Gardening and Landscape Trends

Now is a good time to review the gardening and landscape trends seen so far this year. There is still time to get on the band wagon and implement some of these ideas in your yard before the winter comes, so lets review.

Edible Gardens: As beautiful as flowers and shrubs are; vegetables and fruits are equally as attractive in structural variety, colour and blooms. Tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, strawberries etc, build gorgeous gardens and have the added benefit of a usable harvest when ripe. Also consider micro greens as an added edible touch that can have the look of a mossy detail to your vegetable/fruit garden and a nutritious addition to salads. Essentially, micro greens are any lettuces and herbs that are harvested when they are quite young. Less than an inch tall as a rule. Some popular varieties are: Mustard, kale, endive, arugula, beet greens, spinach, radish greens, watercress, peas and basil.

Raised Garden Beds:   You don’t always have to dig up your yard to obtain a flower bed or garden bed.  Constructing a raised bed out of natural wood adds a clean look to your yard and offers the convenience of easy dismantle and relocation as desired.  The natural wood colour is a favorite for raised beds, but lately we’re noticing dark stains in gray, blue, green, and black that really add a modern touch.

Ribbon Driveways:  Ribbon driveways typically place pavement beneath the wheels and grass in the middle.  This style has an old fashioned yet artistic  flare about it and also creates a permeable surface to reduce water runoff.

Miniature Meadows:  Inspired by a Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, this garden is based on hardy wildflowers and perennials to create waves of color year round. A bonus to such a landscape is that the native plants create habitats for birds, butterflies, and bees.

Dark Fences and Random Walls:  The latest trend in yard renovation is black paint or stain on fences. It is an inexpensive way to create clean lines and a modern look to your yard.  Black is a beautiful backdrop to bring out green foliage and brighten blooms. If your yard offers the space, consider a random wall in the middle of it or off to the side to act as a display for any particular plant formation you would like to put a spotlight on, or place a small garden table and some chairs in front of it to create a little tea time nook.