Unleash Your Creativity: Embrace Trends Shaping the Creative Landscape

BY ALANA SETTLE

KEEPING UP-TO-DATE ON TRENDS can help designers anticipate the preferences of their clients and stay competitive in the industry. In any case, trends can inspire you to try new techniques, materials, and design elements that can enhance the beauty and functionality of your projects.

Outdoor Retreats

Nearly any landscape designer can confirm that expansive patios, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, pergolas, and other hardscape features continue to be highly requested. But Monrovia and others predict a new theme for these outdoor living spaces—an upscale version that prioritizes relaxation, seclusion, and retreat. More people are becoming aware of the health benefits of time spent outdoors and are eager to find stress relief in their own backyards. Consumers are seeking a vacation-like vibe at home. Think large tropical houseplants brought outdoors for the summer, a focus on foliage and texture, ornamental grasses that move with the breeze, intricate water features, and luxurious furnishings.

Small Space Solutions

In Garden Media Group’s 2023 Garden Trends Report, the PR firm used data from cities across the country to introduce a trend they call the Backyard Revolution. High interest rates and housing shortages are delaying would-be firsttime homebuyers and increasing the need for rentals. Municipalities are revising codes to make it easier for residents to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Cities are attempting to expand “middle housing” options by reducing lot size requirements and allowing more multiunit structures such as townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and cottage clusters that promote walkability and community-building benefits.

The current housing crisis and an evolution in housing preferences provide the landscape industry with new opportunities. Container gardening is the most popular way to garden for 35–45-year-olds, according to a survey by the Great Grow Along. We're seeing new introductions, like Star Rose’s Petite Knock Out® rose and the popular Bushel and Berry® line of container-sized edibles. Online design firm Yardzen reports an uptick in prefabricated, luxury “sheds” as a more affordable alternative to an ADU and can be used as a home office, playhouse, or art studio.

Landscape design will play an important role in defining outdoor living spaces and addressing privacy concerns for ADUs, multi-family homes, and apartment complexes.

Nostalgia and Romance

Garden Media Group stressed the value all generations of gardeners place on nostalgia. In Monrovia’s 2023 trend report, the nursery and popular consumer brand predicts an increase in demand for traditional plants, such as fragrant roses and lilacs, and big bloomers like hydrangeas and peonies.

These plants are part of a larger, renewed interest in more formal, romantic gardens, something Monrovia calls the New Victorian Garden. Many attribute the trend to the popularity of Netflix’s Regency-era drama Bridgerton and its highly stylized aesthetic (Google searches for “royal garden” increased nearly 400% in 2022).

The trend focuses on dramatic flowering plants in soft shades of pink, white, and lavender. While anyone can plant a hydrangea, a professional design provides clients with structure, drama, and winter interest interest—think well-manicured hedges, defined pathways, topiaries and vertical evergreens, and custom fountains or ponds, stone walls, and other statement pieces.

Garden of Abundance

At the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show, two-thirds of the display gardens featured edible plants in their designs. Also referred to as Gardens of Eden, this design trend intersperses fruits, vegetables, and herbs with pollinator-friendly plants and traditional landscape elements to create a garden that is pretty and productive.

A December 2022 Nursery Magazine article highlights that while edible plants are always in demand (especially since the 2020 pandemic) consumers are increasingly seeking out “edimentals”—plants that offer just as much ornamental value as they do function.

Gardens of Abundance are natural-looking landscapes that serve as sanctuaries for both humans and wildlife like butterflies, bees, and birds. Since edibles aren’t relegated to raised beds, a focus on soil health is pertinent. Organic, sustainable practices are often preferred by clients who are interested in this style of landscape. Those who want to get started can turn to newer introductions of patio-sized berries and fruit trees or simply try adding a few herbs to their container garden designs.

Cottage Gardens

Garden Design magazine calls cottage gardens the “comfort food” of gardening. While always a popular design style, Google searches for cottage gardens have increased as more consumers think about ditching huge swaths of unused grass in favor of sustainable garden practices and pollinator-friendly habitats.

Cottage gardens ultimately include a large variety of plants, a key factor in protecting pollinator populations and creating a landscape resilient to climate change. The traditional dense planting design helps the soil naturally retain moisture. Incorporating natives and drought-tolerant plants can create a garden that is low maintenance and water-wise, too.

At first glance, cottage gardens can look a little chaotic and wild. Homeowners can benefit from a professional design that provides underlying structure and proper plant selection. When designed smartly, cottage gardens can be as low or high maintenance as the client desires. A professional will design a cottage garden with four seasons of interest as well.

Without a doubt, cottage gardens are a haven for plant enthusiasts. Gardeners have the freedom to experiment with a new plant or two and the failure of a plant makes little impact on the overall design. Clients who like to tinker in the garden every day will enjoy deadheading or other simple tasks to keep plants in check. Whimsical elements, like unique plants and vintage seating, can provide a one-of-a-kind look.

It’s easy to stay on top of trends if you’re involved in the industry. Attending industry tradeshows to see new products, technology, and plant introductions, following industry influencers on social media or subscribing to their newsletters, and simply networking with peers and maintaining close relationships with your clients will keep you in the loop.