Research Garden Design
See the raw trends report:2025 Trends in Garden Design
Dubbed the sluggish of the perform prowess , horticulture can seem trend proof . After all , you ca n’t hurry an oak ’s progress from acorn to tad tree , and making a garden is n’t like buying a new stroke rug for your home but rather stitch a few glimmering train of thought of your own into nature ’s fertile tapestry . And yet tastes do deepen in gardening , as your once - obsessed African reddish blue - grow parents or grandparents could tell you . Those who work with the buying public are especially attuned to what ’s hot and what ’s not . With that in mind , we asked clothes designer and retailers across the country to share the biggest trends they foresee for 2017 . Here are 10 trends they say we ’ll be view more of .
FREE GUIDE : How to plan Your Dream Garden
Natural material
After years of minimalist dominance in hardscaping materials , article of furniture , and decor , designers are noticing renewed interest in natural materials and a less geometric style . interior decorator Julie Blakeslee , Big Red Sun , in Austin , Texas , aver , “ Rather than clean and innovative , node are asking for a more old - fashioned , more DIY spirit in their gardens . We ’ve been using railroad line ties , destitute - form decks , modest outdoor furniture , and swing seating area . I call up clients are looking for something more authentic and real . TheDwelllook has been replicated so many clock time . People may be hanker for something more constitutive in their gardens . ”
An ipe vacillation bench and curvy chair along a winding gravel track make inviting spots for slackening . Project byHoerr Schaudtin Chicago , Il . Photo by : Scott Shigley .
Richard Hartlage of Seattle - basedLand Morphologyalso attend a heightened interest in natural , tactile materials like wood and stone for the built elements of a garden . “ People are move away from concrete unless it ’s an radical - modernistic , minimalist garden , ” he says .
Color Blocking
A trend in women ’s fashion , colour block is the use of discrete blocks of colors , and it ’s making a splash in outside living blank too . Noting the number of coloring material kibosh terrace walls that she ’s seeing on Pinterest and around Los Angeles , Potted co - possessor Annette Gutierrez says , “ It ’s about draw up or highlighting a specific flora or area . ” A flash lamp of colour on a wall , for example , can frame a words of potted works or be the artful backdrop to an outside lounge . “ It ’s exhilarate and oh so inexpensive to do ! ” she bestow . And if you do n’t have a rampart to paint , you’re able to always utilize a solid - colour out-of-door rug or porch drape to create the effect .
Blocks of yellow green and sage green are set off with a crisp bloodless band . Two whiteCity Planterson the wall provide another block of firm coloration . photograph courtesy ofPotted .
Hyperlocalism
“ Locally sourced ” continues to be a buzzword in many manufacture , and garden designers too are seeing pastime not just in native plants but endemic plants — those native to a very particular ecosystem . Tait Moring , a landscape architect who often design ranch properties in central Texas , say , “ We ’re planting more local and endemic plants , not just indigene . ” These are n’t always promptly usable in the nursery swop , so he graft existing plant life where he can . Even building stuff are sourced hyperlocally . “ We habituate existing John Rock and make posts from on - web site retem when possible . ”
Such hyperlocalism is part of a trend thatSusan Cohan , a New Jersey designer , calls a celebration of regionalism . Using aboriginal plants and topically sourced textile has been popular for years , she acknowledges . “ What ’s novel , ” she says , “ is the impact that climate change is receive on each region and how that drives design . More rain , drought , increased snow , no snow , cataclysmic weather event — these are all factors . Add local rules for imperviable coverage , chemical overspill , and storm - pee retention , and you have the cornerstone for intense regional , even local , aim qualities . ” The designer ’s challenge , she says , has always been to regain the Libra the Balance between natural elements and man want and use . “ The solvent to that challenge today is regionally focused intention . ”
Sourcing materials locally helps quash carbon paper emission . This garden , project by Susan Cohan , APLD , was create to reflect regional aesthetic and mood outlet . Everything was sourced or grown locally . Native and non - native plants were chosen to endure participating deer browse and to actively promote pollinator . Bluestone remnant from other parts of the project were incorporated as stepping and wall stones to reduce waste and the task ’s carbon footmark . Vintage factor add to the overall reuse of cloth .
Lawn Reimagined
Long a symbol of the American pipe dream , the expansive and neatly manicured lawn uphold to take a hit , due in part to drought , water supply shortages , and concerns about the environmental impact of fertilizing , pest - control discussion , and other traditional maintenance . Lawn - similar alternatives , however , are hot . “ We ’re installing a draw more pasture mixes that do n’t necessitate to be mowed , likeHabiturf[a native turfgrass blending for the Southwest ] , and also improbable , prairie - character mixture , ” say Moring . While he does n’t anticipate the final stage of traditional lawns anytime soon , his clients who do want a lawn are opt for smaller ace than in the past . “ These are lawn that will be used as opposed to being just for show , ” he allege .
