After all, landscape design evolves in time to reflect new ideas, lifestyles, and environmental awareness. Stateside, the open ground this season is turning from a yard to individualized outdoor living places. Pretty gardens are one thing -what homeowners now seek is smart, sustainable outdoor spaces. Over the next five years, sustainability and localisation of sourcing will be a big part of our purchasing process, but clever use of space must become king.
For those navigating the home buying process, understanding the smart way Californians get approved for home loans quickly can be a game-changer, making it easier to secure financing for your dream outdoor space.
Sustainable Landscaping: Going Green and Saving Resources
Sustainability is not just a phrase in landscape design but describes our very lives. This is the year that Americans have seemed to be obsessed with an environmentally sound landscape and escaping. Now that water conservation is more important than ever, especially in arid areas such as California and large parts of the Southwest where succulents are all the rage, this deciduous perennial has gone from grass to grace. It eliminates the need for excess water and is still beautiful.
Paying as much attention to soil health as water efficiency, adding compost to the soil or amending with organic mulch reduces chemical inputs in improving soil. Gardeners will be keen to cultivate pollinator-friendly gardens, using their own or native wild plants and shirking pesticides. Rain gardens to capture runoff and reduce erosion are also trendy.
The other side of that would be using recycled or sustainable hardscape Materials— Recycled concrete, natural stone, and sustainably harvested woods like Redwood for decks, pathways etc. They are made of long-lasting materials and, more environmentally friendly than other alternatives.
Besides protecting our environment, Sustainability is also about resilience over a longer period. Rather than planting thirsty, labor-intensive turf lawns, homeowners are opting more for ground covers or mixed planting beds that are lower maintenance and can thrive better in less-watered environments and need less mowing. As it saves a lot of time, money, and energy.
Essentially, the discipline of sustainable landscaping strives for a good-looking aesthetic. It is about promoting completely native gardens that are ecological and suit modern eco sensibilities. And that trend is only increasing as more people realize the advantages of a greener way to live in their backyard.
Outdoor Living Spaces: Bringing Comfort and Style Outside
The outdoor room trend has taken the country by storm. Comfort, as the name suggests, is what every season wants you to wear. This time, fashion and functionality are both mixing. And where outdoor kitchens, dining areas, and living rooms give these families an even better place to enjoy the outdoors with rest and entertainment.
For this reason, homeowners are hoping to make these areas an easy addition to their internal living room. That includes combining textures and colors of inside + outside. Fluffy white rugs, throw pillows in every other shade of the rainbow, and a couple of lush indoor plants — they all serve to soften up what was once cold patios/ decks.
Another hot one is making mini-private refuges inside your backyard. Screens made of wood slats or tall plants can muffle garden noise and hide your neighbor. Add in small fountains or ponds for some added sounds and a sense of calm.
When we are spending more time outside, multi-purpose spaces start becoming significant. Nooks for eating, gaming, planting, and lazing all merge into one.
Finally, these are the must-haves that may help in creating your outdoor room stylish and comfortable.
- Stylish and functional outdoor furniture that is built to last
- Cushions for modular seating to allow additional arrangements and comfort
- Fire Pits & Pergolas For Warmth And Ambiance
- Soft, linear path lighting with string lights for warm evenings
- Soft furnishings, including outdoor rugs and throw pillows for a pop of color
Used in different ways, these features help tenfold and convert your yard to a year-round living space that elevates the way you live and increases your property value.
Native Plants and Biodiversity: Embracing Local Nature
This is the season when gardeners move native plants front and center as they begin to discover their benefits. For example, exotic plants generally are not naturally adapted to our climate and soil; natives are. That is to say, they require less water, fewer chemicals, and less looking after.
Because the native species require what can generally be collected locally, they support biodiversity by providing both food and shelter for local wildlife. These plants are the bird, butterfly, and beneficial insect habitat. With all the balance a diversity of native flowers, shrubs, and trees bring to an ecosystem.
Native plants can also be visually appealing for gardeners, and they may offer color in more than one season–usually, they bloom at different times. They make great textural elements and come in fun shapes & foliage. In addition, they tend to better resist local pests and diseases than many imported varieties.
This comes with environmental sustainability and saving natural habitats from the brink of extinction. Homeowners share this serving pride throughout their community and the world, aware of the fact that they chose well to give back. Planting natives is not a trend, but it’s an act of purposeful gardening.
