The plants are hibernating under the ground, and you’re no longer spending time out in the yard planting, harvesting, and weeding. However, that doesn’t mean that your green thumb is wholly at rest.
In the wake of New Year’s resolutions, and with time to strategize before planting season, January is the perfect month to plan out your summer garden. Whether you’re thinking of a major overhaul, or just a few new elements, check out these popular new trends for 2017 to inspire you and keep your garden current and interesting:
Incorporation of Natural Elements
Landscapers are looking for more of a DIY-feel lately, eschewing the sleek Scandinavian look for something more homegrown. We’ll be seeing a lot more natural hardscaping elements, like natural flagstones and gravel, rather than poured concrete and acrylic building materials.
Color Blocking
Accent walls are moving outside! And it’s not just the walls. Solid panels of colors are welcome from carpets, curtains, or canvas. Solid, bright blocks of color create the perfect backdrop to offset your potted plants or wall-mounted vases. Grab a can of paint in your favorite color and apply it to a fence, a retaining wall, or the wall of your house.
Lawn Alternatives
Although a lush green lawn has long been a standard of a good yard, modern conservation mindfulness is making us re-think it. Many areas in the US (including Utah) don’t really lend themselves well to a natural lawn. Concerns about conservation, pesticides, and expense is making people think harder about creative ways to provide groundcover. We’re seeing a big upswing in strategic hardscaping, native species, and ground cover from creepers that look beautiful without needing regular watering.
All-Ages Play Spaces
Games in the yard aren’t just for neighborhood kids anymore. People are looking for ways to participate more in their gardens, and get all they can out of their hard work. Spaces like a horseshoe ring, a bocce ball court, a tetherball court, or even a cornhole toss are all growing in popularity. These spaces are for all ages and make a great feature for gatherings.
Mix and Matched Styles
Designers used to be really stubborn about keeping consistent styles throughout a space. But now, it’s a fun challenge to mix old and new styles. There’s nothing wrong with a clean, modern courtyard juxtaposed with a quaint cotswolds-style rambling rose garden path.
Advanced Irrigation Tech
You know how there are new programs that make you able to turn off your lights in your home remotely? Well, that tech is also translating into the gardening world. We’re able to remotely moderate our irrigation, in order to be more efficient and take care of our yards even with hectic schedules. This means more conservation and sustainability as we have even smarter tech to adapt to the weather.