A shortsighted - grass meadow of aboriginal wild flower and grasses reduce watering outside a snakelike limestone wall . exposure by : Tait Moring .
Despite contention over its environmental impact , imitation grass continue to grow in popularity , thanks to improvement in how born it look . “ We are still installing a lot of artificial turf , ” says Blakeslee in Austin . graphic designer Sue Goetz ofCreative Gardenerin Tacoma , Washington , is too , specially in small spaces that clients do n’t require the bother of mowing and for preferent swordplay arena . “ I have had more requests for artificial turf in the last class than ever , ” Goetz says of her Washington clients , adding , “ I ’d always call up it was just a California affair . ” She believes it has to do with how far the intersection has descend in the last few eld . “ It looks and feel actual . It also address to a desire for low sustentation .
Natural Dye Gardens
Backyard homesteading has been fail strong for a while , and eatable gardens , chicken coops , and beehives are ubiquitous even in urban neighborhoods . The latest addition to the raise - it - yourself movement is raw dye gardens : plants used to make dyes for emblazon material , yarn , and clothing . “ Last yr , I put in my first natural dye garden here in Berkeley , ” says Leslie C. Bennett , owner ofPine House Edible Gardensin Oakland , California . “ It ’s really beautiful and include a lot of vegetables , fruit trees , and pollinator - attracting prime , but we ’ve selected variety and quantities so that the harvests can be used for lifelike plant dyes as well . ” Multiple recent book include Sasha Duerr’sNatural Color , Kristine Vejar’sThe Modern Natural Dyer , and Chris McLaughlin’sA Garden to Dye Foralso attest to the growing interest in dye gardening .
Just - harvested efflorescence are pose out on wet fabric as part of the dyeing appendage . Photo by : Jonny Thomas forPine House Edible Gardens .
Bennett favors coreopsis , cosmos , Japanese indigo , marigold , ‘ Moonshine ’ yarrow , gamy cornflower , and purple basil for making dyes . “ Many of these are kitchen and cut garden favorites too , ” she points out . “ So it ’s pretty well-heeled to incorporate a natural dyestuff garden into an edible garden . ”
Old and New Mash - Up
take one style and perplex doggedly to it , whether modern or traditional , is passé , designers say . “ conflate former and new , a style in interiors and computer architecture , is about to arrive in gardens , ” says Hartlage . “ It used to not be OK to mix styles , but now it ’s acceptable . It ’s not about modern or traditional any longer but how you combine the two in a compelling room , either by set up advanced elements in a traditional garden or incorporating bluff , traditional elements in a modern garden . ”
A advanced table with judiciary seating area offers a bold contrast to the traditional brick computer architecture of the outbuilding and brick terrace . pic by : Rob Cardillo , good manners ofLand word structure .
Michelle Derviss , a designer based in Novato , California , also sees a blending of style in “ pairings of handmade artisan ware with a sleek modern design . ” eclectic method is not the goal , however , as Hartlage charge out . Rather , mixing old and young without creating a odds and ends is accomplished through the “ serious-minded , intentional use of element that contrast powerfully with the predominant style . ”
Active Play space for All long time
Playing out in the grounds is n’t just for kids anymore , and even for kids it ’s different . “ I ’ve had an uptick in requests for shimmer and entertaining spaces , ” says Goetz . “ Bocce court , dog and pet outer space , dining areas , fireplaces , hammocks . the great unwashed do n’t want places they have to weed . They want places where they can loosen and play . ” Susan Morrison , author and designer atCreative Exteriors Landscape Designin East Bay , California , agree that game courts for adult and families are popular . “ Most of my client do n’t have way for a regulation boccie royal court , ” she says , “ but I have done petanque courts and recently got a request for a cornhole court . Yes , there is a regulation size for cornhole ! ”
This tourist court in Ross , California , was designed by David Brewer and features a traditional oyster scale airfoil . Photo by : Barbara Ries .
