Motion Gardeners

If you own a home and aren’t utilizing your backyard space, you’re seriously missing out. With our year-round sunshine, there is no excuse for not capitalizing on your outdoor square footage. 

Investing in your landscape design undoubtedly increases the value of your home, not to mention will have all your friends and neighbors asking when your next BBQ is.

Coming up with ideas and inspiration for your front or backyard can be tough. So we’re sharing the top 8 2018 landscape and garden design trends to help inspire you to spruce up your outdoor living space!

1. Low maintenance Landscape Design

Water conservation has never been more at the forefront of homeowners’ minds than it is now. Our first landscape design trend of 2018 is more homes transitioning from grass lawns and thirsty foliage to low maintenance, drought tolerant landscape designs. Also known as xeriscaping, this type of garden landscape focuses on the plant life that is specific to the region.

2. Small Space Landscapes

Move aside big backyards, designers sharing their love with small outdoor spaces too. We’ve noticed that designers and homeowners are getting better at maximizing space in small front or backyards – and you’ll see more people investing in the space the they have.

The best way to design a small space landscape is to incorporate features that have multiple purposes. You can also create more space by creating “zones,” ie, a small vegetable garden, seating area with fire pit, and BBQ. 

3. Outdoor Dining

A huge landscape design trend right now is taking alfresco dining to another level. Homeowners are investing in full-service outdoor dining rooms to take the inside outdoors. This trend is an absolute must for home entertaining enthusiasts.

You can make guests feel like they’re dining in an oasis with these tips:

• Cover your dining area with a pergola for shade
• Border the dining area with lush plant-life to make guests feel secluded
• Add after-dinner lounge areas like a fire pit or jaccuzzi
• Add special outdoor lighting to enhance nighttime experiences

4. Raised Garden Beds

Even the most chic homes are getting on the bandwagon and installing raised garden beds in their landscape. Calling all green thumbs! Raised garden beds can be used for everyday herbs or vegetables, and growing them is fairly simple given our climate.

5. Creating Privacy

Let’s face it, we all want privacy at home. Another trending landscape design that you’ll see in 2018 is the creation of privacy using plants. Homeowners crave their space lot sizes that tend to be closer than most. Feeling secluded can be easy and all-natural.

There are plenty of ways to achieve the seclusion you’re looking for without installing a standard fence or wall. Enclosing your property with landscaping is an idea that is on the rise.  There are many shrubs and lush bushes that can grow to offer privacy, as well as overall density to your landscape.  There are several styles to choose from in this regard, many of which offer a year-round solution.

• Create barriers using trees like Dogwood, Bamboo, or Japanese Maple
• Border the street of your front yard with shrubs and plants that border the curb (don’t go too tall, here)
• Consider horizontal fencing with natural materials such as premium redwood

6.  Handcrafted Elements

Take a trip into any big box store, and you will see hundreds of possible garden and yard additions.  The problem with this is that the originality has taken a back seat to turning a profit.  While some of these elements have a time and place for any landscape, 2018 will demand handcrafted and creative structures.  This can include walkway arches, central structures, benches, and borders.  Creativity is king with this trend.  While your creation should look good and make sense with the rest of your design, the originality of your structure is the focal point of the trend.  Your landscape will have a ‘wow’ factor that is sure to stand out from the rest.

7.  Covering all of the Seasons

Even slight variations in seasonal climates can affect your spring and summer blossoms.  For this reason, landscapes are becoming more focused around providing year-round aesthetic appeal.  The floor of your gardens and flowerbeds can be dazzled with lush, colorful fillers that look great for the entire year.  This creates a level of beauty even when the climate is working against you.  This idea requires a bit of planning, but will require little work when it comes time for the leaves to change. 

8.  Scandinavian Style

Scandinavian design has taken over many areas of the home in recent years.  In 2018, this style is set to push to the outdoors as well. In nordic cultures, every home dweller puts effort into an outdoor dining area. This is first and foremost, the most important. Beyond this, adding very simple elements to the yard will give it the Scandinavian vibe you’re looking for. Consider a koi pond or a small raised garden.

The investment that homeowners are now putting into the outdoor areas of their homes is a direct result of the desire to achieve relaxation from home.  Make your outdoor area relaxing and pleasurable, and you are sure to reap great benefits from your beautifully landscaped home.