INTO ACTION Spring

Landscaping Trends for 2023

BY HEATHER PRINCE

containers makes growing plants accessible for everyone. There’s a plant for every situation from the sun to shade. Plus, there are so many options you can easily find a container that fits your personal style and space. Garden centers are filled with new selections plus tried-and true favorites. Try mixing in colorful leafy greens like Swiss chard, kale, and lettuces with your flowers for easy salads only a quick snip away.

Color Up: There’s no shortage of color trends for this year. Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2023 is Viva Magenta. We love this vivid, saturated hue for its joyful, fresh vibe. There are heaps of flowers and piles of foliage plants in magenta to mix and match in beds or containers. In addition, The Garden Media Group has named terracotta as their Color of the Year 2023. Echoing the con tinuing popularity of all things 70s, terracotta is a classic neutral. Try terracotta pots on the porch filled with magenta rex begonias to knit these color trends together and give yourself a warm colorful garden retreat.

Evening Gardens: On the flip side of bright colors, is the trend toward evening, white, or moon gardens. An evening garden can be a thoughtful way to welcome yourself and loved ones home at the end of a long workday. If you’re looking for an outdoor respite once the sun goes down, consider transforming an area into a garden filled with white blossoms, silver foliage, night-blooming flowers, fragrant herbs, and a spot to sit. Finish your peaceful oasis with a lantern, tabletop fountain, or solar lights for a little evening sparkle.

Taste of the Tropics: Big bold foliage is trending in houseplants and is still popular outdoors as well. Bring those houseplants outdoors for the summer or add vertical structure with palms, bananas, cannas, and elephant ears. Many of these big beauties can be overwintered indoors or enjoyed as a summer fling. Toss in some tiki and make your own tropical cocktail lounge!

Flowers Flowers Flowers: As you’re planning your garden beds and browsing those seed catalogs, do you love bouquets of flowers? A cutting garden is a terrific trend for folks who love to bring the garden indoors. Most of the flowers we love for the vase prefer full sun, but get creative with foliage, grasses, and branches, too. You can also dry some of those beautiful blossoms to create one of the hottest trends – dried flower arrangements. Perfect for bouquets, wreaths, and crafts, dried flowers can last for years when properly cared for.

Grow Up: As yards and garden spaces get smaller, think about growing up. Trellises, arbors, and fences are terrific spots to add climbing vines to soften hard edges. You’ll also find colorful ceramic wall pockets to hang plants and various living wall systems. Check out new varieties of narrow shrubs for hedges in tight spaces. In a sunny spot, create an espaliered living fence of apple or pear trees and enjoy flowers, fruit, and privacy.

Eat Well: Growing your own herbs, fruits, and vegetables, either in the ground or in containers, is still the number one gateway to a rewarding garden hobby. We love our fresh veggies – doesn’t everyone have at least one tomato plant? Try adding berries this year with new varieties bred for small spaces and, yes, containers. Mix your edible plants into your flower beds and borders to take advantage of sunny spots and add fresh textures.

Feed Everyone: With monarch butterflies now on the Endangered Species list, planting for pollinators has become a priority for gardeners. Native plants have steadily become more popular and available in garden centers and via mail order. There are many cultivars available but choose with care. For example, we love our echinacea but look for classic daisy-like flowers instead of doubles or triple petals to welcome bees and butterflies. Plant any color, but the flat open flowers offer the most nectar. Add a wide variety of flowers, from small, clustered blossoms to big tubular spikes, to attract the broadest array of beneficial bugs, pretty butterflies, and jewel-like hummingbirds.

Water Wise: Climate change is impacting our yards and gardens in every season. Store spring rains in rain barrels for summer dry spells and have the kids paint them for instant garden art. Spruce up your space and add habitat for pollinators with a rain garden while helping keep your basement dry. Create a beautiful patio with permeable pavers and control rainwater by directing excess runoff to thirsty plants. ■

EXPERT'S INPUT

Tips and trends from local industry experts

"Sleek designs incorporating more outdoor living features is the current demand for backyards. By expanding the design and functionality of porches, patios, and decks, you can enjoy the year-round enjoyment of outdoor spaces. Firepits, heaters, TVs, and covered spaces bring the warmth of the indoors outside. Partnering with an experienced firm, who can navigate the infrastructure needed, makes the process an enjoyable experience for homeowners."

– Mike Kehl, Bruss Landscaping