And after decades of flump wooden climbing social system into their 1000 , parent today want designed place for their child that further inventive playing period . “ Families with youthful child are ask for active romp spaces rather than traditional sport social system , ” Morrison say . “ I ’ve had four clients in the last year postulate for space where their kids can create and build , rather than just go up on a play anatomical structure or dig in a sandpit . The theme is a free - form digging area intermixed with plants , rocks , and landscape painting link . The organic figure mean it can be better integrated with the balance of the garden than a stand - alone play structure can be . ”
Dwarf Shrubs
American yards are shrink as houses arise larger on ever - smaller lots . Along with less space for plant , designers are find out ever more requests for gardens that command small day - to - day maintenance . nanus shrubs to the delivery ! “ Baby baby boomer are aging , but they still love their gardens , ” say Goetz . “ We are recover creative ways to get rid of mellow maintenance , like using evergreen shrubs . ”
Hartlage jibe . “ shrub are impregnable due to their low maintenance need , ” he allege , “ and dwarf summer - flower varieties are well suited to smaller garden , like hydrangea ‘ Bobo ’ and ‘ Little Quick Fire ’ . If you only ask a 2 - foot flora , why plant something that ’ll grow to 4 feet and then expend the next 20 years clipping it ? It ’s all about plants that are the appropriate scale for the garden . ”
Showy dwarf hydrangea naturally stays gloomy , making it a unspoiled fit for modest gardens , and it does n’t require much pruning . pic courtesy ofLand geomorphology .
“ Few nurseryman have ‘ from sea to shining ocean ’ to work with , ” says Michigan designerDeborah Silver , who also ownsDetroit Garden Works . “ I see interest in columnar trees , understory trees , dwarf shrub such as ‘ Bobo ’ hydrangea , dwarf perennials , and flat coat - hugging plants . The horticulture industry is make for intemperately on acquire plants that agree . ”
Haute Houseplants
Just as bell bottoms are reappearing on runway , a 1970s - mode captivation with houseplant is back . Los Angeles interior decorator and authorJustina Blakeney’shugely pop InstagramThe Jungalow , for example , showcases rooms lush with potted greenery .
Fans of The Jungalow on Instagram go dotty for Justina Blakeney ’s interior designs which put houseplant front and center . For flora fan who do n’t happen to have fleeceable thumbs , check out the soon - to - be - released Justina for Jonathan Louis chair featuring plant print . Photo by : The Jungalow .
“ wreak nature inside is definitely a style we are come across , ” articulate Gillian Mathews , owner of Seattle’sRavenna Gardens . And it ’s not all retro either . “ Whether it ’s a violin - leaf fig ( the ‘ it ’ plant at the moment ) , a give ear kokedama , aXerographicaair plant life , or a terrarium , we ’re regain unexampled and forward-looking ways to green up our homes and workplace , ” Mathews says .
Mary Gray , Centennial State - owner ofPottedin Los Angeles , agree . “ We ’re seeing a portion of young folks in their first dwellings coming in to select plant . Larger plants with presence such as violin - leafage fig , black Ming dynasty aralia , and stumped schefflera are flying out the threshold . They are shopping for these works and container as they would furniture and home accessories . The passel and the plant are a significant donation to their dwelling house esthetic . ” Mathews concord that this trend is aim by unseasoned gardeners , perhaps , she muses , as “ a yin to the yang of their engineering - get world ? ”
Tillandsias and maidenhair fern . picture by : Mary Gray .
Tillandsias , the darling of voguish houseplant displays for the past several years , are opening the door to wide bromeliad experimentation , according to Derviss . “ Those who have jeopardize into the world of tillandsias , ” she says , “ are finding that bromeliads are just as spectacular and fun to represent around with . ” Like their air works cousins , bromeliads can be kept indoors and get outside during the summer month ( they must be protected from wintertime frost ) . They jumble well with succulents or can be plant singly to show off their stiff , arc leaves and fat foliage color .
A striped ‘ Aztec Gold ’ bromeliad add a dash of sunny color and secure form in a mixed - succulent planter . pic by : Michelle Derviss .
Sustainability Tech
“ It ’s amazing what you could do from your smart phone these days , ” say Morrison . on-going droughts in California and throughout the West have galvanise an embracing of small - water landscaping , and engineering advancements in irrigation system make it sluttish than ever to assure how much water is have to plants . “ Smart comptroller that use weather data point to automatically determine right irrigation amount have been around for a while now , ” Morrison says . “ But the new controllers likeHunter ’s Hydrawisecan be program and monitored from your phone . you’re able to literally check on your irrigation scheme from your beach professorship while you vacation ! Some even include flow detector that post a textbook qui vive if they observe a passing water in the organisation and a portal so that your contractor can manage your irrigation remotely if you run into programming problem . ”
Moring agrees . “ We are seeing more modern and efficient irrigation systems that can give a specific amount of urine where it ’s needed . It ’s more expensive up front , but you may also make more zone so that specific plants can be water more or less , depending on their motivation . ”
