Landscaping trends evolve from year to year. Whitehouse Landscaping spends a lot of time talking to clients about the vision they have for their yard which is why we love writing every year about the landscaping trends we see happening in our area. Homeowners continue to gravitate to the outdoors and envision using their yard differently than they had five years ago.
In addition to sharing the landscaping trends we see and observe from our clients and their requests, we will also share other ideas from the Garden Media Group who do extensive research on global consumer trends.
If you’re thinking about updating your outdoor space so your family and friends can fully enjoy the warm weather months, we hope these landscaping trends will inspire you to enhance your Collegeville, Gilbertsville or Phoenixville yard and in fact, enjoy it more throughout all the seasons.
Outdoor Spaces to Entertain and Relax Drive Many of the Landscaping Trends
Families are evaluating the whole ‘going away on vacation’ experience vs making your yard feel like you’re on vacation 12 months of the year. Enjoying a staycation in the comfort of your own backyard is mighty enticing and a lot more relaxing than planning and executing a trip with the inherent hassles of travel these days. In addition, home prices are increasing so people are staying put rather than moving which is why landscaping is one of the important upgrades that homeowners are making. If you’re thinking about a backyard update, you might want to read How to Create a Great Hardscape Design for Your Backyard Getaway.
The popularity of the staycation trend and bringing the indoors out is what drives many of the landscaping trends and shifts that we see continuing in outdoor living in 2019.
Landscaping Trend #1: Adding Ambiance with Fire
Fire pits gather family and friends together.
Fire pits and fireplaces continue to be popular as more families strive to create an outdoor oasis in their own backyard. Sophisticated fire features have come a long way from resembling a basic campfire, but they achieve the same result by promoting family and friends to enjoy each other’s company. They are also a great way to generate heat, light, and ambiance so families can still be outdoors in the colder months.
Landscaping Trend #2: Creating Multiple Layers of Outdoor Living Areas
Comfortable gathering and entertaining spaces in Pottstown, PA
Homeowners are asking their landscape designers to create separate gathering and entertaining spaces while keeping them accessible to one another. Patio space can be defined and separated depending on the function of the area: sitting, eating, reading nooks, etc. Keeping the areas separate can be accomplished by using varying elevations, low walls, and plantings and but there needs to be a good balance. Different areas encourage families to live in their landscape rather than simply admiring it.
Landscaping Trend #3: Carving Out a Private, Secluded Oasis
Separate spaces for fire pit and hot tub.
Carving out a private, secluded oasis retreat for two might include a simple water feature and surrounding it with lush plants. Read more about water features. This type of area will become more popular as busy families are craving ways to decompress and unwind.
Landscaping Trend #4: Lighting
With more LED and solar options available, homeowners are interested in more extensive lighting around their home. Why be left in the dark when daylight ends? With the right lighting, the play of light and shadow can also give your favorite trees and shrubs an entirely new look. See how Outdoor Lighting Makes a Big Difference.
Landscaping Trend #5: Interest in Restoring Ecosystems
Monarch butterfly.
Forty percent of pollinating insects, particularly bees and butterflies, risk global extinction. Homeowners are interested in installing native plants that have low water use, promote biodiversity and attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies. If you interested in this trend, you might want to read Pollinators 101. Providing a pollinator habitat can be rewarding and fun.
Landscaping Trend #6: Low Maintenance a Priority
Too much screen time has folks craving outdoor time.
Homeowners insist on ways to simplify their outdoor work. A well-planned hardscape design combined with softscaping can create a landscape plan that is durable, lovely and low maintenance. We all have busy lives and want time enjoying the landscape, not fussing over it. Read more about Low Maintenance Landscape Design for Your Home.
Landscaping Trend #7: Curb Appeal Matters
A well-designed front yard adds curb appeal.
There are lots of creative ways to improve front yards and we all recognize that curb appeal matters especially when you’re selling your house. It continues to remain a seller’s market and making the first impression is key when selling your home. You don’t have to settle for a boring front yard. It’s the first thing you notice when you return home from work every day. ‘Coming home’ at the end of a busy day is even more important in our busy lives so why shouldn’t your front yard landscaping be appealing and inviting and who else is more important to please than you arriving home each day and seeing an attractive, well-maintained front yard.
Sobering Fact about Us and the Outdoors
Gardening with children gets them outdoors.
A National Human Activity Pattern Survey reported this finding that Americans spend roughly 93 percent of their time enclosed either indoors or in vehicles. The statistics seem even worse for children. Prisoners at U.S. maximum security facilities are guaranteed two hours of outdoor time daily, whereas one out of two children worldwide spends less than an hour outside. Statistically, children spend half as much time as their parents did outside. All of this leads to why folks are craving nature and the outdoors and why there are movements to encourage people to cut down on technology that keeps them inside.
Katie Dubow, creative director at Garden Media Group in Kennett Square, PA bases her predictions on this trending indoor data that people have a need to reconnect with nature. Below we’ll highlight a few of these trends:
Garden Trends: Reconnect with Nature
Children find joy discovering nature.
Garden Trend #1 – The indoor generation craves a connection with nature which accounts for households buying at least one houseplant last year and millennials being responsible for 31% of houseplant sales.
Garden Trend #2 – Spending too much time in front of a screen causes physical and psychological problems. Parents will continue reducing screen time for their children and encouraging gardening activities.
Garden Trend #3 – Moon phase gardening is rising. Flowers and plants that glow at night (lamb’s ear, white Echinacea, or while Muscari (the 2019 bulb of the year), and night-blooming fragrant flowers like evening primrose, Angel’s trumpet or moonflower) appeal to those who entertain outdoors.
Garden Trend #4 – People love a new neutral color in home décor – mint. That will also spill over to gardening and expect to see hydrangeas and mint-colored flowers in more demand.
As Dubow says: “Finding joy in nature will help save the environment and, in turn, save us”.