giving back to the earth and the community. For example, you can share the surplus of your fresh produce to your local food bank or share with your neighbours. Plants like bee balm, anise and milkweed are great for attracting pollinators such as butterflies and bees, while natural arbours and tree allées with native species can provide a refuge for birds and bats in your area.
Landscaping trends that are going to mark this year primarily focus on recreating the garden space with less maintenance and resources. Increasingly environmentally-aware, the new generation of homeowner’s value having a private natural refuge and a food source and will sooner transform it into a comfy staycation and growing area than have manicured landscape for merely aesthetic purposes.
