A stylish garden need not sacrifice usefulness. We're predicting these 10 design trends—including native plants, sturdy accessories, and dramatic paint and stain colors—will improve any garden this year:
Black Fences:
Above: Photograph via Martin Veltkamp.
A black backdrop is the perfect foil for green (and any color flower). Black paint (or stain) is an inexpensive way to instantly create drama. For more examples, see our recent post Trend Alert: Black Fences.
Painted House Numbers:
Above: Photograph via Geeparee22.
Painted house numbers won't warp, rust, bund, chip, crack, or break. Also they cost nothing (chances are you still have a bit of leftover paint from the last time you painted the house trim), which could go a long way toward explaining why we're spying this environmentally friendly design trend more often.
Edible Microgreens:
Above: Photograph via The Merry Thought.
Are microgreens the new chia pet? Whether you sow a single container of microgreens or designate an entire section of your edible garden to the endeavor, you'll be on trend for 2015. The tiny sprouts are quick to grow (they take less than two weeks to go from seed to table), packed with nutrition, and adorable. Just shear and eat.
Stained Raised Beds:
Above: Photograph via Victoria Skoglund.
Natural wood is the fallback favorite for raised beds, but lately we're noticing dark stains—gray, blue, green, and black—that lend a certain formality to a kitchen garden. For some of our favorites, see Trend Alert: Stained Raised Beds.
Bamboo Accessories:
Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.
No longer dismissed as an invasive nuisance (see our recent post Bamboo: The Re-Think), bamboo is a sturdy, attractive, inexpensive hardscaping material that we're happy to see being used to make canopies and fences. Bamboo garden accessories—cloches and plant tunnels and trellises—blend naturally into the landscape.
Mini Meadows:
Above: Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge for Gardenista.
Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf's High Line Park in Manhattan is an object lesson in how to design garden beds of hardy wildflowers and perennials to create unstudied waves of color year round. In Brooklyn, garden designer Julie Farris planted her roof (above) with plants that prove no garden is too small for a mini meadow. Added bonus: native plants create habitats for birds, butterflies, and bees.
Brown Blooms:
Above: Photograph by Paola Tasini via Flickr.
What's driving gardeners to plant more perennial grasses that turn into feathery drifts of brown in the winter? First spotted in Piet Oudolf's romantic landscapes, brown drifts of drought-tolerant grasses also signal that you're saving water. Also trending: brown seed pods, brown flowers, and brown leaves, all left to weather naturally in the fall and winter landscape.
Floral Confetti:
Above: Photograph by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.
Brides, take note. Sprinkling petals—on tabletops, walkways, and your hair—is an easy and inexpensive substitute for fussy, expensive vases full of flowers. Rose petalss are a classic choice (and have a lovely scent); we're also seeing all kinds of colors and shapes of confetti made of cornflower, poppy, and wildflower petals.
Ribbon Driveways:
Above: Photograph via Martin Hoffman Landscape Architect.
An old-fashioned design that harkens to the days when wagon ruts ran down the middle of a roadway, ribbon driveways typically put pavement beneath the wheels and grass in the middle. Back in fashion not just because they look great, they also create a permeable surface to reduce water runoff. See our recent post Hardscaping 101: Ribbon Driveways for more.
Forced Bulbs:
Above: Photograph via Fröken Knopp.
Follow the lead of Scandinavian gardeners who've long combatted the chill of dark winters by bringing spring indoors. This winter we're seeing more pots of forced bulbs including muscari, narcissus, amaryllis, and crocuses. For more, see Trend Alert: 13 Beautiful Blooming Bulbs.
For more exterior design inspiration, see:
- 11 Ways to Add Curb Appeal for Under $100
- Curb Appeal: Black and White Mosaic Tile, from London with Love
- Tech Roundup: Best Apps for Garden Design
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